Sift Media's #culturecode setting out how we are creating an amazing company.

1. OUR CULTURE CODE
INSPIRING POSITIVE ACTION

2. There are companies and there are amazing
companies. Creating a company is easy. Anyone
can do it. But creating an amazing company
takes something different.
Amazing companies are the places that inspire people. They are the
companies people aspire to work for and work with. They are the
companies so in tune with the people they serve that people want to
follow them. They want to be a part of the work they produce.
Amazing companies are where opportunities exist. Where people learn
and grow. Where people shape and influence the work they do because
they know what needs to be done. Where people can do their best work.
Amazing companies are the companies people love.
This document sets out how we are creating that amazing company.

3. DEFINITION:
amazing
causing great surprise or
wonder; astonishing. very
impressive; excellent.

4. THE POWER OF 3
Amazing companies have 3 things in common.
When all 3 combine, something magic happens.
The ingredients of
an amazing
company
1. Piercing clarity on
their PURPOSE
2. PEOPLE that make
a difference
3. Strong CULTURE
that enables people

5. To create an amazing
company, we need a culture
that enables people to achieve
amazing results.

6. A culture inspired by the
principles of autonomy,
mastery and purpose.

7. Autonomy... Mastery... Purpose
these are the building blocks of a new way of
doing things.
Daniel H. Pink
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

8. AUTONOMY
The desire to direct our
own lives.

9. MASTERY
The urge to get better and
better at something that
matters.

10. PURPOSE
The yearning to do what
we do in the service of
something larger than
ourselves.

11. STARTING WITH OUR WHY:
OUR PURPOSE

12. THE GOLDEN CIRCLE

13. People don’t buy WHAT you
do, they buy WHY you do
it. And WHAT you do simply
proves what you believe.
Simon Sinek
Start with WHY

14. At Sift Media, we believe
people should be
inspired, every day.

15. We believe that inspiration:
Sparks ideas.
Fosters curiosity.
Builds knowledge.
Connects people.
Inspires action.
Transforms organisations.
Changes lives.

16. In everything we do, we believe in
inspiring people to take the
actions that improve their lives
and livelihoods, every day.
OUR ‘WHY’

17. THE APPROACH WE TAKE:
OUR HOW

18. We deliver our ‘WHY’ by
focusing on how we can
positively impact and support
the daily workflow of the
people we work with and for.

19. We aim to be an integral part
of their workflow to help
solve problems, connect with
peers and transform the way
they get things done.

20. OUR ‘HOW’
Sparking ideas that inspire and
support the daily workflows of
the people we work with and
for. Through practical,
engaging and action-oriented
content, we help people
embrace new ideas, change
and take positive action.
Organising collaborative
communities to connect
people, enable discussions,
share knowledge and help
each other in their daily lives.
We deliver our how by
focusing on 3 key
areas - Content,
Conversations and
Conversions.
Through a
combination of all 3,
we develop the
insights that help us
improve everything
we do in the pursuit of
our purpose. Providing clear paths that
inspire people to take
meaningful action that adds
daily value to their lives and
livelihoods.

21. THE APPROACH WE TAKE:
OUR WHAT

22. OUR ‘WHAT’
Our 5
product areas
that support
people's’ daily
workflow
Advertising
Campaigns
Data
Community
Editorial
Guides
Toolkits
Community
Reports
Surveys
Cognitive research
Interviews
Talent acquisition
Our current product set is
designed to positively impact on
the daily workflows of the
people we work with and for.

23. HOW WE DELIVER OUR WHY:
OUR CULTURE

24. We’re a fast growing
business with a rapidly
growing team.

25. A lot of our growth is
down to our people and
our culture.

26. Our people
make growth
happen.
Our culture
enables growth
to happen.
People
Culture
Growth

27. The foundations of our
culture and values were
established by our founder
and CEO, Ben Heald.

28. Since then, we’ve spent time
with our teams to capture the
things that make up our
culture.
We call this our Culture Code.

29. WHAT IS CULTURE?
AND WHY WE CARE.

30. WHAT IS
CULTURE?
It’s a 'way of life' that explains
why groups do things. It’s the
shared beliefs, values and
practices. It’s our shared code,
our way of getting things done.

31. “A Company is a culture. A
group of people brought together
around a common set of values
and beliefs. It’s not products or
services that bind a company
together. It’s not the size and
might that make a company
strong, it’s the culture - the
strong sense of beliefs and
values that everyone from the
CEO to the receptionist, all
share.”
Simon Sinek
Start with WHY

32. THE IMPORTANCE OF
CULTURE
“The stronger the culture, the less
corporate process a company needs.
When the culture is strong, you
can trust everyone to do the
right thing. People can be
independent and autonomous. They
can be entrepreneurial. And if we
have a company that is
entrepreneurial in spirit, we will be
able to take our next “(wo)man on
the moon” leap.”

33. A great culture creates an
amazing place to work, amazing
people to work with, and the
opportunity to create amazing
work.
It helps us achieve our amazing
ambitions.

34. “Culture should give you
structure to scale fast
and extreme clarity
around what makes your
approach unique.”
Mark Arnoldy
CEO, Possible

35. WE DEVELOP OUR
CULTURE BY:
Upholding our principles in everything we do.
Living our culture in everything we do.
The way we work together.
The way we communicate.
The constructive feedback we give each other.
The people we invite to join the team.
The way we behave.

36. SIFT MEDIA CULTURE CODE
OUR BELIEFS, VALUES AND PRACTICES

37. This is our Culture Code.
It describes our shared beliefs,
values and practices.
It explains what makes
Sift Media, ‘us’.

38. Our culture is always evolving
as we develop and grow.
But our reason for being, our
WHY, will always remain.

39. In everything we do, we believe in
inspiring people to take the
actions that improve their lives
and livelihoods, every day.

40. Our 8 principles help
understand our
cultural identity.

41. They explain our behaviours.
They inspire the actions we take.
They explain who we are and
who we want to be.
They drive our ‘inspire action’ culture.

42. 1. We always put people first.
2. We are relentless in pursuing our purpose in everything we do.
3. We obsess over our audiences.
4. We are autonomous with purpose.
5. We foster a mindset of curiosity to continually improve.
6. We measure the metrics that reveal the insights that matter.
7. We believe in being transparent and honest at all times.
8. We do it all so we can have a little fun along the way.
SIFT MEDIA CULTURE CODE
OUR BELIEFS, VALUES AND PRACTICES

43. We always put
people first.
1

44. People make a great company.
They develop the ideas that inspire action.
They create the buzz that encourages our
development. They shape the service we
provide the people we serve.
People create a happy and positive environment.

45. By putting people first, we
create engaged employees,
loyal audiences, happy
clients.

46. "In the end everything
comes down to the people;
a business is nothing
more than a community
of human beings. They're
the ones looking after
your business, you should
look after them."

47. 2We are relentless in
pursuing our purpose
in everything we do.

48. Our purpose drives
everything we do.
The way we behave.
The way we work.
The value we create.
The difference we make.

49. Our purpose connects us to
the people we work with and
for. It shapes our way
forward.
It provides people with a clear
view of what we stand for.

50. It helps us attract and retain
the talent that creates an
amazing company.

51. It’s the reason we do what we do.

52. We obsess over
our audiences.
3

53. Our audiences are at the heart of
what we do.
We revolve around their needs
focusing our efforts to inspire
them to take the actions that to
improve their lives and livelihoods.

54. Our goal is to inspire people
by providing the insight,
knowledge and connections
that help them master their
daily challenges.

55. That encourages them to
embrace new ideas. That helps
them develop and grow. That
provides the practical advice
to help them take the next step
to transforms their lives.

56. We are autonomous
with purpose.
4

57. “Your art is what you do
when no one can tell you
exactly how to do it. Your
art is the act of taking
personal responsibility,
challenging the status quo,
and changing people.”
Seth Godin
Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

58. We value autonomy with
purpose.
We set our direction through
goals that help us focus on
delivering our purpose. But how
we achieve those goals is down
to our people. We empower them
to be autonomous.

59. We actively encourage an
entrepreneurial spirit to drive
our goals.
We embrace collaboration to
connect people, spark ideas
and inspire action in the
pursuit of our purpose.

61. We organise to work
efficiently and effectively
(not late), to get the job
done.

62. At Sift Media,
everyone is
allowed to...
Simon Sinek
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed by Simon Sinek

63. Make the decision you
think is the right
decision to make.
Simon Sinek
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed by Simon Sinek

64. Start something that
needs to be done.
Simon Sinek
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed by Simon Sinek

65. Ask for help whenever
you want it.
Simon Sinek
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed by Simon Sinek

66. Help others whenever
you can (even if they
don’t ask for it).
Simon Sinek
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed by Simon Sinek

67. We foster a mindset of
curiosity to continually
improve what we do.5

68. We really value curiosity.
It keeps us learning and
evolving. It sparks the
ideas that help people
grow. It creates a mindset
for growth and success.

69. A MINDSET FOR
GROWTH
People with a fixed mindset seek
approval; those with a growth
mindset seek development.
The fixed mindset sees failures as
disasters; the growth mindset sees
them as opportunities.
People with a fixed mindset avoid
difficulties; those with a growth
mindset relish them.

70. By being curious and having a
mindset for growth, we
develop the skills that enable
people to get better and better
at delivering our purpose.

71. We encourage and support
people to develop. To grow
their mastery. To shape our
innovation. To drive our
growth. To focus on
delivering our purpose.

72. “Mastery… the urge to
get better and better
at something that
matters.”
Daniel H. Pink
Drive: The Surprising Truth About
What Motivates Us

73. 6
We measure the
metrics that reveal the
insights that matter.

74. Metrics help us create value.
They identify opportunities
where we can make a
difference. They help us
focus on the things that
matter.

75. They ensure we are
creating value for our
audiences. That we do our
best for our clients. And
that our employees get
better and better at what
we do.

76. They help us focus on the
things that will make a
difference. That we pick the
projects that will make an
impact. That we develop and
share the insights that help
everyone achieve their
goals.

77. Through knowledge and
insight from our metrics that
matter, we make a difference
by focusing on the things
that matter. To ourselves. To
our members. To our clients.

78. “People think focus means saying
yes to the thing you've got to
focus on. But that's not what it
means at all. It means saying no
to the hundred other good ideas
that there are. You have to pick
carefully. I'm actually as proud of
the things we haven't done as
the things I have done. Innovation
is saying no to 1,000 things.”
Steve Jobs

79. We believe in being
transparent and
honest at all times.7

80. We believe in honesty.
Encouraging people to
speak up. To share the ups
and downs.
To always do what’s right.

81. It helps create trust.
It pulls people together.
It helps everyone play their
role in delivering value.

82. “Trust is the glue of life.
It's the most essential
ingredient in effective
communication. It's the
foundational principle that
holds all relationships.”

83. We do it so we
can have a little
fun along the way.8

84. We are a strong believer in having
fun.
Summer parties. Christmas parties.
Sporting events. Out of work teams.
Supporting charities. The Friday beer
trolley.
It creates a happy and rewarding company.

86. 1. We always put people first.
2. We are relentless in pursuing our purpose in everything we do.
3. We obsess over our audiences.
4. We are autonomous with purpose.
5. We foster a mindset of curiosity to continually improve.
6. We measure the metrics that reveal the insights that matter.
7. We believe in being transparent and honest at all times.
8. We do it all so we can have a little fun along the way.
SIFT MEDIA CULTURE CODE
OUR BELIEFS, VALUES AND PRACTICES

87. At Sift Media,
everyone has a
purpose. Here’s how
you can find yours.

88. IDENTIFYING OUR:
PERSONAL
PURPOSE

89. “Purpose is believing
that whatever
you do matters.”
Aaron Hurst
The Purpose Economy

90. Relationships
with the people in your
“team.” You love working
together and challenging
each other.
Aaron Hurst
The Purpose Economy
Personal growth and
challenge.
Meaning in a job can come
from pushing oneself and
growing as a professional. If
a job keeps challenging an
employee and makes them
strive to do better, it can
instill a sense of purpose.
Doing something
greater than
yourself.
Believing that your job
matters. If a job simply
helps a co-worker, it can
be enough to give the job
meaning.
PURPOSE IS A JOB THAT
FOSTERS:

91. Do you know what your purpose is? Do
you know what drives you?
Find your purpose by taking a free short
survey to identify your Purpose Pattern.
It will describe the three core drivers that
determine what you need to be fulfilled in
your work
http://www.imperative.com/
IDENTIFYING YOUR
PERSONAL PURPOSE:

92. Our Culture Code is
inspired by a number
of talented people
and organisations.

93. People that inspired us
Organisations that inspired us
Simon SinekStart
with WHY
TED Talk
Re:Focus: You Are
Allowed
Brian Chesky, Co-
founder, CEO of Airbnb
Medium article on
culture
Daniel Pink
Drive: The Surprising
Truth About What
Motivates Us
TED Talk
Aaron Hurst
The Purpose Economy
And many others!

94. We’re Sift Media.
We inspire action.
BRISTOL LONDON BOSTON
www.siftmedia.co.uk