Double-Ended Values Strike the Perfect Balance

How Embracing Opposing Values is the Secret Sauce to a Resilient and Scalable Culture

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I’ve got something to share that might just change the way you approach your company’s values. While founding Uvaro, we discovered the power of double-ended values — values that come in opposing pairs. It’s been a game-changer for our company’s culture.

Now, you might be wondering: why opposing pairs? Aren’t corporate values meant to be guiding principles that everyone can rally behind without conflict? Well, here’s the thing: values are rarely one-dimensional. Just like the interplay between darkness and light helps us see and appreciate the beauty around us, embracing opposing values in our company’s culture allows us to strike the perfect balance between potentially conflicting ideas, adding new dimensions in the created space. By placing emphasis on both ends of the spectrum, we create a culture that is not only more dynamic but also more inclusive and adaptable.

Moreover, in a world where remote-first workplaces are becoming the norm, and where career success is an increasingly nuanced objective, it’s more important than ever to be thoughtful and deliberate in how we define and communicate our values.

For example, at Uvaro, we pair Honesty with Empathy. We believe in building and strengthening trust through delivering honesty with empathy. When you’re honest, you’re transparent and true to your word. But when you pair honesty with empathy, you create an environment where people feel comfortable being open, knowing that their feelings will be respected and understood.

Similarly, we pair Diversity with Solidarity. We recognize that our differences make us stronger, but it’s the unity behind a single cause that brings out our full potential. By embracing both diversity and solidarity, we foster an inclusive culture where everyone can thrive

And then there’s Play and Responsibility. These two might seem like they’re at odds, but in reality, they work together in perfect harmony. Play encourages creativity and innovation, while Responsibility ensures that we deliver on our promises and maintain a high standard of work. By balancing these two values, we create an environment where our team members can unleash their playfulness and ingenuity while still feeling confident in their work.

So, how did we at Uvaro come to realize the importance of defining values in pairs? I’m fortunate enough to have co-founders I’ve worked with through multiple ventures, and we’ve had the opportunity to craft our company values multiple times. When drafting the core values for Uvaro, we wanted to level-up and create a framework that would guide our actions, decisions, and company culture in a way that truly reflected who we are and what we stand for. As we explored different values, we noticed that some seemed to be at odds with each other. For example, we valued both diverse ideas, but also wanted to encourage people to pull in the same direction. How could we reconcile these opposing forces? We didn’t want to sacrifice one for the sake of the other.

It was during this process that we had our eureka moment: what if, instead of shying away from the tensions between values, we embraced them? By defining our values in opposing pairs, we could create a richer, more nuanced understanding of our company culture. It would allow us to acknowledge the inherent complexities and contradictions in the world of business and life in general, making our corporate culture more adaptable and resilient.

What are the cool kids doing?

The profound impact of this approach became increasingly apparent as we reflected on the cultures of the companies we admired and who we aspired to emulate.

Netflix, for example, is often lauded as an exemplar of engaged and high performing cultures. 86% of Glassdoor reviewers would recommend Netflix to a friend, the company’s public comments about culture have been copied by many, and they even wrote a book about their unorthodox approaches: No Rules Rules.

But the one-sided nature of these values can present potential cultural risks. For example, of their nine values, three stood out: Courage, Honesty, and Communication. At first glance, all three seem benign, but taken in isolation, they present risks:

• Courage: Valuing courage without emphasizing empathy or compassion might lead to a culture where employees feel pressured to speak up even when it’s not the right time or place, which can create tension and erode trust among team members.
• Honesty: Encouraging honesty without balancing it with tact or kindness might create a culture where employees feel comfortable being brutally honest, potentially causing conflict or hurt feelings among colleagues.
• Communication: Focusing on communication without equally valuing active listening or humility might create an environment where people are more concerned about sharing their ideas than understanding others’. This can lead to misunderstandings or missed opportunities for collaboration.

And this is exactly what’s happened. A recent article about the David Chappelle controversy, revealed how this approach led employees to possibly over-communicate, and as a result management over-reacted. “Tech workers at Netflix thought the company would always value their feedback. How naïve.” Had their original values included more balanced language, this outcome likely would have been avoided.

Another example is HubSpot — Hubspot’s Culture Code and their CEO’s culture as a product approach have inspired numerous accolades. While Hubspot’s HEART values have garnered praise for their focus on empathy, adaptability, and transparency, their one-sided nature may present some potential pitfalls. Here are a few examples:

• Remarkable: Pursuing remarkable results is a great motivator, but without a balancing value that emphasizes collaboration or teamwork, employees might focus solely on individual achievements. This could potentially lead to a competitive environment where people are less willing to help each other or share knowledge.
• Transparent: Transparency is essential for building trust and open communication. However, without a counterbalance that emphasizes privacy or discretion, employees might feel exposed or vulnerable, leading to reluctance in sharing their thoughts, ideas, or concerns.

And, as with the Netflix example, these are the very challenges that came to light. Dan Lyons, a former journalist and marketer, wrote a book “Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble,” which criticized Hubspot’s culture as “toxic” and “frat-like.” One of their partner agencies described the one-sided approach as “aggressively happy and enthusiastic …They haven’t just drank the kool-aid, they’ve washed their hair and showered in it.”

As we worked to define Uvaro’s core values, we couldn’t help but notice the multitude of online reviews that highlight the challenges in one-sided values of companies like Netflix and Hubspot. It’s clear that the more passionately a company expresses its values, the more the singular nature of one-sided values can create blind spots. We wanted to avoid the pitfalls that come with unbalanced values, which ultimately led us to embrace our approach of double-ended values.

And we aren’t alone. Ramboll, a purpose-driven engineering and architecture firm founded in Denmark in 1945 by Børge Rambøll and Johan Hannemann. Rambøll, a humanist with inspiring leadership skills, was a perfect complement to Hannemann, a talented engineer with a flair for technical details. It’s no surprise that the firm also presents their eight values in four complementary pairs. As a purpose-driven company, they explain that “each pair consists of attributes that balance and reinforce each other.”

• Insight & Excellence: We combine technical expertise with creativity to find smart solutions. We give our best to surpass the ordinary and deliver high quality.
• Integrity & Empathy: Decency is the hallmark of our business. The strong personal and ethical beliefs of Ramboll’s founders remain alive and at the core of our DNA today.
• Empowerment & Collaboration: Ramboll experts are empowered and encouraged to collaborate to bring the best of Ramboll to clients and enable decisions to be made that address clients’ specific needs.
• Enjoyment & Passion: We believe that performance and enjoyment go hand in hand. We show clients and colleagues that we are passionate about what we do, and we expect our leaders to prioritize work that is meaningful and value creating.

As a recent Ramboll employee review described it, Rambo is a “value based company with strong focus on employees. Strong ethics. Common sense of purpose.” Given the company’s longevity and their scale (17,000 employees across 35 countries), this is no mean feat.

How to Embrace Double-Ended Values

So, fellow founders, here’s my call to action: be thoughtful and deliberate in how you define and communicate your own values, especially in a remote-first workplace. Embrace the potential of opposing values to enrich your corporate culture and create a stronger, more united team.

To get started, consider the following steps:

1. Reflect on your current company values. Are they one-sided, or do they already include some opposing elements? Look for areas where you can introduce complementary values to create a more nuanced, balanced perspective.
2. Engage in open conversations with your team. Share your thoughts on double-ended values and listen to their feedback. This collaboration will not only help you define more meaningful values but will also foster a sense of ownership and commitment among your team members.
3. Communicate your updated values clearly and consistently. Ensure that everyone in your organization understands the importance of balancing these opposing elements and how they contribute to a richer, more vibrant corporate culture.
4. Celebrate more nuanced examples. When recognizing and applauding your team members for their contributions, don’t just highlight the extremes. Rather, seek examples where team members exemplified the nuanced balance in your values.
5. Finally, lead by example. Demonstrate your commitment to these double-ended values in your daily actions and decision-making. Show your team that you’re willing to embrace the tensions and complexities that come with balancing opposing values, and they’ll be more likely to do the same.

As leaders, our role is not to shy away from the challenges and complexities of the modern workplace. Instead, we must rise to the occasion and create an environment where our team members can thrive, both individually and collectively. By embracing double-ended values, we can build a corporate culture that truly reflects the richness and diversity of our workforce and communities. Embrace the power of double-ended values and watch your corporate culture flourish.