Ethos 2.0

What is ethos?

Ethos is a concept from Rhetoric that refers to credibility or character.

Specifically, how trustworthy or authoritative someone appears when they speak or write.

Here is a general ethos example

Why we do what we do

1. Because fulfilling work is our happy place and gives birth to growth
2. We take something, a product, a process, an environment, and make it better
3. We make it a lot better in creative leaps if we can
4. We make it better incrementally, continuously
5. Because challenges are how we learn and grow
6. Because we play to win

What guides us

1. We drive results
2. We are customer-obsessed
3. We value teamwork over showmanship
4. We own everything we do (including our mistakes)
5. We turn challenges into opportunities
6. We invent and simplify
7. We insist on the highest standards
8. We are frugal – we do more with less
9. We are thick-skinned (criticize us)
10. We earn trust and build relationships
11. We make the open-minded assumption
12. We learn with a humble mind
13. There is nothing we cannot learn and solve together
14. We always leave things in a better place than we found them
15. We always write a great last chapter​

How do we do it

1. Magic – we create unforgettable experiences for customers
2. We listen to understand first 
3. We are humble
4. Our only means of persuasion is the “pressureless pressure” of the better argument
5. It is always WE, never I
6. We dig deep
7. No task is beneath us
8. We keep in mind that we might be wrong
9. We move mountains to get things done
10. We push when we know things need to change
11. We move fast – every second counts
12. We don’t tell, we show
13. If something takes less than 5 min, we DO IT right away
14. If we cannot help, we walk people to the right door

What we keep in mind

1. Those who survive are not the strongest or the most intelligent, but the most adaptable to change
2. Simple things tend to have absolute rules; complex things tend not to have absolute rules
3. With the right data and understanding of probabilities, most outcomes are predictable
4. The more complex the system, the more likely it is to become chaotic
5. A culture of inquiry, directness, and debate is fundamental
6. We are all fallible, but less so as a team
7. Most things follow a normal distribution
8. There is always one more thing to be done

Inspiration: https://sequoiacap.com/our-ethos/