Xelsion culture brief

First principle

We seek to build long-term value in our clients, employees and Xelsion

These aims are complementary and all decisions are subsidiary to them

If you have a decision to take between two options, choose the option which creates the

most long-term value; if need be at the expense of short-term gain

Creating and maintaining value in a complex environment of client needs and rapidly

evolving technology requires talent

We believe the best people create disproportionately more value

Our expectations

High quality workOpenness and honestyFreedom and individual responsibilityRespect for ability as well as experienceEnough time

to do great workto thinkto learnto teach

Well rewarded for our work

We particularly value the following in our colleagues

Teamwork

Offer help and support to clients and colleagues

Request ideas and input from others; taking note and acting on their contribution

Give out and take constructive criticism without causing or taking offense

Build a good working atmosphere with energy and enthusiasm

Involve all relevant colleagues in a piece of work when the opportunity arises

Contribute to company knowledge store

Talk positively about clients and colleagues

Communication

Listen first, then listen some more

Concise and articulate in speech and writing

Talk in person or on the phone to clients where possible

Adapt communication to the needs of the audience

Don’t say anything in email you wouldn’t want the world to read. If in doubt, don’t send it

Upfront if something has gone wrong, apologise if at fault, and focus on fixing it

Planning and organisation

Make time for planning

Allocate realistic timescales for activities

Build in checkpoints, milestones and controls to monitor performance against objectives

Good timekeeping; diary management

Remain flexible, anticipate change and adopt agile methodologies

Commercial awareness

Understand the wider business significance of projects

Be aware of key competitors without following blindly

Look out for opportunities to acquire new clients

Think how to grow existing clients

Make continuous efficiency improvements

Understand what needs to be done well now and what can be improved later

Monitor media margins and delivery rates

Analytical reasoning

Break down complex problems into component parts

Understand root causes and strategic objectives to develop comprehensive solutions

Anticipate obstacles and think ahead to next steps

Draw appropriate conclusions from the information provided

Set up effective experiments, think through any issues which may arise, and have a plan for what to do with the resulting data

Leadership

Set and communicate the overall vision

Establish the main tactical elements required to achieve the vision

Be brave enough to hire people better than yourself

Structured resource management

Consult and involve the team in decision-making

Lead by example

Make time for leadership by delegating

Constructively challenge the work of the team

Keep the team up to date and informed

Innovation

Embrace continuous evolution

Try new techniques and technologies

Not afraid to make mistakes

Challenge traditional or established processes to make improvements

Identify opportunities in the market and suggests ways of exploiting them

Adopt lean start up philosophies such as minimum viable product

Networking

Build your networks with clients and suppliers on relevant social media sites

Develop credibility and gain trust from clients, suppliers, colleagues and partners

Give before you take

Keep abreast of latest news and developments in the industry

Attend conferences and training sessions

Promote Xelsion services and ideals

Always be recruiting

Relationship management

Demonstrate understanding of needs and anticipate them

Contribute value beyond the immediate commercial relationship

Be easy to reach and respond promptly

Address concerns calmly and truthfully

Follow issues through to resolution

Realise importance of relationship longevity over short term difficulties

Knowledge

Gain proficiency in core technical requirements

Take responsibility for personal and professional development

Set goals and objectives beyond what is expected

Think what knowledge and skills will be needed in the future and plan to achieve them

Remain current with developments in relevant fields

Always be learning and teaching

Become recognised as the expert on chosen topics by colleagues and partners

We want to respect and learn from all our colleagues

We try to hire well…

We won’t always get it right…

We don’t let poor performers take the place of top performers

Which person, if they told you they were leaving for a similar job at a peer company would you fight hard to keep at Xelsion?

Are these people valued highly and rewarded well?

We don’t measure people by how many hours they work or whether they are in the

office

We measure people on the value they create

Time-tracking is about calibrating the Xelsion business model and charging clients

appropriately; it isn’t to keep an eye on how many hours you work

Be open about interviewing with competitors and bring back information to benchmark

rewards

Honesty always

No one should be surprised by your views or position.

We don’t want to be arrogant, snobbish, gossipy, bullying or dishonest

Treat Xelsion money as if it were your own and always act in the business’ best interest.

There is no other expenses policy.

We’re not building to sell we’re building to make an environment where we want to

work and can do great work

What’s next?

Acknowledgements to employees, clients, peers, trailblazers, bloggers and journalists

for their ongoing contribution(Netflix and Mark Suster’s ‘Both Sides of the Table’ are particular influences)