•September 26, 2024
Our core values are central to our culture and the "RoleModel Way." These values guide decision-making, behavior, and teamwork, serving as a focus to unify the organization in achieving long-term goals. They are not superficial or aspirational but are deeply ingrained and practiced daily. Each value is a single word, and while its meaning may vary based on individual perspectives, RoleModel defines what these values mean within our culture.
Collaboration builds off of good character. High-performance teams need deep trust in each other so they can count on each team member to contribute their unique skills and abilities in every project in order to achieve excellent results. It’s not just working alongside others but creating an environment where everyone contributes their best work.
Collaboration is equal parts art and science; it's asking great questions to draw out the facts and figures that we need to do the work we're doing. But it's also actively listening to what other people are saying so you can hear what they're not saying. Whether it's communicating with our partners or coworkers, everything we do is about collaboration.
Collaboration is results oriented; it requires beginning with the end in mind and having a shared ownership of the outcome. I love the African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you wanna go far, go together.”
Being focused on results doesn't mean running over people to get the results. We foster an environment where everybody can grow and learn. Team members are conscientious to critique the work rather than the person, so that we can consistently lift each other.
Collective contribution requires rich and effective communication. Each party is fully engaged, asking good questions and actively listening. The communication is balanced, not one-sided or passive, from any one party.
We want to hold each other to a higher standard and encourage each other so that we can grow together and ultimately produce more as a group than we could as individuals.
Leaning in is a buffalo culture concept from our friends at C12. On the prairies of the American West, cattle disperse in the midst of a storm. Conversely, buffalo lean in and charge into the storm together, coming out the other side stronger because of their herd mentality.
Collaboration is an active practice; we want to have our heads up and our eyes open to be mindful of circumstances. We want to step up when the opportunity arises and step back when someone else should be there to lead.
Collaboration at RoleModel involves cross-functional teams where different team members have specialties they bring to bear for the benefit of the collective team. That means each team member needs to think about how others can easily collaborate with me by being low maintenance. Our collaboration is not just internally focused but is critical to how we engage with and deliver successful software projects to our partners.
Above all, collaboration is results oriented, leveraging our collective contribution by everyone leaning in.
