Groovy's Leadership Principles

Customer Obsession

Leaders start with the customer and work backwards. They work vigorously to earn and keep customers' trust.

Invent and Simplify

Leaders expect and require innovation and invention from their teams and always find ways to simplify. They are externally aware, look for new ideas from everywhere, and are not limited by “not invented here.” As we do new things, we accept that we may be misunderstood for long periods.

Ownership

Leaders are owners. They think long-term and don’t sacrifice long-term value for short-term results. They act on behalf of the entire company, beyond just their own team. They never say, “That’s not my job.”

Are Right, A Lot

Leaders are right a lot. They have strong judgment and good instincts. They seek diverse perspectives and work to disconfirm their beliefs.

Learn and Be Curious

Leaders are never done learning and always seek to improve themselves. They are curious about new possibilities and act to explore them.

Hire and Develop the Best

Leaders raise the performance bar with every hire and promotion. They recognise exceptional talent and willingly move them throughout the organisation. Leaders develop leaders and take seriously their role in coaching others. We work on behalf of our people to invent mechanisms for development like Career Choice.

Insist on the Highest Standards

Leaders have relentlessly high standards — many people may think these standards are unreasonably high. Leaders are continually raising the bar and drive their teams to deliver high quality products, services, and processes. Leaders ensure that defects do not get sent down the line and that problems are fixed so they stay fixed.

Frugality

Accomplish more with less. Constraints breed resourcefulness, self-sufficiency, and invention. There are no extra points for growing headcount, budget size, or fixed expenses.

Audit Frequently

Leaders operate at all levels, stay connected to the details, audit frequently, and are sceptical when metrics and anecdotes differ. No task is beneath them.

One-Way and Two-Way Decisions

Leaders always make two-way decisions, as one-way decisions have lasting effects and are often hard to reverse. They're significant and can influence your project's course, even your entire organization. Conversely, two-way door decisions are reversible and less impactful. They provide opportunities to experiment, learn, and iterate.

Effects of Our Actions.

We started in an old house, but we’re not there anymore. We are far from perfect. We must be humble and thoughtful about even the secondary effects of our actions. Our local communities, planet, and future generations must improve daily. We must begin each day with a determination to make, do, and be better for our customers, employees, partners, and the company. And we must end every day knowing we can do even more tomorrow. Leaders create more than they consume and always leave things better than how they found them.

Work Culture

Leaders work daily to create a safer, more productive, higher performing, more diverse, and more just work environment. They lead with empathy, have fun at work, and make it easy for others to have fun. Leaders ask themselves: Are my fellow employees growing? Are they empowered? Are they ready for what’s next? Leaders have a vision for and commitment to their employees’ success, whether at Groovy or elsewhere.

Deliver Results

Leaders focus on the key inputs for their business and deliver them with the right quality and in a timely fashion. Despite setbacks, they rise to the occasion and never settle.

Disagree and Commit

Leaders must respectfully and logically challenge decisions when they disagree, even when doing so is uncomfortable or exhausting. Leaders have conviction and are tenacious. They do not compromise for the sake of social cohesion. Once a decision is determined, they commit wholly.

Bias for Action

Speed matters in business. Many decisions and actions are reversible and do not need extensive study. We value calculated risk-taking.

Be Data Driven, Not Emotion Driven

Data is quantifiable and calculates the required effort, whereas emotion is just individual belief. Take, for instance, this task that is taking longer than anticipated. This statement is emotional since someone said the task would take 3.5 hours, and we only had 1 hour. Now, we must consider how to complete this work with a significant effort deficit of 2.5 hours. This way, data provides a clear view of time, effort requirements, direction and enables leaders to make efficient decisions.