the tao of dt: running a business on culture

THE TAO OF DT

THE TAO OF DT

THE TAO

OUR NOBLE CAUSE

OUR CRAFT

OUR CULTURE AND VALUES

WE ARE A TRIBE

CAT

03

17

29

39

116

128

02

THE TAO OF DT

DT’S PURPOSE

To create happiness for ourselves and the people

around us by infusing life’s experiences with our

passions.

Our accomplishments are defined by the

experiences we design and the impact we make

on the world around us.

Our No.1 priority is our people, so everything we

do is rooted in our culture.

03

THE TAO OF DT

WHAT IS THE TAO?

A way to use our culture to guide our journey of happiness and accomplishing great things.

04

In Chinese, Tao means way or path. It’s pronounced, “zh-

dáo,” or “dow.” We refer to it as our group of principles;

it is not related to the philosophy of Taoism.

We chose Tao because it’s more unique than “way” or

“path.” After this presentation, when you hear or say

“Tao,” it will have a greater depth of meaning.

THE TAO OF DT 05

WHY WE MADE THE TAO

Our culture has never been written down.

Half of the Tao is ancient DT history and

demonstrates the beliefs DT was founded upon,

the tough times we have persevered and the

breakthroughs we have made. A walk down

memory lane...

THE TAO OF DT 06WHY WE MADE THE TAO

When Arnold and Chuck

started their first business

together at the University of

Wisconsin-Madison.

1997

2000

2002 2007 2010

201220092005

When Bill and Chuck moved to

California and worked from a

boat in Mexico for a year.

When we stopped all

services and focused

only on UX design.

When Chuck moved

to San Francisco,

and Dave, David,

Jess and Dan

stepped up as

leaders.

When Bill and Chuck

first went to Burning

Man

When when we almost

closed our doors and

the team stuck together

(Dave, John, Arnold and

Chuck are still here)

When we

transitioned to the

subscription model.

When Laurence came on

board and we scaled to

who we are today.

THE TAO OF DT 07WHY WE MADE THE TAO

We are a 14-year-old company, but 50 percent of

the company has been here for 18 months or less.

You have all contributed to the direction of our noble

cause, craft and values.

We’ve talked about tribal leadership, we are now

choosing our tribe.

The other half is from the new wave of DT.

THE TAO OF DT

WHY WE MADE THE TAO

What we want to accomplish together is aspirational.

Since we’ve never defined or written down

our values or mission, we weren’t able to set

clear expectations, or achieve complete

alignment on who we are collectively and

how to channel our culture towards a shared

vision.

08

THE TAO OF DT

We want to uplevel ourselves in order to break the pull of gravity and do amazing things in the

world. Move from great websites to impacting people’s lives.

In order to do so, we are making a statement of what we expect from each other, how we work best

together to pursue our dreams and accomplishments while preserving our culture.

This is no different than when we evolved to a UX only company or shifted to the OBD/subscription

business model. It was scary at first, but we prevailed, and set a new standard for agency/client

partnerships.

Remember that most of this is based on what we all discussed together. If something doesn’t feel good

to you, bring it up - no hiding out.

09WHY WE MADE THE TAO

THE TAO OF DT

We want to uplevel ourselves in order to break the pull of gravity and do amazing things in the world.

Move from great websites to impacting people’s lives.

In order to do so, we are making a statement of what we expect from each other, how we work

best together to pursue our dreams and accomplishments while preserving our culture.



partnerships.




THE TAO OF DT

We want to uplevel ourselves in order to break the pull of gravity and do amazing things in the world.

Move from great websites to impacting people’s lives



This is no different than when we evolved to a UX-only company or shifted to the Objective-

Based Design and subscription-based business model. It was scary at first, but we prevailed and

set a new standard for agency/client partnerships.




THE TAO OF DT

We want to uplevel ourselves in order to break the pull of gravity and do amazing things in the world. Move

from great websites to impacting people’s lives





partnerships

Remember, most of this is based on what we all discussed together. If something doesn’t feel good

to you, bring it up: no hiding out.


THE TAO OF DT

Noble Cause

Craft

Culture & Values

13

WHAT MAKES UP THE TAO OF DT

Our Tao is built on three parts of a whole.

123

THE TAO OF DT

This is the target of our highest aspirations

and accomplishments. It’s where we are

going and what gets us out of bed every day.

It’s our dent in the universe, the legacy we are

proudly building. It’s what we strive for

together. It directs our journey and generates

happiness, regardless of success.

14


1 Noble Cause2 Craft3 Culture & Values

THE TAO OF DT

It’s what we do everyday. Our labor of love. Our

special formula of work that sets us apart and

guides us on how we can make an impact and

accomplish our noble cause. Our craft represents

the passions of our life’s work and its output, which

people pay us to produce for them. It’s our art and

usefulness to the world. It’s our filter to concentrate

our daily and big-picture focus.

15



THE TAO OF DT

Culture is the foundation of DT and all decisions

flow through it. It’s what makes us completely

unique to any other business in the world. Culture is

made up of values that define our day-to-day

behavior. It’s our collective and internal drive that

powers us. Since DT values reflect our personal

values, it’s a sustainable resource that should never

run out and instead, just grow.

16



THE TAO OF DT

NOBLE CAUSE

Simply put, this is our WHY.

17

Over the last year, we were able to cull down the sentiment of our

noble cause with the following phrases:

We want to make a powerful impact on ourselves, our

team, our customers, their users and the world.

We believe that life is good, yet we are compelled to seek

richer, more engaging experiences. To create a life of

growth and happiness for everyone.

We combined this sentiment into four words...

1

2

THE TAO OF DT

THE TAO OF DT

Most companies start with “To” as a way to inspire

action. Well, we aren’t most companies, and “We”

symbolizes that we do it together. In addition, we

are accomplishing our noble cause right now, and

not in some far-off, distant future.

19

OUR NOBLE CAUSE EXPLAINED

WeElevateLife’sExperiences

THE TAO OF DT

We wanted our verb to relate to betterment, not

just design, as betterment is our process and

design is our tool. We wanted to aspire past minor

improvements, so we chose to use elevate to

aspire to taking things to another level and raising

the bar.

20



THE TAO OF DT

We want to impact people on both a big and small

basis. It’s difficult to measure if we are impacting the

world, but life is all around us. It’s both big and small

as it symbolizes putting a smile on someone’s face,

or impacting their life in general.

21



THE TAO OF DT

Experiences are our end-product. The fabric of life

is made up of moments that we have the pleasure

of making better.

22



THE TAO OF DT 23

THE NOBLE CAUSE IN ACTION

In order to succeed, we have to nurture a culture

that wants to play a part in elevating people’s

experiences and making things better.

It starts with creating the habit of elevating the

experiences within DT to empower our team and

then elevating the experiences of our clients and

their users.

It then extends beyond what we do today, when we

then ask ourselves “How do we craft the best life

experiences for the world?”

05 World

04 Their Users

03 Customers & Users

02 DT Tribe

01 You

05

04

03

02

01

THE TAO OF DT 24


How can I elevate my own experience at DT?

05 World

04 Their Users


02 DT Tribe

01 You

01

THE TAO OF DT 25


How can we make the experience of being on our team first-class?

05 World

04 Their Users


02 DT Tribe

01 You

02

01

THE TAO OF DT 26


How can our client experience keep getting better? How do we inspire anyone that reads our blog, or uses our products?

05 World

04 Their Users


02 DT Tribe

01 You

03

02

01

THE TAO OF DT 27


How can our design positively impact its users?

05 World

04 Their Users


02 DT Tribe

01 You

04

03

02

01

THE TAO OF DT 28


How can we create powerful experiences for enough users that it impacts the world?

05 World

04 Their Users


02 DT Tribe

01 You

05

04

03

02

01

THE TAO OF DT

CRAFT

The Noble Cause is what we aspire to accomplish. Our values flavor our

culture. Our culture defines our brand and the unique way we do things.

Our craft is the magic formula that glues the two together. Simply put,

it’s what we do.

● It combines our passions and purpose with profits to grow our

impact on the world.

● It’s our filter to concentrate our daily and big-picture focus of our

products, services and what we write about.

● It’s what people pay us to produce for them.

● It’s how we generate impact and provide value to our team,

clients and users.

29

THE TAO OF DT

THE TAO OF DT

The Formula:

Betterment = simple + compelling - friction

31OUR CRAFT EXPLAINED

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT EXPLAINED

We love friction.

Friction represents the potential of betterment in any of life’s experiences. It’s our job to remove or

reduce friction for the people that use our design. It’s the fuel that drives our design, the North Star of

our creative process.

32

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT EXPLAINED

Simple is beautiful.

We want our solutions to be simple so they benefit as many people as possible.

33

THE TAO OF DT

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the

complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.

—Charles Mingus

34

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT EXPLAINED

Compelling.

In addition to simple, we’ve found if you compel people by bringing your design to

life with a bit of soul, it adds meaning and sets you apart.

35

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT EXPLAINED

Incremental improvements create exponential results. Make something better every day.

36

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT IN ACTION

Betterment By Design is our unique process of actions. It’s rooted in our culture, creates impact through experiences and enables us to reach our noble cause.

37

THE TAO OF DT

OUR CRAFT IN ACTION

Without our craft, our values and noble cause would just be ideas and never become experiences.

38

THE TAO OF DT

VALUES

Core values represent our shared beliefs, guide our

daily decisions and fuel our behavior. They make up the

foundation of who we are and everything we do.

When values are put into action, a culture forms. This

culture guides the way we run our business at DT.

We have seven values comprised of actionable phrases

instead of individual words.

39

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUESBE DRIVEN FOR GROWTH

REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING

TAKE INITIATIVE TO MAKE IT BETTER

CARE ABOUT YOUR CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS, AND USERS

CHALLENGE THE NORM WITH SOUL

BE AN OWNER

CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRIBE

40

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES

BE DRIVEN FOR GROWTHREALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING




BE AN OWNER


41

THE TAO OF DT

BE DRIVEN FOR GROWTH

We exist to get better at life and make life better for other people.

42

THE TAO OF DT


As a member of the DT culture, you should have an ongoing desire to grow yourself and make an impact on the growth of those around you.

43

THE TAO OF DT


Why drive for growth?Growth is extremely important for our business as it ensures its long-term health and survival.

It’s needed in order for us to become, and remain, a world-class company.

We strive to be thought leaders at what we do.

The secret to constant fulfillment is ongoing improvement and ability to make a difference.

44

THE TAO OF DTBE DRIVEN FOR GROWTH 45

“I didn’t back away from the opportunity [to be blog editor] and

decided to put my big boy pants on.”

—Brent

THE TAO OF DT


Brent’s StoryBrent recognized the opportunity to capitalize on the current blog and make it even better.

He started by creating structure for increased content production.

He set aggressive goals.

Personally, Brent came from a corporate structure, where he learned to use goals to drive him, not stress him.

46

THE TAO OF DT

MORE EXAMPLES

47BE DRIVEN FOR GROWTH

Brent & DaniBrent: LinkedIn velocity experiment.

Dani: Introduced the concept of "mindshare" to the Strategists and it's been an amazing forum for

honesty, emotional connections and solution-driven conversations in their huddles.

THE TAO OF DT


Ask yourself: How do I grow personally and professionally?

How can I help my coworkers and clients grow?

How can I make an impact on the growth of DT?

48

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES


REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE AND EVERYTHINGTAKE INITIATIVE TO MAKE IT BETTER



BE AN OWNER


49

THE TAO OF DT

Be inquisitive. There is always more potential to unlock in ourselves and the world around us.

Unlocking this potential releases growth.

50

REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE & EVERYTHING

THE TAO OF DT

The key is to see the potential in yourself, your clients, projects, relationships, and in your surroundings, that others cannot see.

51


THE TAO OF DT

Realizing potential empowers you to be visionary and optimistic about what’s possible. Remember, it’s not only about being aware, it’s also about causing something to happen.

52


THE TAO OF DT 53REALIZE THE POTENTIAL IN EVERYONE & EVERYTHING

“Show, don’t tell. Make something awesome and show it to people.”

—Jamie & Shawn

THE TAO OF DT 54


Jamie & Shawn’s StoryJamie and Shawn saw the opportunity to leverage Middleman.

Jamie took the idea and ran with it.

When they saw the potential, Jamie customized it and shared it with the team.

Its time-saving qualities were huge and the tool quickly caught fire with the dev team.

THE TAO OF DT 55

MORE EXAMPLES

Bradley+Bethany & BimBradley and Bethany: Up-leveling the DT coffee scene

Bim: Whiteboard notebook


THE TAO OF DT 56


Ask yourself What is my untapped potential?

How can I support the potential of my team and clients?

What potential can I unlock in people’s lives?

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES



TAKE INITIATIVE TO MAKE IT BETTERCARE ABOUT YOUR CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS, AND USERS


BE AN OWNER


57

THE TAO OF DT


All progress in human history has occurred because someone decided to take initiative.

In other words, everything happens because of initiative,

and nothing happens without it.

58

THE TAO OF DT


Taking initiative is about being empowered to make a difference, but not being afraid to make mistakes.

59

THE TAO OF DT


If your initiative doesn’t work, pick yourself up and try again until you make something better.

60

THE TAO OF DT


We value the effort and intention towards betterment, not just the results.

61

THE TAO OF DT


Initiative doesn’t require permission.

62

THE TAO OF DT


You have so much more control over your own experiences than you think.Take the wheel.

63

THE TAO OF DT 64TAKE INITIATIVE TO MAKE IT BETTER

“Don’t spit out an idea and just expect it to fly. If you have an idea, run with it

and see who runs with you.”

—Cody

THE TAO OF DT 65


Cody’s StoryIt started with how people were sharing work and receiving feedback on work.

Cody asked around and realized it wasn’t just him.

He hacked PDFs to gather design feedback and quickly drew a parallel to InVision’s workflows.

He started using InVision and teaching others how they could make the most of it.

THE TAO OF DT 66

MORE EXAMPLES

Birman+Jimmy+Jess+Maurice & Jamie+ChuckBirman, Jimmy, Maurice & Jess: Office rearranging Jamie & Chuck: Reducing staff emails and improving sharing of information through G+ Community


THE TAO OF DT 67


Ask yourself What am I making better for myself, my clients and our company?

What am I making better every day?

Am I willing and able to take action on my ideas?

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES




CARE ABOUT YOUR COWORKERS, CLIENTS AND USERSCHALLENGE THE NORM WITH SOUL

BE AN OWNER


68

THE TAO OF DT

It’s more than just having lunch, getting coffee and being friendly.

It’s truly connecting, building trust and being highly dependable to

everyone: your team, customers and community.

69

CARE ABOUT YOUR CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS AND USERS

THE TAO OF DT

We are humans. Be empathetic and treat others like humans.

70


THE TAO OF DT

Give a damn, get each other’s back and freely share the burdens and the rewards of your work.

71


THE TAO OF DT

The work you perform is so much more powerful and complete if you care about the people you are working alongside of.

72


THE TAO OF DT

If you find yourself not caring about something, or someone, it’s a powerful indicator that change is needed.

73


THE TAO OF DT 74CARE ABOUT YOUR CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS, & USERS

“I couldn’t have done this without being empathetic. It’s important to stay true to my word and follow through. I want to be that reliable person for someone.”

—Dustin

THE TAO OF DT 75

CARE ABOUT YOUR CO-WORKERS, CLIENTS, & USERS

Dustin’s StoryDustin and Rocky originally met at Valio Con.

Dustin made it his mission to get Rocky hired at DT. Woot!

Having moved from Idaho himself, Dustin knew what it felt like to uproot and relocate.

He offered up his time, coordinated a group of people from DT to help Rocky move and settle into San Diego.

THE TAO OF DT 76

MORE EXAMPLES

Bradley+Bim & Arnold

Bradley & Bim: Whiteboard notation framework that allows for easier

hand-off to designers and alignment with the client.

Arnold: Making coffee everyday and replacing whiteboard markers.


THE TAO OF DT 77


Ask yourself Am I thinking about the people my work affects instead of just the deliverables?

Do I have the back of my team and clients?

What could we change to enable us to care more about our projects?

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES





CHALLENGE THE NORM WITH SOULBE AN OWNER


78

THE TAO OF DT


Since day one, DT has challenged the status quo.

As a result, we’ve developed a unique and soulful business philosophy

that sets us apart from the competition.

79

THE TAO OF DT


We ask you to continue the tradition and… make shit up.

80

THE TAO OF DT


Be fearless and original with your work. Set the standard.

81

THE TAO OF DT


Be adventurous; bravely take the uncharted path and be proud of being different.

82

THE TAO OF DT


Get outside of your comfort zone. Make mistakes and take risks. Just don’t be normal or play it safe.

83

THE TAO OF DT


Soul is what brings any interaction to life, whether it be human or digital...

84

THE TAO OF DT


...so add a dash of soul to everything you do and make it meaningful.

85

THE TAO OF DT


We value the unconventional and one-of-a-kind approach instead of tried-and-true.

86

THE TAO OF DTCHALLENGE THE NORM WITH SOUL

“We both really like to have fun.”

—Bethany & MK

87

THE TAO OF DT 88


MK & Bethany’s Story

The challenge: Throw an amazing Holiday party.

They thought about who DT is and decided that, since we’re all kinda nerdy, why not throw a Prom party!

Bethany really wanted to contribute to the company as a whole and MK’s experience at last year’s Holiday

Party helped her to build lasting relationships; she wanted to pay that forward.

Working through time constraints and making time after hours, the whole planning committee (Dani, Melanie

and Shannon included!) banded together and threw one hell of a party.

THE TAO OF DT 89

MORE EXAMPLES

MK+Nate+Dan & Culture Team

MK, Nate and Dan: Office and conference room designs

Culture Team (and others): Client visits, Infobip all the time, small train bags for Yekra and Fullscreen


THE TAO OF DT 90


Ask yourself Am I taking the ordinary or extraordinary path? Am I making shit up?

How can I add soul and purpose into everything I do?

Am I being fearful or fearless?

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES






BE AN OWNERCONTRIBUTE TO THE TRIBE

91

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

You have the freedom to own your path at DT. Don’t be limited to your job description.

92

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

You could be at DT for two weeks or 20 years. Know that everyone has a voice...

93

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

...everyone has the autonomy to make a positive impact on the company’s success, as well as the happiness of everyone around you.

94

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

Do what you say, and do it well. See things through to the end.

95

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

Everyone involved in a project, owns the project. Be honest, accountable and hold others accountable.

96

THE TAO OF DTBE AN OWNER

“You can’t plan innovation. You have to do it. If you believe in There, you

don’t care about failing Here”

—Jessica, David, & Nate

97

THE TAO OF DT 98

BE AN OWNER

Jessica, David & Nate’s StoryThe needs: Increase creativity, promote growth, reduce stress and create space for betterment on the regular.

Chuck heard the needs and put the team together.

They locked themselves in a room and out came the BetEx program.

BetEx rolled out in its infancy and received some tough feedback.

But they persevered. They were willing to make shit up and just do it.

THE TAO OF DT

MORE EXAMPLES

John & Chuck+Laurence

John: DT Beta Brew

Chuck: “Betty” bathroom record library makeover

99BE AN OWNER

THE TAO OF DT

BE AN OWNER

Ask yourself

Am I taking control of my career?

What can I do to move any project forward?

Am I doing what I say and doing it well?

100

THE TAO OF DT

OUR VALUES






BE AN OWNER


101

THE TAO OF DT


Contribution has been in DT’s DNA since the beginning. We’ve contributed to movements, such as, The Lean Startup

and Coworking. We freely give away details about our culture

and design process, and we even lead our sales process by

freely giving our time and ideas.

102

THE TAO OF DT


We are givers, not takers. Be open and willing. Be abundant with your mind, time and efforts.

103

THE TAO OF DT


Contribution leads to great fulfillment in life. It gives you a sense of ownership and impact, and it’s not so hard to do.

104

THE TAO OF DT


Contribution is a secret way to get the most out of life… it’s a gateway value!

105

THE TAO OF DT

Be the change you want to see.

—Gandhi

106

THE TAO OF DTCONTRIBUTE TO THE TRIBE

“I like when we have video footage. It captures fleeting moments. Effort is more important than success in

things like this.”

—Jamie

107

THE TAO OF DT


Jamie’s StoryIt started when Stieler gave his talk about being a Sweeper; Jamie wished we’d had this recorded!

He’d been thinking about the best way to capture moments.

He didn’t ask for permission and just started filming huddles.

Side note: He noticed huddles became increasingly more polished ;)

Armed with self-purchased equipment, he is now our resident photographer and videographer.

108

THE TAO OF DT

MORE EXAMPLES

Arnold, Nate & EricArnold: Service leadership. (Random acts of caffeine: “I’m leaving, do you need anything?”)

Nate - Yoga and stretching lessons

Eric - Video games

109CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRIBE

THE TAO OF DT


Ask yourself Am I giving, or taking?

What mark do I want to make at DT?

What’s my role in contributing to the sum of our parts?

110

THE TAO OF DT

Fireside Chatwith Sir Jason Amunwa

111

THE TAO OF DT

Our values make up our

culture. Our culture guides

our behaviors and beliefs

while performing our craft.

BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

Betterment by Design is our

tool for impacting people’s

experiences.

Our noble cause is to work

towards Elevating Life’s

Experiences, everyday.

Our Values Our Craft Our Noble Cause

+ +

112

THE TAO OF DT






Betterment by Design is our


experiences.





+ +

113

THE TAO OF DT






Betterment By Design is our


experiences.





+ +

114

THE TAO OF DT 115

We Elevate Life’s ExperiencesBetterment By Design

Be driven for growth

Take initiative to make it better

Challenge the norm with soul

Realize the potential in everyone and everything

Care about your co-workers, clients and users

Be an owner

Contribute to the tribe

Culture

Values

NC

Betterment

Design

THE TAO OF DT 82

THE TAO OF DT

We choose to be here because we believe in what DT stands for.

We work with people who we care about, trust and are inspired by.

We expect those around us to be talented, ambitious, high performers and dreamers.

We work together all share ownership of the wins, losses and collective effort that it

takes to do great things.

WE ARE A TRIBE 117

THE TAO OF DT






WE ARE A TRIBE 118

THE TAO OF DT



We expect those around us to be talented, ambitious, high-performers and dreamers.



WE ARE A TRIBE 119

THE TAO OF DT




We share the ownership of the wins, losses and the collective effort that it takes

to do great things.

WE ARE A TRIBE 120

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

A Tribe is different from a family or a team.

121

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

Each of us choose to be part of the tribe based on our shared beliefs, passions and a desire to contribute and make us better.

122

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

We choose who is part of our tribe based on their cultural fit and what they will contribute.

123

THE TAO OF DT

I am because we are.It defines who we are collectively. Each person makes a

difference on each person, and DT as a whole.

WE ARE A TRIBE

124

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

It’s not about you, it’s about us and our journey.

125

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

When anyone grows, we all grow. When people join or leave, our tribe evolves.

126

THE TAO OF DT

WE ARE A TRIBE

We are DT, and DT is the Tribe. Without DT, there is no tribe, and without us, there is no DT.

127

THE TAO OF DT 128

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

Using culture to guide our business.The Tao must balance the needs of the company and fit within each role, department and experience within the

company.

We are putting programs in place to embed our culture into our daily jobs and decisions.

We will gather feedback and evolve the culture, as needed, to best guide our company.

THE TAO OF DT 129

The Culture Action Team (CAT)We’ve created the CAT as an employee-driven team to develop the programs that embed the Tao into

everything we do and hold us accountable to running our company via our culture.

Potential Upcoming Programs:

● We will lean on the Tao when making big and small business decisions

● Tao notebooks and book: How to live our culture

● Library and learning program

● Jason: Fireside chats to share and record our stories

● Hiring and reviews

● Culture Alignment Contract for new and current team

● Live Your Life programs (Flexible work environment and sabbaticals)

● Set big goals together

● Intrapreneur program

● Celebrate fund

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

THE TAO OF DT

CAT: How to get involvedThe team: Jess, Nate, Bethany, James, Dana, Chuck, Laurence, Jason and you?

1. See a need

2. Think of a solution

3. Find a wingman

4. Do it and have fun

130

SO WHAT’S NEXT?

THE TAO OF DT

CREDITS

The Tao of DT was created by you. Whether it’s your 3rd day or 3,000th day, you’ve contributed to our culture in

some way. Your comments in 15Five, surveys, pow-wows, participating in Delivering Happiness and Tribal

Leadership, your actions each-and-every day inspired the Tao of DT. The Tao is because we are.

Specifically, we’d like to thank...

● The original CME noble cause and values team and participants.

● Nate for being our spiritual guide through all the renditions of our culture.

● Jason and David for their German interstellar calculations.

● Arnold for being a huge part of Vision Quest #2 and Jess for being online late and giving instafeedback.

● Laurence for making the space for us all to do this crazy thing.

● Dana for making this awesome presentation; Nate/Jess for Chuck-hacking it together; James for the crafty

designs...crap here comes the send-off music! Ummm, Bethany/Jess for their secret missions and Jason for

being so inspired by your examples of Tao that he inspired us; John and Dave for sticking with us for so

long and everyone who was included as a value example. Phew! :)

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the tao of dt: running a business on culture

Leadership & Management

tao of dtthe tao of

tao of dtwhat

tao of dtwhy

taothe tao of dtwe

taoour culture

beliefs dt

ancient dt history

great things