Principles

We believe that we will thrive as a team if we identify the principles that have led to our success, and begin holding ourselves and new hires accountable to maintaining these principles.

What you will read below are a few core themes that have emerged from the collaboration between our team members since inception in mid 2020. These themes are a reflection of our collective behaviors and actions and they are what we believe is core to making BLR what it is today and have been essential to our success.

You can think of them as principles that guide the way we work. They inform how we show up to work, how we interact and collaborate, what we prioritize, the standard we hold each other to, and what we look for in new hires. We can refer to them when there is ambiguity around what to do or how to decide to move forward

They are also aspirational, pointing in the direction in which we all aim to grow.

Just like everything we do at BLR, we aim to continuously evolve these principles based on learnings and contributions from all. For now, we are in a learning phase: to refine our principles and discover how we can help each other embody them.

Today, we identify 4 core principles. Each one of them captures one important theme with several smaller ideas encapsulated within. We suggest you take your time in reading them, and reflecting on how they show up in your life and work.

Care

From the early days of BLR, we have always deeply cared about one another and our clients, and have committed to creating an environment that is supportive of all. This is at the core of how this company is built.

We care about the the success of each of our team members, we care about their aspirations, their relationships, and their wellbeing. And because of that, we want to create an environment where everyone can be themselves (authenticity) and be supported in order to thrive.

This also means that we take care of ourselves. We are comfortable setting our boundaries and expressing our needs. And we trust that other team members, and the company as a whole, will be supportive of us.

We chose to build meaningful relationships within and outside the company, and value a culture of openness and vulnerability. We don't shy away from difficult conversations, but we always do so with kindness. We assume good intent, even if we disagree with others. And we're generous in sharing how others have excelled and had a positive impact. This is how we nurture closeness and trust amongst ourselves, and make our daily work all the more enjoyable.

We are a group of people from different walks of life, with different needs and aspirations, coming together to collaborate and build something bigger than any one of us. Not only is this a place where all of that is welcome, we believe that we are stronger because of that diversity (diversity of thought, experience, upbringing, needs, lifestyles, etc.)

Leadership

BLR has grown from a group of people coming together, trusting each other, and delivering great work. We choose to build on this by fostering an environment where each one of us is empowered to make decisions and given the freedom to act in the way we deem is best. And with that comes greater responsibility.

That means that at BLR we each lead in our own domains: we own the execution and are responsible for the outcome of the decisions we make. We feel the responsibility for delivering high quality work and are proactive in overcoming challenges we encounter along the way.

We act as our own managers. We come up with our own goals and execute them. We take the lead without waiting to be told what to do, we work without supervision and don't need to be followed-up on for results to happen on time and on quality. We look for opportunities to have an impact, and take initiative when such opportunities arise

However, that does not mean that we act alone. Collaboration remains key to our success. We always reflect on how our work will impact others. We understand our limitations and involve others when input is beneficial. We delegate to them when it's the right thing to do. We help others when they need support.

This way of working, at its core, relies on trust. We default to trusting; rather than questioning or micromanaging. We trust each other to do the right thing and we trust that our colleagues will ask for support when they need it.

To lead, we must also understand our own strengths, weakness, and blind spots, and be able to talk about them honestly.

Inevitably, we will be wrong at times. Not only is it ok, it is expected. Otherwise, we're playing it too safe. All that's required of us is to recognize these mistakes early, seek feedback with openness, reflect on it, then act on it.

Doing the right thing

Doing the right thing means truly caring about the outcome. We're not here just to cross off tasks. We want to deliver something that makes an impact, something we're proud of and want to have our names attached to.

We are of the mindset that if we're going to do something, we're going to do it really well - otherwise, we're better off putting our efforts somewhere else.

That means not simply choosing a path because it's the fastest one or the one with the least resistance. Sometimes doing the right thing is uncomfortable, for us or others. We recognize that and don't turn away from it. And if tensions arises, we talk about them.

This may occasionally lead to more work or some delays, and that's ok as long as we properly communicate this decision to others involved. Usually, we put quality first, and speed second. Unless the circumstances require otherwise.

Doing the right thing also means that we take the time to truly understand our clients' needs and expectations (internal or external client) before making assumptions, i.e., I'll ask myself what does my client/colleague need to be happy with the outcome?

Ultimately, we ask ourselves: Would I be proud to have my name on this piece of work?

Innovation

We differentiate ourselves by bringing a spirit of innovation to all that we do.

Innovation involves applying a healthy dose of skepticism to our work. It starts with asking ourselves: Is the most obvious solution the best one? It requires a willingness to develop a deep understanding of the domain we’re exploring. And then going beyond: where has this problem shown up elsewhere? How have others solved it? Are there other domains I can learn from?

Innovation also means that we won't to stop at the first identified solution. Rather, we choose to take it a step further. We ask ourselves: how can I make this better? What else haven't I thought of? What other opportunities are here that I haven't noticed? Taking the time to reflect on and uncover this is what makes us stand out, what shifts our company from conventional to pioneering.

Iteration is at the core of innovation. We acknowledge that whatever we release won't be perfect. Instead, we put it out with the intention of learning as much as possible, and then, through iteration, improve it exponentially.

Innovating requires the courage to question popular beliefs, the humility to acknowledge I may not yet know what's best, the creativity to think unconventionally and not be constrained by biases, and the perseverance to stick to the principle of innovation which may not always bear fruits.

Ultimately, we ask ourselves: how can I make this better?

Care

Leadership

Doing the right thing

Innovation

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