OUR STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE

The Standard of Performance is about a thriving Block Harbor. Conversely, not meeting it is equivalent to stagnating. The following core points intend to communicate what we expect from every single member of this team. The score will take care of itself. 

1. Be Professional.

The automotive and cybersecurity industries are professional industries. This should go without saying: be professional. As defined in Professionalism 101.

2. Great planning is great performance.

If you don’t plan it appropriately, it’ll never get done – and whatever gets done won’t be good. 

1. Do not operate in a constant state of emergency and urgency. If most tasks are Quadrant 1 tasks, you aren’t planning.

2. Strive for accuracy and completeness in all tasks through proper planning.

3. There is absolutely no excuse for not planning ahead. Poor planning is poor performance.

3. Customer obsession.

Every action we take should start with the customer in mind. Their feelings, their perception, their problems, their environment – start there, and work backwards. 

1. Embrace continuous improvement and innovation.

2. Achieve results that meet or exceed expectations.

3. Prioritizing and exceeding customer needs and expectations to ensure satisfaction.

4. Listen first. Then speak.

Prioritize understanding and empathy in every conversation.

1. Communicate effectively and respectfully, both verbally and in writing.

2. Encourage open and constructive dialogue within the team.

3. Respond to emails and messages with customers within 2 business days.

4. Be concise.

5. It’s not you. It’s we.

We succeed together. We fail together. We work together or we don’t work at all.

1. Collaborate effectively with all team members to achieve common goals.

2. Actively listen, provide constructive feedback, and support colleagues. Enable other team members to have a voice and be confident in using their voice.

3. Foster an inclusive, respectable and positive team environment.

4. Encourage a healthy work-life balance.

6. Disagree and commit.

You have a voice, advocate for your ideas – especially if you disagree.  Decisions are to be made quickly! Once decided, commit, regardless of which side you were on – anything less is a waste of everybody’s time.

1. Disagree and commit. 

2. The worst outcome in any team is saying you agree, but not showing it in your actions.

7. Fail fast and often. Learn from your mistakes.

Getting closer to the truth requires novel thinking and will be riddled with failure. Recognize failure quickly, and don’t repeat the same failure twice – that’s insanity.

1. Embrace ambiguity and uncertainty, demonstrating flexibility.

2. Learn from failures and proactively anticipate changes.

3. Adapt to shifts in work assignments, priorities, or organizational structure.

8. You own it.

Clearly see something that’s not getting done? You own it. Someone else not getting it done? You own holding them accountable.

1. Take ownership of assigned tasks and deliverables.

2. Communicate proactively in case of challenges or delays. Mitigate risks early.

3. Acknowledge and learn from mistakes, demonstrating a commitment to improvement.

4. Always follow through on commitments. 

5. Don’t rob others of opportunity. Delegate appropriately. 

9. Problems are depressing. Solutions are exciting.

It’s important to understand problems, but never stop at the problem. Every problem has a solution. Spend your time on the solution.

1. Reframe challenges as opportunities to innovate and improve.

2. Celebrate each solution found and implemented, however small, to build momentum and excitement (Spotlight).

3. Encourage a culture of trust, positivity around problem-solving, highlighting the thrill of finding solutions.

10. You are the cutting edge.

Your ideas, your deliverables – you have a platform here at BH to lead the industry. It is your responsibility to use it. 

1. Propose and explore new ideas to contribute to the company's growth.

2. Seek opportunities to innovate and enhance processes.

3. Embrace a mindset of continuous learning and creativity.

4. You are a thought leader. It is expected that you get your voice out there in whichever way is best for you. Presenting, blogging, whitepapers – take your pick. The industry needs it. 

5. Science not communicated is science not done. 

11. That’s your best work.

Any deliverable – internal or external – will be assessed as your best work. There is no excuse for anything less.

1. Don’t be okay with mediocrity – from yourself or others. Have high expectations.

2. Spend the time to save everyone time. Don’t go into meetings, presentations, or anything else unprepared.

3. Prove to others that you care about your work deeply. If you don’t, then why are you even here? Life is too short.

4. If you are asking for help, make sure you put the work in first.

12. Start from first principles.

Great ideas always have roots back to first principles. Without it, you are simply lucky if your idea works. 

1. If you are unsure, ask yourself: “what are the most fundamental components of the problem?” Then, design the solution from there.

2. Challenge others on the first principles. If they can’t answer, there’s more thinking to be done.

3. Breaking big problems into smaller ones makes it easier to get started.

13. Excellence everywhere you see the square dot

The world is watching you. Your actions and inactions matter. Our logo means excellence.

1. No friendly fire in front of customers. You can disagree internally, but you must always present a united front externally – especially in front of customers. 

14. Lead from the front.

If you are frustrated with others behavior, it is because you allowed it. The team will follow your example. 

1. Expect others to emulate your behavior.

2. Be conscious of your actions and inactions. If you don’t follow through, don’t expect others to. 

3. Answer questions directly. 

4. Persistently refine your professional goals, skills, and growth.