The Culture at Scribe

We believe that business is about meeting the needs of people. So we show up with empathy, caring, and understanding for people.

Because of this, we believe work life and personal life should not have artificial walls between them. At its core, a relationship with a human is the same at work as it is anywhere else. We share our goals and achievements, failures and celebrations with each other. Plainly put, we bring our whole selves to our work, and we support and cherish that in each other.

At its core, accountability is acknowledging and accepting your responsibilities, and getting them done to the set standard. It means producing the necessary results for your role. It means living by the values and principles of the tribe.

Accountability means you do what you say you will do.

We value holding each other accountable, and we value people who hold themselves accountable.

We want to make people’s lives better…in essence, to serve them.

This question defines everything we do:

“Does this serve the people we care about?”

If yes, then we are in.

If no, then why do it?

We tell everyone that our success isn’t about money or possessions or sales. Those things are nice, and we want them sure, but they aren’t the point.

Learning means that we don’t see ideas as part of our identity, but just something we hold for a time, always subject to change as we search for the best truth we can find. It means we realize that all “truth” is temporary, and are always looking for the best “truth.” We understand that “knowing” is a temporary state, and we should never assume anything we “know” is permanent and unchangeable. It means we listen to other people, we get feedback, we test, we adapt, and then we repeat that process over and over–because learning never ends.

Optimism is both a skill and a superpower, and when applied correctly, an optimistic tribe can do anything.

Our optimism is not blind. Our optimism is not about ignoring reality, nor pretending that trade-offs don’t exist. And our optimism is never about plastering a fake smile on our faces in the face of real pain and suffering.

Our optimism is that we can–and will–find a way to do the things that matter. We will work through, and learn from, whatever problems or obstacles arise. We will create the lives and reality we want…as long as we believe we can, and put in the work.

Always make the right decision for the tribe as a whole, before you make the right decision for yourself.

Always do right by people—ALL PEOPLE we interact with.

Allow everyone to bring their whole selves to work, and support them when they do.

To be a tribe that continually truly learns, we must constantly ask questions.

The only way to create an environment of learning, sharp decision-making, and perpetual improvement is to have honest, candid, and timely feedback between all members of the team.

Because everyone in this tribe owns a share of the company profits, we expect everyone in this tribe to think and work like what they are: an owner.

We always do our best at that moment. But we always expect to find a better way later on. In essence, we know everything we are doing now is going to be replaced eventually by something else. All of our processes are already “broken.”

No one gets points for “being right,” and no one loses points for “being wrong,” because there are NO individual points; the only thing that matters is the TRIBE getting it right as a unit.

This is a military term that means everyone, regardless of rank, shares the same experience, the same sacrifice, and the same effort.

Individual learning is great and the foundation of learning, but it can be slow and difficult. Shared learning moves everyone forward at the speed of the whole tribe.

We almost called this principle “How you do one thing is how you do everything.” We have learned the hard way that impeccable attention to details, all details, is necessary for us to do a great job.