WELCOME ABOARD!
Contents I. II. III.
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK WELCOME TO MINDMIXER SETTLING IN
I. H OW TO USE THIS BOOK
We get it. On day one – even day 100 – you’ll have questions. That’s why we created this handbook. Working at MindMixer is a rare breed of culture. We expect a lot from you and you should expect a lot from us. Yet before we begin that endeavor, we figured it would probably help to give you the one-up. So consider this your one-up. And then get ready to dig in.
1 Day
You’re going to be challenged. It’s bound to happen. We hold our hiring practices to the highest standards and as such, we hold you to high expectations as well. Let’s think through this for a second. We need not only world-class talent, but also individuals who are trustworthy, gritty and, bar none, embody our values. That’s not an easy ask. Through various tests, interviews and questions, you’ve passed every step of the way. We’d like to take a moment to recognize that feat.
II. W ELCOME TO MINDMIXER
Our Mission
Our Values Our
Values
For many companies, values are what’s written on a wall but not really lived out within a culture. We’re proud to say that’s not the case for us: we only recently got our values up on the wall. Values at MindMixer are not just a feel-good statement but rather the expectations to which we hold each other. We think about these five values as part of our core business:
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Collaborative
(intentional, purposeful collaboration) My best work is never as good as our best work. We challenge and question the work of others for the betterment of the company. Yet we do it with a level of respect that ensures our intelligence is only as strong as our humility. We hold others to the same high standards to which we hold ourselves.
Community Focused
(we give back because we are blessed) Everyone can relate to a community. Maybe it was a team, a city or a class for you, but somewhere along the way, we all were inspired by a deeper purpose and sense of belonging. That deeper purpose continues to drive us.
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If not us, then who?
(we are the team, company, individual to take action first) You own our future. The individuals chosen for this company are the ones who direct its path. It’s our effort, our grit and our discipline that determine just how far we go. It’s up to you to push for that to happen.
Hope
(an optimistic, positive mindset) We are disgustingly positive. Sure, we do things wrong. Sure, we miss the first time around. But at the end of the day, our belief is stronger than our willingness to give in. We come back, day in and day out, because we believe we’ll change the world.
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Relentless
(urgency, tenacity, scrappiness, persistence) We work hard – harder than you’ve ever worked before. We have a pace that makes other companies envious, and we do it so no one can ever catch us. No one will be better. We are more than a work ethic; this is the never-say-quit mentality that pulls you through your worst days and propels you to your best.
Our Structure
At MindMixer, we consider hierarchy a bit cumbersome, especially when we hire the best and the brightest. If you’d like for us to dictate your schedule and give you strict reporting hours, by all means: find another company. See, we operate under the understanding that if you’re half as great as we think you are, you’ll need just a little guidance and then you’ll figure it out. And that’s what we’re hoping to do with our structure. Find folks. Ask questions. Own your role.
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The Flywheel
Everything in our business starts with one key question: why? Why are we here? Why are we doing this? Why do we believe we can change the world? Though the tactics may take several iterations, fundamentally, we know the thinking behind our flywheel is the vision to get us there. At any point in time, a customer or user could enter the flywheel. • Maybe they’re a school and want to ask a question (organization). .
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• Maybe they’re a parent looking for information on parks in the area (participant). • Maybe they’re a parent coming back to ask a question about the park they visited. (retention) • Maybe they’re an architecture firm running a project for Kansas City (data). Whatever the case, our business model is rooted in a sense of flexibility so our value has no start and stop point. Our value is a connection made at every point throughout the process: organizations, participants, retention and data. And while your role may help us specifically in one area, your charge is to ensure we never lose sight of that vision.
The MindMixer Flywheel
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Organizations
Data ($)
Participants
Retention
Data
Personalized
Content
The Life & Times of MindMixer
January 2013 Redesign makes MindMixer sites device-responsi
Winter 2010 Planning consultants Nathan Preheim and Nick Bowden found MindMixer after traveling too far for one too many lackluster public meetings.
Summer 2010 The first MindMixer site, Pass the Potatoes, launches in Nebraska.
2011 MindMixer’s first office opens in Omaha, Neb.
Summer 2012 MindMixer is selected for Code for America’s inaugural Civic Accelerator.
August 2012 MindMixer’s Kansas City, Mo., office opens.
December 2012 More than 450,000 people are collaborating on MindMixer.
Summer 2013 MindMixer’s Linc Neb., office ope
December 2013 The MindMixer o community has 600 communitie
July 2014 The team sets u in in our perman home in the Bar 33 building, 1735 Ba
2010 MindMixer site, Potatoes, in Nebraska.
2012 er is selected for America’s Civic tor.
January 2013 Redesign makes all MindMixer sites device-responsive.
Winter 2013 MindMixer acquires social media analysis company VoterTide.
Summer 2013 MindMixer’s Lincoln, Neb., office opens.
August 2013 Chief Engagement Officer Nick Bowden is voted Executive of the Year in the Silicon Prairie News Awards.
December 2013 The MindMixer online community has grown to 600 communities.
Spring 2014 Omaha and Lincoln teams move to Kansas City.
tor.
er 2012 n 450,000 re collaborating Mixer.
December 2013 The MindMixer online community has grown to 600 communities.
Spring 2014 Omaha and Lincoln teams move to Kansas City.
July 2014 The team sets up shop in in our permanent home in the Barkley building, 1735 Baltimore.
August 2014 MindMixer is voted Startup of the Year in the Silicon Prairie News Awards.
September 2014 With the knowledge and experience gained from working with more than 800 communities around the world, MindMixer launches mySidewalk to give its 1.6 million participants a better way to connect with what they love about where they live.
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III. S ETTLING IN
We hear all the time that 30 days at MindMixer feels like 60 days – in the best way possible. Sure, you may not know everyone’s name (you think the majority of people are called Nick) and yes, you’ve gained 10 pounds from our awesome lunches, but otherwise, you’ve started carving out an impact. Since we don’t have much of a ramp-up time, team members feel engaged in their work on day one. Yet as you start to dig in, we also think a few key culture insights help navigate your success along the way.
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Discourse
Most companies probably wouldn’t help you through their culture by talking about discourse first, but we think it’s pretty important. In its most basic sense, we think our ability to be critical about our work and the work of others ensures MindMixer’s success.
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OUR PRODUCT CHARTER SUMS THIS UP PRETTY WELL:
• We have a rare and fleeting opportunity to build the world’s first civic network. • No one knows as much as everyone; good ideas can come from anywhere. • Honest and critical conversations about our ideas are crucial. • Understanding the purpose of what we build allows the person closest to the problem to come up with the best solution. • Data helps us make better decisions; we collect data, run tests and look to data to guide our next steps. • The best products are inspired by big visions, but powered by iterations.
For many, these kind of honest and critical discussions are a serious culture shift. By no means do we encourage arguing for the sake of arguing but we do believe a respectful, thoughtful dialogue around serious issues helps our greatest problems become our greatest solutions. If you have issues with this, that’s fine. We welcome the debate. But debate we will.
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Failure
We’ve been told we work in a highperformance environment. What may be tough to decipher at first is that we also have a high-failure environment. We believe in failing fast, failing often and coming back with the best option yet.
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Consider this the greatest learning environment of your career. You have the opportunity to be bold, be creative and learn from everyone around you. Though we encourage debate, we balance it with humility. Criticalness and failure are common to every MindMixer team member, so when you experience similar feelings, we get it. We’re right there with you. If you want to succeed at MindMixer, never let a fear of failure stop you.
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Leadership
We probably gave you a title. We usually do. But in all reality, this role is yours to own. You see, when it comes to providing clarity to candidates, we believe in titles. A title tells you what you’ll help us do and what team you’re a part of to make that a reality.
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The hard part is, once you get here, we’re not the best at providing clarity. What we do is hard – and involves ambiguity. So, rather than build out everything around a title, description or role, we think in terms of how you get your work done.
At MindMixer, we believe in a few key items: • Hire the most talented individuals. They can figure out what needs done in their role much better than us. • Build leadership in the way you act and the work you produce. • Leadership is an activity, not a title. We may be a flat organization, but we have leaders all over the place. And in our experience, actions speak louder than titles.
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Flexibility
You may not believe us, but we don’t have a vacation policy. Take it when you need it. Ok. Going to let that one sink in. Here are typical questions we encounter when we get to this section: • So, could I just not work for the year? • Wait. What if I need three weeks in Europe? Won’t someone get mad if I take vacation? • THIS IS A TRICK, RIGHT?
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You see, the thing with us is, we work extremely hard (emphasis on the extremely) (maybe double emphasis on extremely). We ask a lot of our people and the work they produce. We hold the bar high, and we know you often need a break to keep those standards. So take one. If you’re not getting your work done (see: take a year’s vacation), we’re going to have concerns about your job, not your vacation, and we’re going to have a conversation to correct it.
For most of our team members, we have more issues getting them to actually take vacation than taking too much vacation. Bottom line: get your work done; communicate to others when you need a break; and please, take a vacation.
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ENJOY THE RIDE!