Tag: BookofRedgate

This was one of the original values:

The facing page has this text: No matter how smart you are, or how good you are at narrowly defined tasks, there is no room for you here if you’re an asshole.

This is a similar value to that I’ve seen at a few companies, such as Google’s: Don’t be evil.

I think this is one of those values that has held true over time. We try to be  professional and respectful with each other. We don’t want to offend others or treat them poorly. The Oxford dictionary has this definition: “a stupid, irritating, or contemptible person.”

I probably stretch the limit of this at times, but I’m not trying to be out of balance with my pressure on others to do better work alongside my respect for them and my desire to be positive. I might not always get the balance right, but I am willing to apologize if I’ve stepped over the line.

I don’t think of anyone at Redgate as being an a**hole, which is a nice feeling. Hopefully, I’m not one.

I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.

This value is something that I still hear today: our best work is done in teams. On the facing page, there is a short description of what this means.

I do think that teams are very helpful, especially when building software. Our products aren’t simple inside, and they have a lot of pieces and parts assembled to try and keep tasks simple for you.

Working in teams is good, and remembering that the hierarchy matters is good. This has helped us in the past, though I find myself reminding people that the company matters more than the team. At times, teams seem to think they shouldn’t be disturbed or altered. I’ve also see people resistant to working as individuals at times. The team is important, but we can work separately to get things done.

I find many companies not stressing teams, and individuals not wanting to work with others. I get that sometimes it can be comfortable to work on our own, at our pace, the way we want, but I also know that teams allow us to get more done than we would individually.

I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.

I think we might have forgotten this a bit, but on one of the pages, we have this title: A Meeting without an Objective is a Chat.

You can see it below, with a few funny things.

I don’t get too many meetings, at least not too often when I’m working remote. When I’m in the office, I’m usually there for meetings, and if I get 5, 6, or more a day, that’s fine.

I do think that most of the meetings I’m involved in (outside of sales) are worthwhile and helpful. They tend to focus on topics or work that needs collaboration in real time. There can be a few that get scheduled and aren’t needed, but I find lots of people quick to end meetings early and not trying to draw them out for the scheduled length.

I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.

Another of our values is this:

Motivation isn’t about carrots and sticks.

Constant oversight and the threat of punishment are incompatible with great, fulfilling work. We believe in creating appropriate constraints and then giving people the freedom to excel.

We do have some rules, bumpers, guidelines, and limits on what people can do. We’ve added a few since 2010 as the company has grown and lots of people might not have the culture ingrained.

However, we try hard to let people get work done, expect them to do so, and have a few reminders, but without the thread of punishment.

At the same time our bonus or recognition strategies are mostly around group goals or company goals. We don’t push people to compete with each other to get a bigger bonus than someone else.

That was strange to me, coming from US companies, but I have found it more refreshing. There are some commission aspects for individuals, but for most of us outside of sales, we’re all in this together.

I have a copy of the Book of Redgate from 2010. This was a book we produced internally about the company after 10 years in existence. At that time, I’d been there for about 3 years, and it was interesting to learn a some things about the company. This series of posts looks back at the Book of Redgate 15 years later.