Bring a positive attitude to the team. It all starts with our mindset. What we think is what we say, and what we say is what we do. We choose to be positive, through the good and the bad, and we see all problems as challenges that we can solve.

Start by talking about the problem; continue by talking about solutions only. We first talk about the problem, from all the possible angles. Once the problem is clear and completely understood, we stop talking about the problem, and we only talk about solutions.

Build on top of each other’s ideas. We’re radically open-minded. We seek and we’re open to different perspectives and possibilities. We use “yes, and” instead of “but” so we build on top of each other’s ideas to make better decisions and to reach better solutions (e.g., “yes, I hear your point, and let’s also talk about the implication of…” ). The purpose is not for your idea to win (you also don’t learn anything from the discussion); the purpose is to choose the best solution. We feel empowered, we become more confident and more proactive, and we enjoy working with people who listen and who respect our opinions.

Support each other. The more experience we have, the bigger our duty to support others. We enjoy working with people who are supportive of each other.

“We” instead of “I”. It’s “we” whenever I did something right. We don’t work in a vacuum, and we all contribute to the good things that happen; therefore just one person cannot take credit. We enjoy working with and we respect people who don’t take credit, especially when they have all the rights to do so.

Take responsibility. We don’t blame others when things don’t go the right way; instead, we try something else until we solve the problem or we overcome the challenge. We have great respect for, and we enjoy working with people who take responsibility even when it is not clear that it was their fault.

Be Clear. We state an objective, we’re concise, we focus on the subject, and we summarize with action items. We continuously set and reset expectations; we say “no” to requests that we cannot fulfill, and we make it known as soon as possible when we cannot complete something as planned. We are radically truthful and radically transparent. We say what we think. We don’t say things about other people that we don’t plan on sharing with them directly afterwards. We speak up when we have something to say; it is not acceptable not to do so. We provide constant feedback and training focused on accurately explaining what is succeeding and what is not, rather than in an attempt to balance compliments and criticisms. We explain the “why” and the expected outcomes, and we empower others to decide the details and get the work done. We recognize, and we appreciate each other for a job well done.

Continuous Growth. We’re radically open-minded in order to learn and to make the right decisions. We keep our ego in check, and we don’t worry about being right or looking good, we instead seek to understand and to learn. We realize that we have blind spots and that our own subjective lenses don’t allow us to see things the way they really are. We seek the input of brilliant people and effectively explore different points of view and different possibilities. We see the problems, the challenges, our mistakes, and our weaknesses as opportunities for learning and we bring them to the surface so we can solve them together. It is OK to make mistakes; it is not acceptable to make exactly the same mistakes again. We’re curious to learn, and we stay up to date with the latest best practices and industry knowledge from books, training, and other sources.

Make our clients successful. We solve issues, we address needs, and we implement solutions for our clients. We’re accountable and efficient within time, budget and quality constraints. We take full ownership and accountability for our commitments. We realize that our work has a significant impact on the team, the company and our clients. We raise the bar, and we keep each other accountable to deliver on our commitments and to ensure that we achieve our goals so that we are all successful. It gives us great personal and professional satisfaction when we create value, and we make our clients successful.