Our purpose and values lie at the center of everything we do. How we hire, how we fire, how we communicate, collaborate, deliver work, and interact with our clients. Everything!

How we drafted them.

Right from the start, back in 2018, we wanted to define our Purpose and Values. We needed a North Star to guide us while our business and team grew.

We wanted this to be the result of co-creation, not a top-down decision. We spent a good part of our first-ever company off-site meeting brainstorming and debating on what they should be.

How we came up with our purpose:

In answering the fundamental question, “Why do we exist as a company beyond financial gain?” we sought to pinpoint what drives us daily, what ignites our passion, and what pushes us to give our best.

This introspection wasn't simple. The response needed to resonate with the original reason the co-founders established REBORRN. Yet, it also had to ring true for all employees.

How we came up with our values:

In this instance, we addressed the question, “What is our desired culture?” To define our values, we aimed for a number between 3 and 5 to ensure they'd be easily memorable.

Beyond just a title and brief description, we outlined the specific behaviours we expect to see, turning abstract values into tangible actions.

Most crucially, we determined the over-statements. These serve as a potent tool, guiding us when faced with dilemmas.

This is what we came up with:

🤘 Our Purpose

To constantly find better ways for the world to work.

🤘 Our Values

How we ensure that everyone lives and breaths by our values.

Our values serve as our North Star, guiding our daily work lives and every decision we make. Here are a few ways we make this happen:

1. We place values at the heart of our recruitment process.
1. We use behavioural-based questions to understand whether our candidates align with our values.
2. We explicitly detail them both during the interview and in our offer letter.
3. We uphold our values throughout the interview process. For instance, since "candor" is one of our core values, we ensure feedback is provided to all shortlisted candidates.
2. We discuss our values during the first week of the onboarding and take the time to give examples of how we live by them in our day-to-day lives.
3. We have a gamified recognition system where anyone can provide positive feedback when they see someone nailing a value. This feedback is instantly and transparently shared through Slack on our company channel. (RoMo)
4. We ensure that every decision and every initiative is connected to our values and we explicitly communicate that. For example:
1. We decided to end a very profitable collaboration with a client because we felt that we were creating no impact.
2. For two years, before a recent change, each of our All-Hands meetings was dedicated to one of our values, with the agenda shaped by it. For instance, during the "curious" All-Hands meeting, we shared best practices, and in the "candor" All-Hands, we exchanged feedback with one another.
3. We organised an internal unconference event themed after our “underdogs” value. This is the brief that we gave:
👉
Hey Underdogs, get ready to shake things up! 😎 REBORRN's first-ever unconference is all about daring to disrupt—not just the industry but ourselves too. Think you've got a game-changing way to organise, sprint, scale, or even give feedback? Well, it's time to let your audacious ideas loose! Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to not only challenge the status quo but to offer up alternative solutions so mind-blowing that they'll ignite fiery debates. So bring your boldest, most out-of-this-world concepts, and let's turn the tables on "normal." Time to explore uncharted territories—buckle up, it's going to be a wild ride!
4. When we need to let someone go, it will most probably be because of a misalignment with our values - and we communicate that internally in a transparent way.
5. We practice candor in all shapes and forms. With our clients, with our managers, and with our colleagues.