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<ol class="chapter"><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="Preface.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">1.</strong> Preface</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="HowToUseThisBook.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.</strong> How to use this book</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded affix "><li class="part-title">Part 1 : Welcome to TSYS Group</li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="YourFirstDay.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">3.</strong> Your First Day</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="TSYSGroupFactsThatMatter.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">4.</strong> TSYS Group Facts That Matter</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="WelcomeToFlatland.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">5.</strong> Welcome to Flatland</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded affix "><li class="part-title">Part 2 : Settling In</li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="YourFirstWeek.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.</strong> Your First Week</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="Org.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.</strong> Teams, Hours, and the Office</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="Risks.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.</strong> Risks</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded affix "><li class="part-title">Part 3: Choose Your Own Adventure</li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="YourFirstMonth.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">9.</strong> Your First Month</a></li><li class="chapter-item expanded affix "><li class="part-title">Part 4: TSYS Group Is A Work In Progress</li><li class="chapter-item expanded "><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.</strong> TSYS Group GrowthAndChange</a></li></ol>
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<h1 class="menu-title">TSYS Group Member Handbook</h1>
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<h2 id="preface"><a class="header" href="#preface">Preface</a></h2>
<p>In 2011 we set out to bring internet to all for $5.00 per user, per month. We knew back then to do that that we had to first create a whole new kind of
organization place that was designed to foster that goal. Where true north was constantly present and permeated all we do. We also knew we couldn't have
middle management and that ownership/control/leadership had to be fully distributed throughout the organization. &quot;Headquarters&quot; such as it is, exists only
to serve the members in their mission execution.</p>
<p>We want an organization where incredibly talented individuals are empowered to put their best work into the hands of billions of people, with very little in their way.</p>
<p>This book is an abbreviated encapsulation of our guiding principles. As TSYS Group grows, we hope that these principles will serve each new member joining our ranks.</p>
<p>If you are new to TSYS Group, welcome. Although the goals in this book are important, its really member ideas, talent, and energy that will keep TSYS Group shining in the years ahead.</p>
<p>Thanks for being here. Lets make great things.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h2 id="how-to-use-this-book"><a class="header" href="#how-to-use-this-book">How to Use This Book</a></h2>
<p>This book isnt about fringe benefits or how to set up your workstation or where to find source code. TSYS Group works in ways that might seem counterintuitive at first. This hand-
book is about the choices youre going to be making and how to think about them. Mainly, its about how not to freak out now that youre here.</p>
<p>For more nuts-and-bolts information, theres an official TSYS Group Doc Repo : TODO link to repo</p>
<p>This book is in the repo, so you can edit it. </p>
<p>Once youve read it, help us make it better for other new members. Suggest new sections, or change the existing ones. Add to the Glossary. Or if youre not
all that comfortable editing it, annotate it: make comments and suggestions in ReviewBoard (TODO link to reviewboad). </p>
<p>Well collectively review the changes and fold them into future revisions.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="your-first-day"><a class="header" href="#your-first-day">Your First Day</a></h1>
<p>So youve gone through the diligence, vetting, onboarding, and probationary process, youve
finally been able to become a party to the Operating Agreement! You are in at TSYS Group.
Congratulations! and welcome.</p>
<p>TSYS Group has an incredibly unique way of doing things that will make this the greatest professional experience
of your life, but it can take some getting used to. </p>
<p>This book was written by members whove been where you are now, and who want to make your first few months here
as easy as possible.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="tsys-group-facts-that-matter"><a class="header" href="#tsys-group-facts-that-matter">TSYS Group Facts That Matter</a></h1>
<ul>
<li>
<p>TSYS Group is self-funded. We havent ever brought in equity based outside financing. Since our earliest days this has been incredibly
important in providing freedom to shape the organization and its business practices.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>TSYS Group does not own its intellectual property. This is far from the norm, in the technology industry. Everything that we produce that we ship to customers
is licensed under the AGPLv3 and we do not require copyright assignment. This is to ensure the long term survival of the product against all threats. We value
mission integrity and solving the real world digital divide above all else.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We seek to surprise and delight everyone who interacts with all aspects of TSYS Group in any way shape or form. That is our daily guiding principal. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We fund capabilities with internal cash, ensuring a solid asset base that we can always fallback to. </p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We finance capacity with outside (non equity) funding.</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We have zero internal cost centers. We outsource all cost centers (e-mail, expense management, inbound voice communications).</p>
</li>
<li>
<p>We self host , both on premise and on leased equipment at offsite facilities.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h2 id="welcome-to-flatland"><a class="header" href="#welcome-to-flatland">Welcome to Flatland</a></h2>
<p>Hierarchy is great for maintaining predictability and repeatability. It simplifies planning and makes it easier to
control a large group of people from the top down, which is why military organizations rely on it so heavily.</p>
<p>But when youre a day zero company thats spent the last decade going out of its way to identify and recruit the most
intelligent, innovative, talented people on Earth to be members of the organization, telling them to sit at a desk and
do what theyre told obliterates 99 percent of their value.</p>
<p>We want innovators, and that means maintaining an environment where theyll flourish. Thats why TSYS Group is flat. Its our shorthand way of
saying that we dont have any middle management, just a highly dedicated senior leadership team (made of up the organization co-founders) and a fully
independent Board of Directors (with the power to remove management if necessary) to ensure all stakeholders are fully represented.</p>
<p>All meetings of the Board and leadership are open participation (read only) and our CEO (@ReachableCEO everywhere) is highly responsive to all levels of the
organization and external stakeholders.</p>
<p>The organization truly belongs to it's members, it's yours! Yours to steer—toward opportunities and away from risks.</p>
<p>You have the power to green-light projects. You have the power to ship products.</p>
<p>A flat structure removes every organizational barrier between your work and the customer enjoying that work.</p>
<p>Every company will tell you that “the customer is boss,” but here that statement has weight. Theres no red tape stopping you from figuring out for yourself what our customers
want, and then giving it to them.</p>
<p>If youre thinking to yourself, “Wow, that sounds like a lot of responsibility,” youre right. </p>
<p>And thats why onboarding new members is the single most important thing you will ever do at TSYS Group.</p>
<p>Any time you vet a potential member, you need to ask yourself not only if theyre exceptionally talented and collaborative but also if theyre capable of literally running this organization, because they will be.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="your-first-week"><a class="header" href="#your-first-week">Your First Week</a></h1>
<!-- TOC -->
<ul>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#your-first-week">Your First Week</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#introduction">Introduction</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#why-do-i-need-to-pick-my-own-projects">Why do I need to pick my own projects?</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#but-how-do-i-decide-which-things-to-work-on">But how do I decide which things to work on?</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#how-do-i-find-out-what-projects-are-under-way">How do I find out what projects are under way?</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#short-term-vs-long-term-goals">Short-term vs. long-term goals</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#someone-told-me-to-or-not-to-work-on-x-and-theyve-been-here-a-long-time">Someone told me to (or not to) work on X. And theyve been here a long time!</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#what-about-all-the-things-that-im-not-getting-done">What about all the things that Im not getting done?</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstWeek.html#can-i-be-included-the-next-time-tsys-group-is-deciding-x">Can I be included the next time TSYS Group is deciding X?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /TOC -->
<h2 id="introduction"><a class="header" href="#introduction">Introduction</a></h2>
<p>Youre not freaking out anymore. In fact, youre ready to show up to work (wherever and whenever in the world that happens to be
because TSYS Group is the first organization with a truly global talent base from day zero) this work block, and then what?</p>
<p>This next section walks you through figuring out what to work on. Youll learn about how projects work, how cabals work, and how products get out the door at TSYS Group.</p>
<p>Whatever group youre in, whether youre building servers, writing documentation, or making art, this section applies to you. Its crucial that you believe it, so well repeat it a few more times in this uuide.</p>
<h2 id="why-do-i-need-to-pick-my-own-projects"><a class="header" href="#why-do-i-need-to-pick-my-own-projects">Why do I need to pick my own projects?</a></h2>
<p>Weve heard that other companies have people allocate a percentage of their time to self- directed projects. At TSYS Group, that percentage is 100.</p>
<p>Since TSYS Group is flat, members dont join projects because theyre told to. Instead, youll decide what to work on after asking yourself the right questions (more on that
later). Members vote on projects with their time and git commits. Strong projects are ones in which members can see demonstrated value; they staff up easily. This means there are any number of internal recruiting efforts constantly under way.</p>
<p>If youre working here, that means youre good at your job. Members are going to want you to work with them on their projects, and theyll try hard to get you to do so. But
the decision is going to be up to you. (In fact, at times youre going to wish for the luxury of having just one person telling you what they think you should do, rather
than hundreds.</p>
<h2 id="but-how-do-i-decide-which-things-to-work-on"><a class="header" href="#but-how-do-i-decide-which-things-to-work-on">But how do I decide which things to work on?</a></h2>
<p>Deciding what to work on can be the hardest part of your mission at TSYS Group. This is because, as youve found out by now, you were not on-boarded to fill a specific job description.</p>
<p>You were hired to constantly be looking around for the most valuable work you could be doing. At the end of a project, you may end up well outside what you thought was your core area of expertise.</p>
<p>Theres no rule book for choosing a project or task at TSYS Group. But its useful to answer questions like these:</p>
<ul>
<li>Of all the projects currently under way, whats the most valuable thing I can be working on?</li>
<li>Which project will have the highest direct impact on our customers? How much will the work I ship benefit them?</li>
<li>Is TSYS Group not doing something that it should be doing?</li>
<li>Whats interesting? </li>
<li>Whats rewarding? </li>
<li>What leverages my individual strengths the most?</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="how-do-i-find-out-what-projects-are-under-way"><a class="header" href="#how-do-i-find-out-what-projects-are-under-way">How do I find out what projects are under way?</a></h2>
<p>Our git server at https://git.turnsys.com/explore is the single project list in the organization. However, the best way to find out is to ask other members. Anyone, really. This can
provide additional context, how projects fit into the overall goals etc. Keep in mind that members may be very busy, so please use calendar scheduling heavily!</p>
<p>When you do, youll find out whats going on around the organization and your peers will also find out about you.</p>
<p>Lots of members at TSYS Group want and need to know what you care about, what youre good at, what youre worried about, what youve got experience with, and so on.</p>
<p>And the way to get the word out is to start telling members all of those things. So, while youre getting the lay of the land by learning about projects, youre also broadcasting your
own status to a relevant group of members.</p>
<p>Got an idea for how TSYS Group could change how we internally broadcast project/company status? Great. Do it. In the meantime, the Discord Lounge is always open, so plant yourself in it often.</p>
<h2 id="short-term-vs-long-term-goals"><a class="header" href="#short-term-vs-long-term-goals">Short-term vs. long-term goals</a></h2>
<p>Because we all are responsible for prioritizing our own work, and because we are conscientious and anxious to be valuable, as individuals we tend to gravitate toward projects
that have a high, measurable, and predictable return for the company. So when theres a clear opportunity on the table to succeed at a near-term business goal with a clear
return, we all want to take it.</p>
<p>And, when were faced with a problem or a threat, and its one with a clear cost, its hard not to address it immediately. This sounds like a good thing, and it often is, but it has
some downsides that are worth keeping in mind.</p>
<p>Specifically, if were not careful, these traits can cause us to race back and forth between short-term opportunities and threats, being responsive rather than proactive.</p>
<p>So our lack of a traditional structure comes with an important responsibility. Its up to all of us to spend effort focusing on what we think the long-term goals of the
organization should be.</p>
<h2 id="someone-told-me-to-or-not-to-work-on-x-and-theyve-been-here-a-long-time"><a class="header" href="#someone-told-me-to-or-not-to-work-on-x-and-theyve-been-here-a-long-time">Someone told me to (or not to) work on X. And theyve been here a long time!</a></h2>
<p>Well, the correct response to this is to keep thinking about whether or not your colleagues are right. Broaden the conversation. Hold on to your goals if youre convinced
theyre correct. Check your assumptions. </p>
<p>Pull more members in. Listen. Dont believe that anyone holds authority over the decision youre trying to make. </p>
<p>They dont; but they probably have valuable experience to draw from, or information/data that you dont have, or insight thats new.</p>
<p>When considering the outcome, dont believe that anyone but you is the “stakeholder”. Youre it. And TSYS Groups customers are who youre serving. Do whats right for them.</p>
<h2 id="what-about-all-the-things-that-im-not-getting-done"><a class="header" href="#what-about-all-the-things-that-im-not-getting-done">What about all the things that Im not getting done?</a></h2>
<p>Its natural in this kind of environment to constantly feel like youre failing because for every one task you decide to work on, there will be dozens that arent getting your
attention. Trust us, this is normal. Nobody expects you to devote time to every opportunity that comes your way. Instead, we want you to learn how to choose the most
important work to do.</p>
<h2 id="can-i-be-included-the-next-time-tsys-group-is-deciding-x"><a class="header" href="#can-i-be-included-the-next-time-tsys-group-is-deciding-x">Can I be included the next time TSYS Group is deciding X?</a></h2>
<p>Yes. Theres no secret decision-making cabal. No matter what project, youre already invited. All you have to do is either:</p>
<p>(1) Start working on it, or
(2) Start talking to all the members who you think might be working on it already and find out how to best be valuable.</p>
<p>You will be welcomed. there is no approval process or red tape involved. Quite the opposite its your job to insert yourself wherever you think you should be. Keep in mind that you
should take the time to get yourself up to speed. Members have no obligation to take time to get you up to speed. If you do not take the effort to meaningfully contribute, fully expect to
be told to &quot;figure it out&quot; or &quot;read the docs&quot; etc.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="teams-hours-and-the-office"><a class="header" href="#teams-hours-and-the-office">Teams, Hours, and the Office</a></h1>
<!-- TOC -->
<ul>
<li><a href="Org.html#teams-hours-and-the-office">Teams, Hours, and the Office</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="Org.html#cabals">Cabals</a></li>
<li><a href="Org.html#team-leads">Team leads</a></li>
<li><a href="Org.html#structure-happens">Structure happens</a></li>
<li><a href="Org.html#hours">Hours</a></li>
<li><a href="Org.html#headquarters--office">HeadQuarters / &quot;Office&quot;</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /TOC -->
<h2 id="cabals"><a class="header" href="#cabals">Cabals</a></h2>
<p>Cabals are really just multidisciplinary project/product teams. </p>
<p>Weve self- organized into these largely temporary groups since the early days of TSYS Group. </p>
<p>They exist to get a product or large feature shipped. Like any other group or effort at the organization, they form organically. </p>
<p>Members decide to join the group based on their own belief that the groups work is important enough for them to work on.</p>
<h2 id="team-leads"><a class="header" href="#team-leads">Team leads</a></h2>
<p>Often, someone (ideally two or three someones) will emerge as the “lead” for a project. This members role is not a traditional managerial one.
Most often, theyre primarily a clearinghouse of information. Theyre keeping the whole project in their head at once so that other membes can use them as a
resource to check decisions against. The leads serve the team, while acting as centers for the teams.</p>
<p>The lead is responsible for keeping the documentation up to date. Failure to update documentation on a constant basis is a violation of the operating agreement
and grounds for immediate termination with prejudice and without review/appeal. No one may become a holder of power by hording knowledge.</p>
<h2 id="structure-happens"><a class="header" href="#structure-happens">Structure happens</a></h2>
<p>Project teams often have an internal structure that forms temporarily to suit the groups needs. Although members at TSYS Group dont have fixed job descriptions or limitations on
the scope of their responsibility, they can and often do have clarity around the definition of their mission on any given day. </p>
<p>They, along with their peers, effectively create a mission objective description that fits the groups goals. That description changes as requirements change, but the temporary
structure provides a shared understanding of what to expect from each other while the objective is being achievied. </p>
<p>If someone moves to a different group or a team shifts its priorities, each person can take on a completely different role according to the new requirements.</p>
<p>TSYS Group is not averse to all organizational structure—it crops up in many forms all the time, temporarily. But problems show up when hierarchy or codified divisions of
labor either havent been created by the groups members or when those structures persist for long periods of time.</p>
<p>We believe those structures inevitably begin to serve their own needs rather than those of TSYS Groups customers. The hierarchy will begin to reinforce its own structure by hiring
people who fit its shape, adding people to fill subordinate support roles. Its members are also incentivize to engage in rent-seeking behaviors that take advantage of the power
structure rather than focusing on simply delivering value to customers.</p>
<h2 id="hours"><a class="header" href="#hours">Hours</a></h2>
<p>While members occasionally choose to push themselves to work some extra hours at times when something big is going out the door, for the most part working overtime for
extended periods indicates a fundamental failure in planning or communication. If this happens at TSYS Group, its a sign that something needs to be reevaluated and corrected. </p>
<p>If youre looking around wondering why members arent in “crunch mode,” the answers pretty simple. The thing we work hardest at is onboarding good members, so we want them to
stick around and have a good balance between work and family and the rest of the important stuff in life.</p>
<p>If you find yourself working long hours, or just generally feel like that balance is out of whack, be sure to raise the issue with whomever you feel would help.</p>
<h2 id="headquarters--office"><a class="header" href="#headquarters--office">HeadQuarters / &quot;Office&quot;</a></h2>
<p>TSYS Group is head quartered out of the founders residence in the central texas region. It hosts it's data in that residence and receives all company mail. </p>
<p>It maintains a small shop for the hardware manufacturing aspects of the business. </p>
<p>All meetings are held via Discord (or other VTC platforms if external stakeholders wish to utilize them). Even when members are co-working, they use Gitea issues -&gt; Discourse -&gt; Discord (in descending order of preference and situation dependent) to communicate.</p>
<p>TSYS Group is truly distributed, strives to onboard members all over the world as a matter of course.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="risks"><a class="header" href="#risks">Risks</a></h1>
<!-- TOC -->
<ul>
<li><a href="Risks.html#risks">Risks</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="Risks.html#what-if-i-screw-up">What if I screw up?</a></li>
<li><a href="Risks.html#but-what-if-we-all-screw-up">But what if we ALL screw up?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /TOC -->
<h2 id="what-if-i-screw-up"><a class="header" href="#what-if-i-screw-up">What if I screw up?</a></h2>
<p>Nobody has ever been removed at TSYS Group for making a mistake. It wouldnt make sense for us to operate that way. Providing the freedom to fail is an important trait of the
organization, we couldnt expect so much of individuals if we also penalized members for errors.</p>
<p>Even expensive mistakes, or ones which result in a very public failure, are genuinely looked at as opportunities to learn.</p>
<p>We can always repair the mistake or make up for it.</p>
<p>Screwing up is a great way to find out that your assumptions were wrong or that your model of the world was a little bit off.</p>
<p>As long as you update your model and move forward with a better picture, youre doing it right. Look for ways to test your beliefs. Never be afraid to run an experiment or to collect
more data.</p>
<p>It helps to make predictions and anticipate nasty outcomes. Ask yourself :</p>
<ul>
<li>“what result would I expect to see if Im right?”</li>
<li>“what result would I expect to see if Im wrong?”</li>
</ul>
<p>Then ask yourself:</p>
<ul>
<li>“what do I see?”</li>
</ul>
<p>If something totally unexpected happens, try to figure out why. There are still some bad ways to fail. Repeating the same mistake over and over is one. Not listening to customers or
peers before or after a failure is another. Never ignore the evidence; particularly when it says youre wrong.</p>
<h2 id="but-what-if-we-all-screw-up"><a class="header" href="#but-what-if-we-all-screw-up">But what if we ALL screw up?</a></h2>
<p>So if every member is autonomously making his or her own decisions, how is that not chaos? How does TSYS Group make sure that the company is heading in the right direction?</p>
<p>When everyone is sharing the steering wheel, it seems natural to fear that one of us is going to veer TSYS Groups car off the road. Over time, we have learned that our collective
ability to meet challenges, take advantage of opportunity, and respond to threats is far greater when the responsibility for doing so is distributed as widely as possible.</p>
<p>Namely, to every member at the organization. We are all stewards of our long-term relationship with our customers. They watch us, sometimes very publicly, make mistakes.</p>
<p>Sometimes they get angry with us. But because we always have their best interests at heart, theres faith that were going to make things better, and that if weve screwed up today,
it wasnt because we were trying to take advantage of anyone.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><h1 id="your-first-month"><a class="header" href="#your-first-month">Your First Month</a></h1>
<!-- TOC -->
<ul>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#your-first-month">Your First Month</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#introduction">Introduction</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#roles">Roles</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#advancement-vs-growth">Advancement vs. growth</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#putting-more-tools-in-your-toolbox">Putting more tools in your toolbox</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#engineers-code-is-only-the-beginning">Engineers: code is only the beginning</a></li>
<li><a href="YourFirstMonth.html#non-engineers-program-or-be-programmed">Non-Engineers: program or be programmed</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /TOC -->
<h2 id="introduction-1"><a class="header" href="#introduction-1">Introduction</a></h2>
<p>Youve solved the nuts-and-bolts issues. Now youre moving beyond wanting to just be productive day to day youre ready to help shape your future, and TSYS Group.</p>
<p>Your own professional development and TSYS Group growth are both now under your control. Here are some thoughts on steering both toward success.</p>
<h2 id="roles"><a class="header" href="#roles">Roles</a></h2>
<p>By now its obvious that roles at TSYS Group are fluid. Traditionally at TSYS Group, nobody has an actual title (maybe a broad functional title like &quot;software developer&quot;). </p>
<p>This is by design, to remove organizational constraints. Instead we have things we call ourselves, for convenience. In particular, members who interact with others outside the company call themselves by various titles because doing so makes it easier to complete their mission objectives.</p>
<p>Inside the organization though, we all take on the role that suits the work in front of us. Everyone is a designer. Everyone can question each others work. Anyone can recruit
someone onto his or her project. </p>
<p>Everyone has to function as a “strategist,” which really means figuring out how to do whats right for our customers.</p>
<p>We all engage in analysis, measurement, predictions, evaluations.</p>
<h2 id="advancement-vs-growth"><a class="header" href="#advancement-vs-growth">Advancement vs. growth</a></h2>
<p>Because TSYS Group doesnt have a traditional hierarchical structure, it can be confusing to figure out how TSYS Group fits into your career plans. “Before TSYS Group, I was an assistant
technical second animation director in Hollywood. I had planned to be a director in five years. How am I supposed to keep moving forward here?”</p>
<p>Working at TSYS Group provides an opportunity for extremely efficient and, in many cases, very accelerated, career growth.</p>
<p>In particular, it provides an opportunity to broaden ones skill set well outside of the narrow constraints that careers can have at most other organizations. </p>
<p>So the “growth ladder” is tailored to you. It operates exactly as fast as you can manage to grow. Youre in charge of your track, and you can elicit help with it anytime from those around you.</p>
<p>FYI , we dont do any formalized member “development” (course work, mentor assignment etc), because for senior members its not effective.</p>
<p>We believe that high-performance members are generally self-improving.</p>
<p>Most members who fit well at TSYS Group will be better positioned after their time spent here than they could have been if theyd spent their time pretty much anywhere else.</p>
<h2 id="putting-more-tools-in-your-toolbox"><a class="header" href="#putting-more-tools-in-your-toolbox">Putting more tools in your toolbox</a></h2>
<p>The most successful members at TSYS Group are both :</p>
<p>(1) highly skilled at a broad set of things and
(2) world-class experts within a more narrow discipline. </p>
<p>Because of the talent diversity here at TSYS Group, its often easier to become stronger at things that arent your core skill set.</p>
<h2 id="engineers-code-is-only-the-beginning"><a class="header" href="#engineers-code-is-only-the-beginning">Engineers: code is only the beginning</a></h2>
<p>If you were on-boarded as a software engineer, youre now surrounded by a multidisciplinary group of experts in all kinds of fields—creative, legal, financial, even psychological.</p>
<p>Many of these members are sitting in Discord with you every day, so the opportunities for learning are huge.</p>
<p>Take advantage of this fact whenever possible: the more you can learn about the mechanics, vocabulary, and analysis within other disciplines, the more valuable you become.</p>
<h2 id="non-engineers-program-or-be-programmed"><a class="header" href="#non-engineers-program-or-be-programmed">Non-Engineers: program or be programmed</a></h2>
<p>TSYS Groups core competency is making platforms consisting of hardware and software blended into Turn Key experiences.</p>
<p>Obviously, different disciplines are part of making our products, but were still an engineering-centric organization.</p>
<p>Thats because the core of the hardware/software-building process is engineering. As in, writing code.</p>
<p>If your expertise is not in writing code, then every bit of energy you put into understanding the code-writing part of making software is to your (and TSYS Group) benefit.</p>
<p>You dont need to become an engineer, and theres nothing that says an engineer is more valuable than you. But broadening your awareness in a highly technical direction is never a
bad thing. Itll either increase the quality or quantity of bits you can put “into boxes,” which means affecting customers more, which means youre valuable.</p>
<div style="break-before: page; page-break-before: always;"></div><!-- TOC -->
<ul>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#growth-and-change">Growth and Change</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#tsys-group-is-always-growing-and-changing">TSYS Group Is Always Growing And Changing</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#does-it-scale">Does it scale?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#theory-of-growth">Theory Of Growth</a></li>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#your-most-important-role---recruiting">Your Most Important Role - Recruiting</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#we-value-t-shaped-people">We value “T-shaped” people</a></li>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#recruiting-and-vetting-process">Recruiting and Vetting Process</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#theory-of-onboarding">Theory of Onboarding</a>
<ul>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#how-do-we-choose-the-right-people-to-onboard">How do we choose the right people to onboard?</a></li>
<li><a href="TheoryOfRecruitmentAndOnboarding.html#why-is-onboarding-well-so-important-at-tsys-group">Why is onboarding well so important at TSYS Group?</a></li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<!-- /TOC -->
<h1 id="growth-and-change"><a class="header" href="#growth-and-change">Growth and Change</a></h1>
<h2 id="tsys-group-is-always-growing-and-changing"><a class="header" href="#tsys-group-is-always-growing-and-changing">TSYS Group Is Always Growing And Changing</a></h2>
<h3 id="does-it-scale"><a class="header" href="#does-it-scale">Does it scale?</a></h3>
<p>Concepts discussed in this book sound like they might work well at a tiny start-up, but not at a hundreds-of-people-plus- billions-in-revenue organization.</p>
<p>The big question is: Does all this stuff scale? Well, so far, yes. And we believe that if were careful, it will work better and better the larger we get.</p>
<p>This might seem counterintuitive, but its a direct consequence of onboarding great, accomplished, capable members. Getting this to work right is a tricky proposition, though, and
depends highly on our continued vigilance in recruiting/onboarding.</p>
<p>If we start adding members to the organization who arent as capable as we are at operating as high-powered, self-directed, senior decision makers, then lots of the stuff
discussed in this book will stop working. We must avoid this at all costs!</p>
<h2 id="theory-of-growth"><a class="header" href="#theory-of-growth">Theory Of Growth</a></h2>
<p>We do not have a growth goal. We intend to continue onboarding the best members as fast as we can, and to continue scaling up our business as fast as we can, given our existing</p>
<p>Fortunately, we dont have to make growth decisions based on any external pressures—only our own business goals. And were always free to temper those goals with the
long-term vision for our success as a company. Ultimately, we win by keeping the onboarding bar very high.</p>
<p>Adding a great member can create value across the whole organization. Missing out on onboarding that great member is likely the most expensive kind of mistake we can make.</p>
<p>Usually, its immediately obvious whether or not weve done a great job onboarding someone. However, we dont have the usual checks and balances that come with having managers,
so occasionally it can take a while to understand whether a new member is fitting in.</p>
<p>This is one downside of the organic design of the organization a poor onboarding decision can cause lots of damage, and can sometimes go unchecked for too long.</p>
<p>Ultimately, members who cause damage always get weeded out, but the harm they do can still be significant.</p>
<h2 id="your-most-important-role---recruiting"><a class="header" href="#your-most-important-role---recruiting">Your Most Important Role - Recruiting</a></h2>
<h3 id="we-value-t-shaped-people"><a class="header" href="#we-value-t-shaped-people">We value “T-shaped” people</a></h3>
<p>That is, people who are both generalists (highly skilled at a broad set of valuable things—the top of the T) and also experts (among the best in their field within a narrow
discipline—the vertical leg of the T).</p>
<p>This recipe is important for success at TSYS Group. We often have to pass on people who are very strong generalists without expertise, or vice versa. An expert who is too narrow
has difficulty collaborating. A generalist who doesnt go deep enough in a single area ends up on the margins, not really contributing as an individual.</p>
<h3 id="recruiting-and-vetting-process"><a class="header" href="#recruiting-and-vetting-process">Recruiting and Vetting Process</a></h3>
<p>To be captured. A large amount of the strategic nuts and bolts is captured in this section, but not the tactical pieces, the processes, how it relates to membership classes etc. Coming very soon!</p>
<h2 id="theory-of-onboarding"><a class="header" href="#theory-of-onboarding">Theory of Onboarding</a></h2>
<h3 id="how-do-we-choose-the-right-people-to-onboard"><a class="header" href="#how-do-we-choose-the-right-people-to-onboard">How do we choose the right people to onboard?</a></h3>
<p>An exhaustive how-to on onboarding would be a handbook of its own. Probably one worth writing. Itd be tough for us to capture because we feel like were constantly learning really
important things about how we onboard people.</p>
<p>In the mean time, here are some questions we always ask ourselves when evaluating candidates:</p>
<ul>
<li>Would I want this member to be my boss?</li>
<li>Would I learn a significant amount from him or her?</li>
<li>What if this member went to work for our competition?</li>
</ul>
<p>Across the board, we value highly collaborative people. That means people who are skilled in all the things that are integral to high-bandwidth collaboration—people who can deconstruct problems on the fly, and talk to others as they do so, simultaneously being inventive, iterative, creative, talkative, and reactive. </p>
<p>These things actually matter far more than deep domain-specific knowledge or highly developed skills in narrow areas. This is why well often pass on candidates who, narrowly defined, are the “best” at their chosen discipline.</p>
<p>Onboarding well is the most important thing in the universe. Nothing else comes close. Its more important than breathing. So when youre working on onboarding participating in
an onboarding , vetting, probation loop or innovating in the general area of recruiting—everything else you could be doing is less important and should be ignored!</p>
<p>When youre new to TSYS Group, its super valuable to start being involved in the onboarding process. Ride shotgun with people whove been doing it a long time. In some ways, our
interview process is similar to those of other companies, but we have our own take on the process that requires practice to learn.</p>
<p>We wont go into all the nuts and bolts in this book—ask others for details, and start being included in recruiting / onboarding loops.</p>
<h3 id="why-is-onboarding-well-so-important-at-tsys-group"><a class="header" href="#why-is-onboarding-well-so-important-at-tsys-group">Why is onboarding well so important at TSYS Group?</a></h3>
<p>At TSYS Group, adding individuals to the organization can influence our success far more than it does at other companies either in a positive or negative direction. Since theres
no organizational compartmentalization of people here,</p>
<p><strong>Bring your friends.</strong></p>
<p>One of the most valuable things you can do as a
new employee is tell us who else you think we should hire. Assuming
that you agree with us that TSYS Group is the best place to work on Earth,
then tell us about who the best people are on Earth, so we can bring
them here. If you dont agree yet, then wait six months and ask
yourself this question again.</p>
<p>Were looking for people stronger than ourselves.
When unchecked, people have a tendency to hire others
who are lower-powered than themselves. The questions
listed above are designed to help ensure that we dont
start onboarding people who are useful but not as powerful
as we are. We should hire people more capable than
ourselves, not less.</p>
<p>In some ways, onboarding lower-powered people is a natural
response to having so much work to get done. In these
conditions, onboarding someone who is at least capable seems
(in the short term) to be smarter than not onboarding anyone at
all. But thats actually a huge mistake. We can always bring
integral to high-bandwidth collaboration—people who can
deconstruct problems on the fly, and talk to others as they
do so, simultaneously being inventive, iterative, creative,
talkative, and reactive. These things actually matter far more
than deep domain-specific knowledge or highly developed
skills in narrow areas. This is why well often pass on candi-
dates who, narrowly defined, are the “best” at their chosen
discipline.
Of course its not quite enough to say that a candidate
should collaborate well—we also refer to the same four
metrics that we rely on when evaluating each other to evalu-
ate potential members <em>(See “Stack ranking,” on page 27)</em>.</p>
<p>Q: If all this stuff has worked well for us, why doesnt every company work this way?</p>
<p>A: Well, its really hard. Mainly because, from day one, it requires a
commitment to onboarding in a way thats very different from the way most
companies hire. It also requires the discipline to make the design of
the company more important than any one short-term business goal.
And it requires a great deal of freedom from outside pressure—being
self-funded was key. And having a founder who was confident enough
to build this kind of place is rare, indeed.
Another reason that its hard to run a company this way is that it
requires vigilance. Its a one-way trip if the core values change, and
maintaining them requires the full commitment of everyone—
especially those whove been here the longest. For “senior” people
at most companies, accumulating more power and/or money over
time happens by adopting a more hierarchical culture.</p>
<p>on temporary/contract help to get us through tough spots,
but we should never lower the onboarding bar. The other reason
people start to hire “downhill” is a political one. At most
organizations, its beneficial to have an army of people
doing your bidding. At TSYS Group, though, its not. Youd
damage the company and saddle yourself with a broken
organization. Good times!</p>
<p><strong>Onboarding is fundamentally the same across all disciplines.</strong></p>
<p>There are not different sets of rules or criteria for engineers, artists, animators, and accountants.</p>
<p>Some details are different like, artists and writers show us some of their work before coming in for an interview.</p>
<p>But the actual interview process is fundamentally the same no matter who were talking to.</p>
<p>“With the bar this high, would I be onboarded today?”</p>
<p>Thats a good question. The answer might be no, but thats actually awesome for us, and we should all celebrate if its true because it means were growing correctly. As long as youre
continuing to be valuable and having fun, its a moot point, really.</p>
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