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 work Openness and honesty Freedom and individual responsibility Respect for ability as well as experience Enough time to do great work to think to learn to 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 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)