Follow Us
OUR VALUES
Ownership
Accountability
Trust
Empathy
Teamwork
Ownership
Accountability
Trust
Empathy
Teamwork
Ownership
Accountability
Trust
Empathy
Teamwork
Committed to harnessing the power of mobile technology
Taking ownership means taking charge and initiatives instead of sitting back and waiting for others to act. It is being accountable for the results of our actions.
A demanding customer was asking for reports and results for their project every few hours. One employee understood the burden that this request was placing on the teams and decided to lead the effort to automate the creation of the reports. This is one of the best examples of ownership because it shows that we take charge and initiatives, and we recognize opportunities to establish more efficient processes.
A campaign was about to be launched, so the business team delivered the campaign description to the technical team. The developer who was assigned the task, received the requirements and he did not only study the conditions, he actually identified an even more accurate way to implement them. This is a great example of ownership, because the developer did not limit himself in the implementation. Instead, he took ownership of the campaign, evaluated the specifications and made a proposal in order to improve the way the campaign will target customers.
Accountability means accepting responsibility for our actions. Acknowledging our mistakes and taking the appropriate actions to fix them.
My team got negative feedback for one of our major projects, our Landing Pages. It was hard for visitors to convert, due to a number of technical issues and low speed performance. We decided that we should change the whole approach and make things easier for all teams involved even if that meant we had to reform a significant amount of already running Landing Pages. By staying focused on automating the way a Landing Page is running, we didn’t hesitate to redesign and code everything from scratch. This is one of the best examples of accountability because it shows that we acknowledge our mistakes and do whatever it takes to meet the deadlines and expectations of others and ourselves.
An issue was identified in the storage and suddenly all the projects were down! The tech guy of the Data Center had accidentally replaced the wrong disks leading to loss of data. Without losing time, my team coordinated, changed priorities and worked together to fix everything. We brought the servers back online, setup the storage from scratch, installed the servers for the projects and restored the database data from tape drives. This is a great example of accountability because we accepted responsibility and understood that we should always think proactively to minimize potential issues and take immediate actions to fix them.
Trust means being reliable and having the ownership required to perform a task timely and impeccably. It’s the foundation of teamwork, cooperation, delegation and smooth operation of processes and procedures within teams and Velti as a whole.
I was facing a tough deadline and despite my best efforts I realized that I could not meet it. I had two choices: To keep trying without notifying in advance my manager or the CEO (and thus avoid or postpone facing potential backlash) or notifying them in advance so we can adjust deadlines and the plan of action. I decided to trust the company and its management and have an open discussion. I was relieved and somewhat surprised that not only there wasn’t a backlash but on the contrary, there was an effort to understand what went wrong in the first place. We set up to define rules that could make future deadlines and workload manageable, while passing the message that workload and time must be better assessed in the beginning of the assignment discussion (during the briefing or the spec period of the project) rather than in the end. It ended up becoming a learning experience. Putting trust in the company and its management saved me time, energy, and stress.
A new project was set to be launched and, as its Manager, I defined its main objectives and assigned tasks across departments. However, there were delays in the processes, which made me panic, create many Slack channels and chase tasks, causing extra workload, anxiety and stress all around. I realized that the situation was not sustainable. If I had any chance to succeed I needed to trust the teams and their leaders to jointly come to a solution. So I called a virtual meeting with 4 teams leaders and we all agreed on a new plan, way of working, and timeline. I then trusted that my manager would inform the head of sales and CEO so they can make the necessary adjustment with the customer. I saw a big difference after the virtual meeting. I think speaking honestly, directly and openly helped a lot. The new deadline was met comfortably and without stress, and in the end, informing everyone early helped managing executives, partners, and customers more effectively. Trust and speaking up early turned a difficult situation into a learning, stress-free experience.
Empathy is the ability to imagine ourselves in the situation of another. Walk in other people shoes, experience their emotions. Stop what we do and truly listen, check in with our team members.
A former employee who recently rejoined Velti, at some point felt anxious, worried and overwhelmed because the workload proved to be much bigger than expected. My team asked questions, truly listened, understood and offered to help. This is a great example of empathy because it shows how we should perceive and relate to the thoughts and emotions of others, and show sincere interest in their needs and willingness to help.
A pregnant employee came close to quitting the job because she felt unable to go to the office every day, due to pregnancy complications. Velti offered the opportunity to work from home, for 2 whole months, until the employee felt better. And that was before remote work was cool! This is one of the best examples of empathy because it shows that we should listen, show interest and offer help. In that case, if we hadn’t shown empathy, we would have lost a valuable member of the team!
Teamwork is a group of people working together, committed to a common purpose, communicating openly and effectively in order to reach their goals.
Frequent customer change requests while preparing to launch a project, led to a communication breakdown between the teams. All team members acknowledged the breakdown and decided to develop a more effective communication plan. Among else, the teams created a dialogue by holding more frequent calls to share ideas, initiatives and concerns, practiced active listening and promoted trust keeping the team spirit high.
Some developments related to a key client threatened to cause a serious revenue drop or even loss of the account altogether. After handling the situation on a first level, the teams called a meeting of all involved, and provided a brief on the situation, together with a recommended action plan. After a few days of brainstorming, strategizing and preparing the necessary materials, a multi-discipline team (comprised of sales, CS and BI) travelled and met with the client, perfectly prepared to deliver a detailed presentation, answer any questions and counter any arguments. Our approach not only secured the account, but also opened a whole new chapter in our history with the specific client, which is still ongoing today.