CORE VALUES - Business

Democracy Works

Not just in politics, but also in business. When talking about democracy in this case, I am not talking about politics or voting. I am talking about checks and balances, decentralization, transparency, and accountability - the real cornerstones of democracy. I am talking about creating a self-correcting system that is open to change, takes a stand for individual rights, and draws the best out of its people.

Quality is a process, not a feature

How do you create a quality product? One piece at a time! You can rarely build quality by building something shoddy and then adding quality as a feature right before shipping. Instead, quality needs to be a priority throughout the development process. For example, if we wanted to build a high quality car, we would probably not build an '87 Hyundai and then think of ways to turn it into a BMW.

The one with the most specific information can make the best decision

The reason that decentralization and empowering employees works is because employees have very specific information at their disposal. The one who can make the best decision is not the one with the best graduate degree or the highest title, but the one with the most direct experience relevant to the decision. Are you making a decision about a new children's toy? Ask a toy store operator or parent. Want to find out how your company is performing and how it can improve? Try a customer service representative or information desk attendant. Need new cleaning supplies? The janitor knows best. Want to know what the world will look like 30 years from now? Ask a kindergarden teacher. Whatever you are looking for, there are plenty of people who deal with the matter directly on a daily basis that can make an informed decision.

Think ahead

Keep your vision as farsighted as possible. Do not worry as much about next month's milestone as about the product launch. Do not worry about the product launch as much as about the product's long term profitability. Do not worry about the individual product as much as the company's well-being. To make a short term sacrifice (i.e. a worse demo next week) for the sake of a long term reward (i.e. a better product on the launch date) should be not just acceptable, but encouraged.

Kaizen

Kaizen is a business philosophy that says small steps repeated over a long time are more important than big leaps. When we want to change something, we often look for a quick and dramatic fix. But most real change happens when you slowly yet surely apply small changes over a long period of time. Individually, these small steps will not seem like much, but they can add up to a big leap over time.

Human Resources is an oxymoron

Employees are people, not resources. Resources can't gather expertise and information and make decisions. Resources don't have an intuition and a moral compass. Resources don't talk to their friends about your company. On the other hand, resources don't have personal lives and perform equally no matter what they are working on or whom they are working with. So overall, it is important to focus on employees and corporate culture because a company is run by humans rather than resources.