Axioms
***** Habit Labs Axioms *****
— In no particular order. —
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*** PHILOSOPHICAL ASSUMPTIONS ***
Our core values are:
1) Believe, or leave
2) Everyone gets true autonomy
3) Create opportunities for everyone to do their best work, every day
4) Show people how they are making an impact
5) Encourage everyone to do what they love
6) Always tell the truth, always demand the truth
7) Be as open and transparent as possible, yet respect privacy of others
8) 100% in it to win it
*** GENERAL ASSUMPTIONS ***
That we do not stray from our mission of creating a peer-to-peer personalized health-improvement wizard.
That we all understand that we have a lot on the line with this company.
That we take an active and open role in improving our communication skills with each other, and resolving conflicts. Even if this means getting a company therapist.
That we take care of our health and manage our own burn out.
That we let go of the past and let ourselves continually learn and grow in our roles and as people.
That we try really hard not to be late.
That we bring up problems we have before they escalate to a meltdown or freak out.
That we agree to voice concerns and things we think we can do better after meetings and other interactions so that they do not become points of contention later.
That we give each other autonomy and space to do what we think is most beneficial to the company. This includes travel, vacation, work hours, work styles, communication preferences, emotional fluctuations, and personal life.
That we are chasing the billion dollar valuation unicorn.
That we agree to attempt to disrupt the health care and preventative care industries with a consumer product.
That we love what we are building.
That we are 100% in it to win it on all levels.
That we act out of love for our work, and not fear of the consequences of failure.
That we admit mistakes to ourselves, each other, and our users when we make them.
That we embrace our quirks unapologetically.
*** COMPANY-SPECIFIC ASSUMPTIONS ***
That the company is a reflection of our strongest values.
*** PEOPLE-SPECIFIC ASSUMPTIONS ***
That we agree that our mutually shared responsibilities include:
1) Company vision & culture
2) Bringing the company to profitability before running out of money
3) Always experiment, test, analyze, iterate and improve our ability to give what is needed most to the company
4) Hire
5) Talk to press
6) Talking at conferences
7) Blogging on blog.habitlabs.com
8) Tweeting from @habitlabs and @budge
9) Customer acquisition
10) Customer retention
That we continue to see our roles and responsibilities as fluid and changing, and are willing to adapt to the situation that presents itself to us. Our job descriptions are a live document that we will continue to maintain.
That we “check in” via email at the beginning of our days as often as possible. A check in, at the very least, includes:
1) What you have done since the last check in
2) What you plan to do today
That we trust each other to represent the company without censoring (though feedback is allowed).
That we agree that lying to each other is the worst possible offense, and that lying by omission is also lying.
That we respect each others’ privacy as well as each others’ desire to be open.
That we focus as much on building the company as building the products with the company.
That all members have access to each members salary, equity, benefits. That each member is free to request changes to their own salary, equity, and benefits at any time.
That all members have access to the amount of money in the bank, the company’s burn rate, revenue, and the estimated date of company death ($0 in the bank).
That all members have access to each members productivity stats, as they are collected via Github, Pivotal Tracker, HowsMyEmail.com, Bud.ge, etc.
That everyone has equity in the company. Everyone is an owner.
That all members have veto power to decline a new hire. All hires must have a double unanimous vote (one at point of temporary contract, one at point of full-time permanent hire).
That all members feel personal ownership of the problem of personal health improvement at a mainstream level.
That all members feel personal ownership of the solution to personal health improvement at a mainstream level, and are committed to building that solution.
That all members are thinking long term about solving that problem.
*** META ASSUMPTIONS ***
That all members of Habit Labs agree to these conditions, or negotiate them to a point of unanimous agreement.
That whoever places their name below the asterisks agrees to these axioms as long as they work at Habit Labs.
That further changes to this document must have unanimous approval from everyone below the asterisks, and that anyone has the ability to remove edits made after the date that comes after their name.
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Buster Benson - 7/26/2011
Amelia Greenhall - 8/16/2011
