where we discussed current values and mission and recommended changes. Matt took the results and recommendations from all those sessions and crafted our revised values framework. It turned out that the revised values weren't too different but were reframed in a way that was easier for people to understand.
You can find many examples of values on company websites; here are the final values from Return Path; you can see that Matt had some fun with the acronym!
Our Path to Going Above and Beyond the Call of Duty for Everyone. We are…
Owners
Unconventional
Results Oriented
People First
Agile
Transparent
Helpful
Appreciative
Business Focused
Collaborative
Data Driven
Equity in Opportunity
A few other companies that have impactful values include:
Sendgrid: “We value a culture centered around 4 values: Hungry, Happy, Honest, and Humble.”
Twilio: In the buckets of “How We Act,” “How We Make Decisions,” and “How We Win.”
Moz: Transparent, Authentic, Generous, Fun, Empathetic, and Exceptional.
Bolster!: We wanted to make sure that our values were very clear and easily remembered, and also raised the bar. Some values that we articulated at Return Path are just table stakes for us here, so we were diligent about articulating values that are really clear and explicit. We also distinguished between values (rarely changing) and operating principles (dependent on stage). Our values are:Always Have Heart: We treat everyone with respect and value the unique individuality of our employees, members, and clients. We are helpful and thankful, inclusive, and assume positive intent.Be Transparent: We help others understand our thought process; show our data, and facilitate honest and open feedback.Continuous Growth: We are intellectually curious, and this helps us to grow. We strive to be and to develop high‐performing individuals, teams, company, members, and clients.Do the Right Thing: We always err on the side of high integrity and putting company, members, and clients above self, even when that is difficult.
The work that you do as Chief People Officer on your company values and your culture will be some of the most impactful work you do. You'll need to revisit the conversation over time to make sure the values and culture are still relevant as you grow. Values generally don't change over time, but your culture may. Either way, you'll have to be intentional about revisiting conversations on culture and values.
What I Look for in a Chief People Officer
Scott Dorsey
Managing Partner, High Alpha
My dream HR and People leader embodies a unique blend of characteristics, skills, and experiences. Just like the CFO, this startup leader needs to be honest, ethical, and have strong character. Trust is the foundation for this role.
Building on this foundation, I am then looking for the right mix of tactical and strategic HR experience. On the tactical or transactional side, the leader needs to be proficient in getting key systems and processes running smoothly—payroll, compensation, benefits plan, performance review process, performance improvement plans (when needed), employee handbook, employee onboarding, etc.
Stretching further, I am looking for this leader to build HR into a strategic function, not just a transactional function. First step is helping the CEO develop core values and a culture framework. And most importantly, working to reinforce these values through actions, behavior modeling, and excellent company communication. Next up is recruiting with urgency, discipline, and high standards of excellence. Is anything more important than attracting the best talent possible and helping them achieve their full potential? Building diverse teams and an inclusive culture has never been more important.
Most of all, I am looking for the startup Head of HR to be an amazing business partner to the CEO, to the leadership team, and to the company at large. This person needs to take care of small problems, bring positive energy, surface new opportunities, keep a pulse on the organization, and build trusting relationships. All these tasks are a critical part of the charter. In many ways, the HR and People leader is the glue that brings every functional group together. And cross‐functional collaboration is imperative to company success.
As an investor and Board member, I sleep better at night knowing that our portfolio company has a star HR and People leader who is extraordinarily trustworthy and reliable and will make the CEO, team, and company better every day.
Chapter 25 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I)
I noted earlier that building an inclusive culture will reap many rewards in the long term. In every aspect of the People function you can build practices to interrupt unconscious bias and create a more inclusive workplace. Intentionally building DE&I into the foundation of your organization is much more impactful than trying to retro‐fit it later. I use the term “DE&I” rather than just diversity or inclusion, because it's not enough to bring in diverse talent to make sure that your organization is representative of your location. If you don't compensate people equitably, then you won't retain or engage your newly diverse workforce. If the people you hire don't feel included, they can't have the psychological safety that is required to be the best team member they can be. It's a lot of work to uncover and interrupt our cultural biases, but it's critical for a number of reasons:
It's the right thing to do.
There's a business case for diversity, demonstrating that more diverse Boards and leadership teams have higher valuations and growth, and diverse teams are more innovative.
Building a just and equitable company where people have access to opportunities is becoming more expected by the people you want to hire. It is the new standard for being a great place to work.
DE&I won't just happen on its own. Even with the best intentions, there is systemic and individual bias. To overcome these, you must be intentional about adapting traditional methods of sourcing, recruiting, compensation, promotions, and performance management. You need to counter the biases in our systems and help people understand how to proactively engage in inclusive behaviors.
If you don't start out with DE&I as the core cultural value at your company, what can you do, as Chief People Officer, to get there quickly? One tactic we found helpful at Return Path was to partner with an organization that was an expert in shifting to a DE&I‐focus. We partnered with the National Center for Women in Information Technology (NCWIT), which is where we learned a lot about DE&I (and not just about women in technology!). Our partners at NCWIT, and especially Jill Reckie, helped us to think about DE&I strategically and comprehensively. Leveraging our learning and partnership with NCWIT, we built an internal DE&I team that was incredibly impactful. A senior People team member led the overall initiative which included volunteers from across the organization split into work groups, focused
