Rob Horton is the Executive Director of Strategy and Business Development at ThreeWill. His experience includes over 25 years of leading software architecture, design, and development focusing on support tools, automation, and e-commerce for large corporations and his own small businesses.
The heart of ThreeWill’s culture is based on our four core values. We use these core values to guide all aspects of our business, including whom we hire, how we reward and recognize our employees, whom we choose to partner with, and whom we serve as clients. We know complimentary values build strong and rewarding relationships.
ThreeWill’s core values include:
- Better Together
- Extreme Ownership
- Choose Growth
- Humble Confidence
“Better Together” is a value that emphasizes the power of collaboration, teamwork, and synergy. It acknowledges that when individuals come together and work collectively towards a common goal, they can achieve greater success and make a more significant impact than they could on their own. Dave Packard, one of the co-founders of Hewlett-Packard (now HP), exemplified this value throughout his career.
One story that highlights Dave Packard’s embodiment of the “Better Together” value is the creation of HP’s open-door policy. Dave believed in fostering an environment of trust, collaboration, and open communication within the company. He implemented a policy where any employee, regardless of position, could approach him with ideas, concerns, or suggestions. Dave’s willingness to listen and engage with employees at all levels demonstrated his belief in the power of collaboration and the idea that everyone’s contribution was valuable. This approach helped to build a culture of teamwork and innovation within HP.
An excellent example of “Better Together” internally at ThreeWill is Will Holland’s Collaboration Contract concept. Will came up with this while considering the effort we’ve made internally to organize our teams, and other efforts to deploy teams to our clients. It’s not likely that this concept would have been identified by Will without input from clients and coworkers.
That’s what makes “Better Together” so powerful and important to ThreeWill. Our combined efforts as an organization and our efforts working with clients that share our values elevate our impact. Simply put, our whole is greater than the sum of our parts.
Anti-values that contrast the meaning of “Better Together” would include individualism, siloed thinking, and a lack of communication or cooperation. These values can hinder progress, stifle creativity, and limit the potential for success. When individuals prioritize personal achievements over collective efforts and fail to collaborate with others, opportunities for growth and improvement are missed.
A fitting analogy for the “Better Together” value is that of a symphony orchestra. In an orchestra, each musician plays a different instrument, but they all come together under the guidance of a conductor to create a harmonious and beautiful piece of music. Similarly, in a collaborative and inclusive environment, individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds can work together, each contributing their unique strengths, to achieve outstanding results. The value of teamwork and collaboration is akin to the symphony of different instruments coming together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.
In everyday operations and behaviors, the “Better Together” value surfaces through practices such as active listening, effective communication, and seeking input from different stakeholders. It encourages teams to value and respect diverse perspectives, encouraging healthy debates and discussions to arrive at the best possible solutions. Recognizing and appreciating individuals who embody the “Better Together” value can also motivate others to embrace and prioritize collaboration in their own work and result in beautiful music.