Being Axelerant

Owned by Ankur Gupta
Last updated: Jul 20, 2024
6 min read

Greatness is a decision. It must be chosen. And making that choice is a defining moment.

Being Axelerant is about why we’re at Axelerant, what we’re going to accomplish together, and providing boundaries and expectations of how we’ll do so to define Axelerant’s Best Interest.

The purpose, mission, values, and principles shared within Being Axelerant are always at the top of our minds to make decisions and act in representing Axelerant. These aspects are our minimally acceptable standards that every Axelerant team member demonstrates or does not work against in being accountable, capable, and coachable people who work well with others.

Because Being Axelerant is the sole authority over our everyday actions or mindsets, there is no separate code of conduct, mutual work agreement, or other guidelines to prevent ambiguity or confusion. And it’s okay when the time comes that we disagree or move on. We’re grateful for the shared journey in making Axelerant better for our peers, clients, families, and communities.

Table of Contents

Our Purpose

The top reason why we’re here.

We empower people in ways that matter to them to create substantial value for our customers and positively impact the world.

Our Mission

The topmost outcomes we’re working together towards.

We accelerate digital outcomes and scale with our customers as their partners of record.

Learn more about being a partner of record.

Our Mission Slogan

Digital Outcomes, Accelerated.

Our Values

Values define a person’s principles or standards of behavior that shape our mindsets and determine our actions. We share our intent and context for Axelerant’s values to help us better understand our unwavering expectations for every team member, regardless of their role.

Enthusiasm

When we value enthusiasm, we avoid lethargy, status quo, wilful inaction, sabotaging another’s action, and similar behaviors demonstrating apathy or dullness. Further, enthusiasm means we value learning over being comfortable, action over detailed planning, quick decision-making over dwelling on details, and failing fast over getting everything right.

Examples of Enthusiastic Behaviors

Kindness

When we value kindness, we dwell on inclusivity, accessibility, and doing what’s right. It implies that ego and envy have no place in our interactions. Kindness is about having someone’s best interest at heart, whereas being nice is about being liked. Further, kindness means we value our people through assistance with operational guidelines and defined performance standards. We prioritize psychological safety and frequent feedback over worrying about not being liked.

Examples of Kind Behaviors

Openness

When we say we value openness, we always think about the visibility of our work and its impact on others. It means that we lean towards making all information available and accessible to the relevant people appropriately. Openness also means questioning when something should be private due to sensitivity or personal nature and whether it should be internally public.

On the flip side, openness also means being open to all feedback and ideas and considering them critically to make Axelerant a better place. Further, openness means we value overcommunication over not disturbing people, clarity over playing it safe, honest feedback over causing worry, and public channels over private conversations.

Examples of Open Behaviors

Axelerant’s Domain Principles

We work together in many ways, and each manner has its expectations of desired behavior shared below.

Decision Making

We intend for timely, good-enough decisions at Axelerant.

Enjoyable Customer (External & Internal) Experiences

We look to consistently provide great experiences that matter to our clients and peers.

  • Be desired-outcome focused

  • Be easy to work with

  • Deliver quality and service reliably

  • Ensure long-term relationships

  • Keep our promises

  • Mutually improve profitability

  • Practice fair negotiation and agreements

Feedback

We ask for, give, and receive feedback.

  • Feedback is an act of kindness.

  • Constructively debate and disagree.

  • Focus on improvement.

  • Influence is a value-add, not a title.

  • Make suggestions for improvements.

  • Seek and give lots of feedback.

  • We value truth-seeking over cohesion.

More at Feedback, Asking for, Feedback, Giving, and Feedback, Receiving.

Freelancing

We’re open to your other work that does not conflict with Axelerant’s best interests.

  • Axelerant work should always be the priority, without exception.

  • We hope that your freelancing brings value to yourself and Axelerant.

  • When in doubt, ask People Operations to verify conflicts of interest.

  • When Axelerant fits your project, please let us help and earn a commission.

Getting Things Done

Focus on getting the most relevant tasks done first.

  • Coordination will occur through collaboration, not centralization

  • Organizational boundaries will be porous

  • Strategy-making will be a dynamic, company-wide conversation

  • Strive to make the organization simpler.

  • Structure emerges where it creates value and disappears everywhere else.

  • We will achieve control through transparency and peer feedback

  • We work asynchronously by writing relevant things down as they happen.

Meetings

Get together respectfully.

  • Align meetings by purpose and share notes before the meeting.

  • Be on time to demonstrate respect for the people attending.

  • Casually enjoy the first minutes before getting focused.

  • Default to asynchronous conversations to avoid timezone and work timing conflicts.

  • Don’t wait for others to show or repeat things for latecomers.

  • Leave the meeting when it’s no longer relevant to you.

  • Only invite relevant people to meetings.

  • Video is on by default, communicate your reasons when not possible.

  • When ending a meeting, summarize the salient points and calls to action.

  • Work towards unblocking decisions or systems asynchronously.

Welcoming–Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Belonging

Be a globally aware team.

  • Respect, appreciate, understand, and support every aspect of diversity.

  • Welcome people with differences regardless of age, ethnicity, experiences, family relations, gender, ideology, nationality, neurodiversity, perspectives, physical abilities, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, or social status.

More at Welcoming–Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.

Unacceptable Behavior

Axelerant team members act per Being Axelerant | Our Values and Principles, and when not, Exceptional Situations are the consequence. Axelerant has zero tolerance for breaches of our values, professional ethics, Safe Space violations, and these non-inclusive behavior examples.

  • Discrimination: demeaning, intimidating, racist, sexist, or threatening behaviors

  • Disrespect: discourteous or disrespectful treatment, using abusive or offensive language

  • Harassment: bullying, sexual, or any other form of harassment 

  • Incompetence: failure to meet job performance standards, severe misuse of judgment

  • Insobriety: reporting for work under the influence of alcohol, drugs

  • Insubordination: refusal to follow work instructions, role-related activities 

  • Negligence: failing to report to work at assigned times, misusing company time, and delaying projects

Report violations as soon as feasible.

Anti-Enthusiastic Behaviors

  • Resistance to active learning or coaching.

  • Resisting other-than-your-own techniques to solve problems.

Anti-Kind Behaviors

  • Withholding feedback from the team or Axelerant.

  • Working as a team of one.

Anti-Open Behaviors

  • Exclusively using private channels.

  • Not paying attention to documentation or not prioritizing it.

  • Withholding relevant feedback from peers and Axelerant.

References

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