Time is our most valuable asset, and nobody should choose to give their time to assholes.
What this policy is and why it exists
You know those inspirational posters that hang on the off-white walls in unremarkable offices around the globe, offering an insulting combination of a generic photo and an uninspiring quote aimed at keeping employees marching toward the corporate goal?
This isn't that.
This policy is born from wisdom earned working with a broad spectrum of people, from all walks of life, on projects ranging from the exciting to the monotonous. Ultimately, it comes down to time. Time is the single resource doled out in equal measure to each of us, regardless of station, gender, creed, or social status. It is also the one resource we can never get more of, no matter how badly we want it or how much money we have. We believe time has greater value than money.
With that in mind, this policy is an ever-present north star. It keeps the people behind Novel Koncept focused on what actually matters, in both our professional and personal pursuits. Given that we only have so much time to spend, we consciously and intentionally choose not to spend any of it working with assholes. The people who build and run Novel Koncept are not objects to be exploited and leveraged for someone else's gain. They are valuable, interesting, talented, and unique human beings we want to work with, because we like them, and we believe they like us too.
The same goes for the customers we serve. We built Novel Koncept for good people doing real work. That is who we want to spend our time with.
To be clear, this is about behavior and the choices people make. It has nothing to do with anyone's identity, background, or beliefs.
Hallmarks of an asshole
So what is an asshole? A lot could be written about this, but we try to keep it reasonable and basic. An asshole is a self-centered individual who treats winning as a zero-sum game, in which other people are not regarded as humans with worth and respect, but as objects to be used in a cold, calculating process that ends in personal gain.
How can you spot one?
How do you know when you're dealing with an asshole, rather than someone simply having a bad day? We look at repetition of behavior. Is this person consistently choosing to act this way? People are responsible for their actions and their choices, and being an asshole is a choice.
If you can answer yes to any of the following, you're likely dealing with an asshole, and the right move is to call it out and move along, giving them no more of your time:
- Does this person harm others to get what they want?
- Does this person consistently leave you feeling depleted, discouraged, or demoralized?
- Do they behave in a way that makes you or others dread or fear interacting with them?
- Do they make you feel belittled, unimportant, or invisible?
- Do they take credit for your ideas?
- Do they withhold information you need to do your job?
- Does your gut tell you they are an asshole?
Eff the ivory tower
We are not perfect. Far from it. We believe we are imperfect, and that we fail constantly. But we want to be better. Better for ourselves, and better for others. That is our choice. We are imperfect people in pursuit not of perfection, but of excellence.
So this policy is not a framework for staking out a contrived moral high ground, building an ivory tower, and looking down our noses at everyone else. Eff that.
"If someone is an asshole, they're an asshole. If everyone is an asshole, you're the asshole." — no clue who
Being direct vs. being an asshole
Don't confuse the two. Being direct is not the same as being an asshole.
Colleagues and customers should not have to sugarcoat what they're saying to get a message across. We are adults and professionals, and we should be able to communicate with one another in a way that is clear, concise, and respectful. Calling the thing what the thing is matters deeply, because it's so often tied to the truth. It takes courage, trust, and mutual respect to have that kind of relationship, and it's a pursuit we deem worthy.
It is, in fact, the same conviction Novel Koncept is built on. Content that respects the reader enough to tell the truth plainly. Directness is not rudeness. It's respect.
What we want
So what do we want to do with our time, knowing we don't want to spend it working with assholes? Simple. We want to work with good people on meaningful projects.
We're really good at what we do. We've worked hard to get proficient in our respective crafts, and we want to apply our time, our talent, and that craft collaborating with good people on work that matters. We only have so much time, and we choose to extract all we can from it, in pursuit of a rich life full of passion and purpose.
If that sounds like you, we're going to get along just fine.
The fine print (yeah, we have a little)
This policy reflects our values and how we choose to spend our time. It's culture, not a contract. It isn't a legally binding term, and nothing here changes your rights or ours under our Terms of Service. Think of it as the honest answer to "what's it like to work with these people?" If you're looking for the binding stuff, that's what the Terms are for.
The Upward Spiral, LLC · Novel Koncept