what is culture?
a set of shared beliefs,
great culture
attracts
great people
great people
create
great culture
great culture
helps people
deliver their
best work
This document is part manifesto & part employee handbook.
It‟s part of who we are and who we want to be.
values and practices

culture isn’t born.
it’s forged.
our culture defies convention by combining the
best practices of other companies with
progressive ideas we have not seen elsewhere.
THE 10 UNCONVENTIONAL
PILLARS OF OUR CULTURE

we operate
on trust1

we operate on trust1
 Just because someone made a mistake
years ago doesn‟t mean we need a policy
 We only protect against the really big stuff
We don‟t have pages of policies
and procedures

we operate on trust1
We have 3 short policies for just
about everything:
do what is right
1
use good judgment
2
act in SocialRadar‟s
best interest
3

we operate on trust1
 Social media policy
 Travel policy
 Sick day policy
 Expense reimbursement policy
 Technology for work policy
 „Buy a round of drinks at an
event‟ policy
 „Work from home during a
blizzard‟ policy
do what is right
1
use good judgment
2
act in SocialRadar‟s
best interest
3
Our policy on all of these things (and most other things)

we stay
relevant2

we stay relevant2
We stay current, we
stay cutting edge.
We don‟t shun new
technology – we
become early
adopters and
experts of it. We
pilot everything.
We share what we
learn.
We share our new
discoveries and
experiences with
each other – from
tech to pop culture.
We are active on
social media. We have
Twitter accounts and
we use LinkedIn, etc.
We contribute daily
to social sites. We
share the great
content we
discover.

we stay relevant2
We develop for the iPhone and Android and we are
all power users of both.
 We are mobile - live it.
SocialRadar is running all the time.
 We are super-consumers of our own product.
We see blockbuster movies on opening weekend,
discuss the news and invite speakers that come to
educate the group.
 Stay relevant - by staying current.

we are building for
where the market
is going to be
3

we have a vision and
a mission that will
get us there
we are building for where
the market is going to be3
…not for where it is now. And not for
where everyone believes it is going.
We see where the market is going to
end up. That‟s what we‟re building for.

It's really hard to design
products by focus groups.
A lot of times, people don't
know what they want until
you show it to them.“ - Steve Jobs

we actively
participate in
the community
4

We participate in DC tech events, attend tech
meet-ups and foster connections with our fellow
techies, designers, marketers, etc.
We believe in helping our family and friends. We
help our co-workers. We help other startups and
technology companies as well as fellow
entrepreneurs. We are active members of a
community and will do our part.
we actively participate
in the community4

we believe in
working as a team5

we believe in working
as a team5
Small groups are mighty forces.
We work in small
groups – from
development to
marketing.
There is little to no
telecommuting
because we
believe teams
work better face-
to-face.
Both in work and
outside of work –
we encourage
group lunches,
group movies,
group exercise.

we believe in working
as a team5
 Cancel unproductive meetings
 Limit internal scheduled meetings to 20 minutes
(except 1:1s or companywide)
 No pre-scheduled auto-recurring meetings
Meetings are not
necessarily teamwork:

we all contribute…
differently6

we all contribute…
differently6
Everyone has different strengths and
weaknesses – but we all chip in – we are a
startup. Our jobs may include strategy and
product design but they also include building
our own desks and taking out the trash.
A gear-shift has a different job
than a steering wheel but all are
needed to run the car

we all contribute…
differently6
 Management should not be everyone‟s career goal. We can excel
and grow in a variety of roles.
 Manager of the accounting department is a different job than an
accountant – not necessarily a higher or more important job.
 We believe in keeping the organization as flat as possible. But
managers are needed as a company grows. We will not create
another level until a manager has a minimum of 6 direct reports.
Management is not a higher position.
It is a different skill:

we believe in
constant feedback7

we believe in
constant feedback7
No annual reviews but feedback all the time:
As a team member,
you have the right
to candid and
constructive
feedback. We are
replacing the
traditional annual
review in favor of
more frequent
feedback.
Don‟t be offended
by feedback. It will
help you grow.
Respond positively:
“Great – now I
know what I can do
better in my job –
thank you for
telling me.”
If feedback isn‟t
helpful or you don‟t
take feedback well,
this may not be the
place for you. Not
every company is a
good fit for every
employee. If that‟s
the case, we will
part on great terms.

we value your
contribution &
your career
8

we value your contribution
and your career8
 We are building a company for the community,
our co-workers, and ourselves. Everyone owns a
piece of what we‟re building with our generous
stock program.
 Upon joining SocialRadar, you are allotted a set
amount of stock. Additional grants are made
based on individual contributions to the company.
Everyone is an owner:

we value your contribution
and your career8
 We will align our people to the market annually.
 Some, but not all, positions will increase in comp because their
value in the marketplace is moving up, driven by increasing
skills and/or greater demand for an area of expertise.
 It‟s a healthy idea – not a traitorous one –
to explore what other firms would pay you:
– Interview and talk to peers at other companies. Talk with
your manager about what you find
We value our employees:
Minor exception: no interviews with firms that are direct competitors.
Often they are trying to get confidential information.

we believe in
work + life, not
work vs. life
9

we believe in work + life,
not work vs. life9
 Please prioritize important family or
personal events.
 Because we strive to do an amazing job, we can
take all the time we need (marking our calendars,
of course). We also take off on most NYSE holidays.
We have unlimited vacation and
sick leave and a flexible schedule:
Recognized NYSE holidays: New Years Day, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day

we believe in work + life,
not work vs. life9
 The basis for good teamwork is respect for each other‟s time.
We ask that everyone start the day by 9:30 am.
 We understand that people work late, so let‟s work late
together:
– Monday and Thursday we will work until 9:00 pm and provide
dinner for the team
– Tuesday and Wednesday we will leave at a normal time and try
not to schedule other meetings so you can go home for dinner
We have coordinated work schedules:

we believe in work + life,
not work vs. life9
 We workout and stay active. (well you workout –
but if you do we pay for it.)
 We (try to) eat healthy. We stock our kitchen area
with healthy food and drink. And only some junk
food (mostly cupcakes).
And we firmly believe our time at work
should positively impact our „life.‟:
Gym memberships are covered by SocialRadar. Other workout
programs will be covered within reason.

we are perpetually
a work-in-progress10

we are perpetually
a work-in-progress10
Expect Change
We are driving the car while
building it. It‟s difficult and painful
but necessary as we constantly
readjust to the road ahead.

we are perpetually
a work-in-progress10
Try to be better
than you were
yesterday.
We would rather fail
frequently then never
try. We all fail at
something everyday.
Learn from your
mistakes and try not
to make them again.

we are perpetually
a work-in-progress10
iterating
never done
learning
never done
rethinking
never done
When we finish something we look back
and see how it can be made better.
Then we start again. (After we finish all
of our other work.)

6. We all
contribute…differently.
7. We believe in constant
feedback.
8. We value your contribution
and your career.
9. We believe in work + life,
not work vs. life.
10. We are perpetually a work-
in-progress.
1. We operate on trust.
2. We stay relevant.
3. We are building for where
the market is going to be.
4. We actively participate in
the community.
5. We believe in working as a
team.

This deck was based on:
1. great culture ideas copied from leading companies that we
respect (see below)
2. A decade of experiences shared by Michael Chasen
3. the input of many other (very smart) people
HubSpot Culture Presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/HubSpot/the-hubspot-culture-code-creating-a-company-we-love
Netflix Culture Presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/reed2001/culture-2009
Zappos Corporate Culture Presentation
http://www.slideshare.net/Thor/zappos-lessons-building-a-customerfocused-culture?from_search=1