This document outlines the culture at FocusU, which prioritizes sincerity and creating WOW experiences. It describes their values of C.H.O.P.S: caring deeply, showing ownership, creating safety, being passionate, and having humility. Safety is the top priority value. They struggle with fully living their values daily and balancing fun with work, though their imperfect culture is better than being average.

1. Our Culture deck
This is what matters to us

2. Who we are
One word that defines us is
“sincere” – we truly want to
make a difference through
our work
We are united by an
uncommon passion to stage
WOW experiences every
single time
What binds us together as a
team is a shared belief in a
FocusU way of living that we
call as C.H.O.P.S

3. Focus U
3
Clearly…. We are
different
We Are Different!

4. This document is our
stake in the ground……
It is in most parts – what we are,
But it is also – what we aspire to be.
It is our credo as a team.
It also means….
We hire & promote people who demonstrate these values.
CREDO

5. Do you have
the
C.H.O.P.S ?

6. Believing that we
need to CARE
deeply about
everything
around us
Believing in
showing extreme
OWNERSHIP in
everything that we
do
Believing
in creating
a SAFE
environment
around us
Believing in
being
obsessively
PASSIONATE
about our work
Believing that
being HUMBLE
makes us more
human &
grounded
This is what C.H.O.P.S means for us

7. We believe that we
need to CARE deeply
about everything
around us!
What this means for us:
§ Thinking of others, their needs, growth and success
§ Acknowledging everyone as humans first and foremost
§ Liberally recognising effort people put - on Basecamp
or in other forums
§ Being tough on the issue and soft on the person
involved. Talking out issues that bother us rather than
letting it fester - with clients, vendors & each other
§ Speaking up when we see things around us (practices,
decisions, behaviours, communication) that we are not
ok with. Not going with Groupthink
§ Helping a team-mate find his or her feet in the team
§ Caring for everything and everybody who touches our
lives - our equipment, our offices, our people, our
vendors, our associates, our clients, our proposals and
our website

8. We believe that we
need to CARE deeply
about everything
around us!
What this ‘does not’ mean for us:
§ Putting things under the rug or shying away from
difficult conversations
§ At the same time it is not “brutal” honesty either. It is
not about making personal attacks. It does not mean
being a jerk
§ Caring narrowly only for our work, our growth, our
people - while ignoring our vendors, associates, our
office and equipment
§ Habitually not caring or trying to be a part of any
internal team catch-ups or Hygge sessions
§ Being too busy or not caring enough to respond
promptly to mails, messages or meeting requests

9. We believe that being
HUMBLE makes us
more human &
grounded!
What this means for us:
§ Never getting carried away when we get overwhelming
praise
§ Treating every individual whom we interact with – be it
a CEO or the hotel staff – with equal respect
§ Knowing that when we succeed brilliantly, it is not
because of “me the superstar” – but because of our
team effort
§ Not speaking too loud, bragging or being pompous
§ Knowing that we have not “arrived” – we never will
§ Being a better listener, open to learning from others
and always sharing credit where it is due
§ Acknowledging our mistakes

10. We believe that being
HUMBLE makes us
more human &
grounded!
What this ‘does not’ mean for us:
§ Not speaking up where our opinion can add value
§ Keeping quiet only “for the sake of peace” when we
think something is wrong
§ Being shy and lacking confidence
§ Behaving like a “know it all” just because we may be
better read or better informed than another on a
particular topic
§ Assuming that whatever we think is “the truth” and
therefore should be imposed on others without debate

11. We show extreme
OWNERSHIP in
everything that we do
What this means for us:
§ Ensuring a no surprises culture within the team
§ Owning our client deliverables - end to end. No
excuses to the king/queen
§ Owning our communication - being super responsive
and speaking up
§ Taking the responsibility to set up our team members
for success
§ Being totally dependable in terms of timelines &
deliverables – keeping the impact of our actions on
others in mind
§ Following processes every time - the ones we like to do
and the ones that need to be done
§ Picking up the extra load when a team member is
down or needs help
§ Always working and taking decisions in the best
interest of FocusU

12. We show extreme
OWNERSHIP in
everything that we do
What this ‘does not’ mean for us:
§ Worrying only about our narrow job roles, job
descriptions and related deliverables.
§ Thinking Me before We
§ Not being a team player. Expecting someone else to
pick up the baton
§ Taking up 95% ownership. It’s either 100% or it is zero
§ Committing and then not delivering
§ Trying to do everything by oneself without delegating
or leveraging the strengths / expertise of others in the
team
§ Not taking ownership of our own challenges, mistakes
and shortcomings - and not asking for help!

13. We are obsessively
PASSIONATE about
the work that we do
What this means for us:
§ Targeting zero errors in everything that we do
§ Hurting badly when a workshop doesn’t go as well as
we planned
§ Telling the whole world – Happy or Free – right on our
website
§ Staying up all night if needed, to be well prepared for
a workshop
§ Not thinking twice about picking up paper pieces from
the floor, because it makes our workshop experience a
little less perfect

14. We are obsessively
PASSIONATE about
the work that we do
What this ‘does not’ mean for us:
§ Being unmindful of what we are putting other team
members through say, habitual late nights or odd
hours. Not respecting work life balance.
§ Not keeping everyone on the team informed about the
detailed plan of action for a workshop (I will decide on
stage is a No-No)
§ Not putting in regular consistent effort to excel in what
you do (in terms of learning, trying different things,
challenging self)
§ Burning out, overworking yourself. It is a marathon -
not a 100m dash
§ Habitually not attending any of the knowledge sharing
sessions
§ Not giving due credit to the person deserving it for the
ideas they contributed or the task they delivered.

15. We believe in creating
a SAFE environment
around us
What this means for us:
§ Ensuring physical, emotional and psychological safety
for our workshop participants and our internal team
§ Saying NO to an activity if we believe it compromises
safety
§ Being “Like a pair of old shoes” – easy & comfortable
individuals to get along with. Being easily
approachable.
§ Having a SWAN attitude at all times – never losing our
poise but being completely alert to possibilities
§ Always having a smile & a laugh – to share!
§ Never ever taking advantage of anyone - our clients,
vendors colleagues or company, even if they would
never know

16. We believe in creating
a SAFE environment
around us
What this ‘does not’ mean for us:
§ Putting business ahead of the safety of our clients,
vendors or teammates
§ Having a “dekha jayega” attitude
§ Not being careful about the kind of people (new
teammates, vendors, associates) we bring into our fold
§ It does not mean “playing safe” and not sharing feed
forward with someone, because it is awkward
§ Treating others the way we want to be treated. And
expecting a similar behavior from them.
§ Saying unsafe things and hiding behind ‘This is how I
am’

17. Values are guiding lights for all our action. But at
times, they may work against each other.
Example: Being Passionate may lead a Facilitator to put
participants through a challenging new exercise that would
stretch them. But say two people have a health limitation.
Would it be Safe to do it still? Which value should the
Facilitator prioritise?
These are real questions and hence a prioritization is needed.
What if there
is a clash of
values?

18. SAFETY comes first - every single time, in every
circumstance. No exceptions.
CARE follows. If we care deeply enough, it creates
the context for the right action.
OWNERSHIP comes next. If we own the situation,
almost always we can resolve it.
PASSION is next. After all, it is the fuel that drives
action and finds a way where there are none.
HUMILITY not surprisingly comes last. And yet it
pervades everything that we do.
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This is how we see it:

20. CREDO
The FocusU Way works for us.
But we appreciate, it will not for
everyone.
We have our issues, and we are far from
being the perfect place
Here are a few things we struggle with…

21. The things we Struggle With!
A few things we struggle with:
§ Living our values on a daily basis
§ Balancing FUN with work – there
is a constant buzz in office that to
some may seem chaotic …. It is.
We just get used to working
around it.

22. We were inspired by:
§ The Netflix Culture Deck
(McCord & Hastings)
§ Hubspot: www.culturecode.com
§ The awesome team at FocusU:
http://focusu.com/about-us/
We have our flaws.
But better
imperfect than
perfectly average.
And so this is us…