While each discipline’s Career Ladder provides a framework for recognizing the specific work that we do, these Tech Values provide a framework for recognizing the way in which we do it. The two documents should be viewed as complementary to each another.
Practicing the Values outlined below is a foundational requirement for every member of Tech, and we are responsible for developing all of these behaviors in ourselves.
At BuzzFeed, we recognize that we are working towards a common goal, and so we consistently look for opportunities to advance towards it.
As individuals and as a team
- We don’t shy away when we see an opportunity to solve a problem in the product, on our team, or in the culture.
- We help find the right parties to address the issue ー whether that includes us or others.
- In the absence of an obvious owner, we aim to be of service in whatever way we can.
- We are conscious of our team’s and our own limitations. Therefore, we set expectations that we feel confident we can meet, and we follow through on these commitments.
- We communicate proactively and clearly about our commitments.
- We place a premium on transparency, always erring on the side of over-communicating, even (especially) when the news is bad or outlook is uncertain, a project is off-track, we need feedback, or our team isn't functioning as well as we'd like.
Example behaviors
- Fixing a bug in an orphaned service.
- Directing another team to a potential issue in their code.
- Assisting investigation during an incident.
- Being clear and realistic about when a project can be completed.
- Creating Jira cards for stakeholders to follow along on.
- Proactively offering revised timelines and alternative solutions to stakeholders when a setback occurs.
We recognize that generous behavior is essential to our success and that it can come in many forms.
As individuals
- We give the benefit of the doubt until we are able to develop a full picture of the situation.
- We are generous in the communication of our own needs and boundaries, so that others know how to be generous to us in return.
- We understand and respect that every individual has different needs and views experiences through a lens different than our own.
Example Behaviors:
- Setting boundaries regarding preferred communication styles and personal/family needs.
- Asking for clarification when someone's intentions are unclear.
- If something you care about is not said, we ask without judgement if this is something that has been considered. This is particularly relevant to topics that aren’t easy to discuss or requires a degree of safety to discuss.
As people managers and group leads
- We proactively ask team members what motivates them, and what they need to succeed.
- We understand the importance and burden of glue work, and ensure that it is equally distributed across the team.
- We recognize the value of glue work by celebrating the practitioners publicly - such as during stand-ups, on Slack, and in performance reviews.
We recognize that we all have a responsibility to help each other grow. We do this by giving thoughtful and constructive feedback about both the work we do and how we do it. These principles apply for individuals, managers, leaders and teams:
Giving Feedback
- We give feedback based on evidence rather than emotion, by making use of the Situation-Behavior-Impact structure.
- We understand that everyone has different communication styles, and that we must tailor our approach to their needs.
- We never forget that the purpose of feedback is to help others develop.
Example behaviors:
- Developing a full understanding of a situation through information gathering - prior to issuing any feedback.
- Giving feedback only on specific situations, rather than making generalizations.
- Asking for someone's preferred feedback format in advance.
- Emphasizing the ways in which someone could improve, rather than dwelling on past challenges.
Receiving Feedback
- We weigh fairly the opinions of others even when they differ from our own.
- We actively value the perspectives of those who have different skills and experience from us.
- We are grateful for feedback, as we recognize that giving it can be time-consuming and difficult.
Example behaviors:
- Taking necessary time to process the feedback we receive, before responding.
- Setting aside time and space for feedback in meetings, documents and elsewhere.
- Encouraging our colleagues to share their thoughts, particularly where they may have a different perspective from our own.
We recognize that we must continue learning - as individuals and as an organization - so that we can evolve as the audience or product evolves. We look for ways to maintain this culture of experimentation and growth.
As individuals
- We regularly re-evaluate gaps in the depth or breadth of our technical, product, or professional expertise and work towards closing them.
- We embrace new opportunities outside of our comfort zone.
- We communicate what we need in order to pursue our goals.
Example behaviors:
- Taking on a project in a new area of the product.
- Making time to research a new technology.
- Asking questions to ensure you understand our products and stakeholders.
- Facilitating a meeting for the first time.
- Conveying goals to a manager and asking for the time and space to pursue them.
As a team
- We give each other a safe and supportive space to explore and experiment.
- We recognize that failure is as just as valuable as success as long as we can learn from the experience.
- We make the effort to share insights from our work ー no matter how big or small the observation.
- We seize the most impactful opportunities using the best data available from our prior learnings.
Example behaviors:
- Running a retrospective or postmortem after completing a project.
- Sharing learnings across Tech (#data-learnings slack, dev@ email, Tech Talks, workshops).
As managers and leaders
- We proactively develop our team through coaching, feedback, and exposure to new technologies and other leadership opportunities.
Example behaviors:
- Identifying conferences that could be of interest to a teammember.
- Gathering educational resources.