Soon after I wrote this on my office wall, I left my company.
A decade later, I moved my new company into the same building.
To my surprise, the words were still there. This is what they said.
The things the last 10 years have taught me.
- If we can’t do the basics amazingly well, nothing else will matter.
- Never try to be cool. Only try to be good.
- Be honest. People trust you when you tell the truth.
- Be brave with your ideas. And fight like a brave to make them happen.
- Understand everything we do has some negative impact on the environment. But that shouldn’t stop us from trying to be as low impact as we can.
- Hire people with passion and who care. We can’t put the fire in someone’s belly. Only they can do that.
- Making this a fun place to work in shouldn’t be confused with being an easy place to work in. Trying to be better than other guys is never easy.
- If we make a promise, we have to keep a promise. If events prevent us from keeping that promise, be quick to tell the other person.
- We all work for this company, but make sure the company works for you.
- Try stuff. Make mistakes. This is how we learn.
- We are not a normal company. Our aim is to make people think as well as buy.
- A strong team will achieve more than a team of strong individuals ever will.
- We want to be great at what we do. Treat average as an enemy. Be tough on it.
- Be positive. Believe in your ability to do amazing things.
- Treat people with the same respect that they pay you. Remember, flowers bloom in the sunshine.
- Have fun. Life is over in the blink of an eye. Ask my dad.
- It’s OK to disagree on stuff. That’s how great stuff happens.
- We are using this business to try and change the things we care about. That doesn’t make us perfect. But it does mean we are doing something. Dick Dastardly had a point.
- Wrong thinking is often right.
- We have a point of view. Don’t expect everyone to agree with it.
- Quality is many things, not just how well you make something.
- Give something back. It doesn’t have to be money like the earth tax that we do. It can be more valuable. Your time.
- Do is a powerful word. A good friend told me that.
- Play is good. Equally, work is good too.
- Stay hungry. Wanting to improve is a never-ending journey.
- Find your love. And do it. Like they say, life is short.