Make choices easier

One thing that surprised me when I joined Mattermost was that there were a set of principles, and during the interview, people kept pointing at them as if it was something really important. Until that time, I'd worked for many different companies, and not a single one had made them clear to me before, not during the interview nor even during my time working there. And up until that point in time, whenever I saw some other company talking about principles, I thought they were just doing marketing and buzzwords to sound better. And that still happens in many places. What makes a principle something useful? something that people adhere to? Let's try to find out!

We should start by asking the most basic question:

What is a principle?

Is it a buzzword? It can be, but hopefully not. It is a mechanism that can help align people across the organization if used correctly. Many times we need to make a decision, and it might not be super clear which path to choose as both might have desirable outcomes or undesirable consequences. So consider the principles as broad guides to help us choose the path that most likely aligns with the company. They shouldn't be followed blindly, but they help establish a framework of agreeable choices.

As I mentioned, I thought they were marketing, but it turns out they can be pretty powerful in guiding a company if people align with them. Once a principle sinks into the company culture, it can be used to choose the path that the company endorses. And by company, I mean more the group of individuals than some sort of intangible entity. But, as mentioned, it is important that the principle sinks in (as in getting buy-in) from the people who are being guided.

What does a good set look like?

For that buy-in to happen, we need to check several items. But if we want to sum it up, it can be reduced to just one: Focus. Let's see those items:

• It should be easy to remember. Usually, principles are referred to by one or two words to name it: Impact, Customer Obsession, Quality, etc.
• Obviously, by having something so simple, we need to add some sort of definition and some more words that help shape what we mean. Although it is intentional to keep it broad, the more it clarifies, the better chance it has of sinking. If its meaning is too broad or tries to encompass more ideas (remember: focus), then people will probably decide on their own preferred version when it is important to them, ending up in either misalignment or a more narrow meaning than intended. The misalignment is the opposite effect, but if enough people decide on a specific version of the meaning, the smart move would be to accommodate that meaning (but it might not be the one the company wants).
• The number of principles should be small. It would be awesome to try and have every possibility covered and that it would guide the whole company no matter what the situation, but then we would end with several thousands of pages of company guidelines.

So by having this kind of focus, people can repeat them whenever something is not following the guidelines. In a way is like looking at ourselves in the mirror and repeating how awesome we want to be and how to accomplish it.

If there is no focus on the guiding rules, then the principles have become buzzwords, some sort of marketing attempt (not necessarily involving the department) to try and attract people or to make it look like it is a better place. But make no mistake, a principle that it is not used it can only serve as a weapon to only be used when someone feels they have a use for it, but ignoring it in every other case. So it is best to remove them.

Once it has sunk, it permeates every aspect of the company (you know! that was the whole point all along!) and even in the interview and trial periods of people. So when new people join, they know if the company has similar values as they have, and then the magic of cultural alignment appears. People who will quickly adhere to the principles because they already share them will fit real quick into the company. If someone doesn't... there is either a change in one of the two (the individual or the culture) or a rejection.

What should I do with them?

Because it is one of the tools to help focus the team on what's important. We should have that buy-in into the principles before our team does (remember the be a guide post). If you feel they are too broad, then try to change them, or you could decide on a subset (this might depend on your options of affecting the company). In the end, our team is an organization too, and we should make sure they are focused on what matters. It is a manager's duty to make them focus on what's best for them and the company.

And next time you interview with a new company, ask for the guiding principles and compare them with your own values; you'll know instantly if that place might be a good fit (it will always depend if they act on them, and it is completely fair to ask for proofs)

Takeaways

• Organizational principles are a tool to help shape organizations.
• They are only successful if they provide focus.
• Managers should be the first to align with them.