Hootsuite's Manifesto: Building a Social Revolution
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Hootsuite's manifesto outlines the company's core principles, mission, and culture, emphasizing a social revolution in customer relationships and a collaborative, egoless team environment. The document highlights Hootsuite's growth history, commitment to innovation, and the significance of the #bsu culture, which encourages disruptive creativity and boldness among employees. It serves as a guide for new team members, sharing insights into the rewarding work environment and community at Hootsuite.
Hootsuite's Manifesto: Building a Social Revolution
- 1. #BSU Hootsuite’s Manifesto Building a Social Revolution
- 2. This document is a resource for all Hootsuite employees. We give this to each new team member who joins us. Hootsuite’s Manifesto contains our core principles, some stories of our history and culture, and a special Peepsbook. Introduction • Purpose
- 4. Our vision is to revolutionize the customer journey via social. Vision Our Core Principles • Vision
- 5. Our mission is to empower organizations to turn messages into meaningful relationships. Mission Our Core Principles • Mission
- 6. Our Culture A passionate, egoless team having fun building something bigger than itself. Our Core Principles • Our Culture
- 7. Hardworking Collaborative Resourceful Egoless Innovative Our Team Our Core Principles • Our Team
- 8. Lead with Humility Grit in All We Do Build a Better Way Passion for Customer Success Our Core Principles • Our Values Our Values
- 9. Our Story
- 10. History • In 2008 Hootsuite was born out of Invoke, a digital marketing agency that Ryan founded in 2000. • For the first year, a seven-person team—one-third of Invoke— grew the zero-revenue product. (You don’t need to be a CFO to understand that it was tough to make ends meet.) • But by 2009, viral growth and investment led us to spin it out as an independent company. • By 2011, we entered ‘hyper growth,’ and have since gone Our Story • History
- 11. Our Flight Path 20 290 600 4 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 (Just to put things in perspective) Employees Growth Hyper Growth Our Story • Our Flight Path
- 12. Our Story Being in hyper growth is kind of like learning to ride a bike down a steep, unpaved hill at breakneck speed: Everything is flashing past you, there are huge bumps along the way, you HAVE to learn as you go, and all the while, it’s a pretty thrilling ride.
- 13. Our Story So what has kept us balanced, focused and steady on the seat?
- 14. Our Culture
- 15. Indeed, like other great companies before us, we discovered that culture is the gravity of a successful, fast-growing company. It’s the constant, steady force that binds us together and keeps us focused and driven. It’s what makes people want to come to work every day. It’s what makes us stronger than our competitors. Our Culture
- 16. This manifesto makes sure we hit the brakes and take a snapshot of the most important aspects of Hootsuite’s culture today. “FOR THE PEEPLE* BY THE PEEPLE.” This manifesto was created as a bottoms-up document. Employees from across the organization were asked to provide input on what they feel. (At Hootsuite, we sometimes like to call each other peeps when talking about large groups.) Our Culture
- 17. A Brief History of #BSU
- 18. #BSU is a term that has remained a steady part of our culture throughout our hyper growth. This is why it’s a perfect symbol that captures the culture and essence of our company. What is #BSU? This is something that many of our new team members wonder. Some have admitted they even Googled it when they first started. Our Culture • #BSU
- 19. #BSU
- 20. = #Blow Shit Up
- 21. Yup, B.S.U. is an acronym for ‘blow shit up’. In the early days of Hootsuite, the phrase was widely used by Ryan, as a motivational mantra to get people excited about what they were working on: “Let’s blow shit up!” (“Let’s build some internet people!” was the other phrase he used a lot back then, but didn’t stick in the same way.) #BSU #BSU #BSU #BSU #BSU #BSU #BSU #BSU Our Culture • #BSU
- 22. Before we knew it, “Let’s blow shit up!” was being used by all departments across the company—in emails, chats, parties, even town halls, and by everyone, from the newest intern to our top VPs and executives. And eventually, in true fashion of a social media company, we made into a viral hashtag: #BSU Our Culture • #BSU BSU BSU BSU BSU BSU BSU Peeps BLOW SHIT UP Hootsuite BSU BSU BSU
- 23. Our Culture • #BSU Why has #BSU lasted so long?
- 24. 4 Reasons: 1. #BSU is a pillar of our language and culture. 2. It has lots of energy behind it. Like many of us here. 3. It’s limitless. There are no limits to how much or how far you can ‘blow shit up.’ And it applies to all of us who work here. Whether it’s an amazing line of code or a new product or marketing campaign, we can all take our own project and blow it up! 4. Finally, ‘blow shit up,’ is inherently disruptive in nature, just like we are. Our Culture • #BSU
- 25. Our Culture • #BSU #BSU is a pillar of our language culture
- 26. The #BSU spirit is something we all embody internally, so it’s also reflected in our company vision: “To revolutionize communication via social” (we are revolutionaries!) Our Culture • #BSU
- 27. Why We Love To Come to Work
- 28. In the course of researching this document, we asked dozens of people why they love to come to work. There were some very common themes that arose: Why We Love To Come To Work
- 29. 1. At Hootsuite, you get to work with really interesting, smart, open-minded people. They’re good at what they do because they’re passionate about it. High Caliber Teammates Why We Love To Come To Work
- 30. “When I first came in, I was vibrating with excitement. There was just a certain vibe and you could tell everyone wants to be here, and they’re good at what they do and care about their jobs.” Erin Fitzpatrick Administration Ambassador Why We Love To Come To Work
- 31. 2. You are on a steep learning curve. Coming to work is an opportunity to gain invaluable knowledge. By working at Hootsuite you are getting years of career experience at an accelerated rate simply by being part of this unique growth. Why We Love To Come To Work
- 32. “I am certain the rest of my life will be better because I worked here. Now I’m a part of a community of people who can think outside the box and will probably create the next big thing—and that’s really cool.” Scott Walker Corporate Account Executive Why We Love To Come To Work
- 33. 3. Having an impact Here we have an opportunity to play a huge role in the forming of an entire industry, an entirely new communication channel— no different than the TV or radio or email at their emergence. These things shook the world and now social is doing that. You can really make a difference. Whatever you are working on, you can see millions of people using it—or see how it has a direct connection to revenue. That’s incredibly rewarding. Why We Love To Come To Work
- 34. “At Hootsuite there are so many opportunities right now where I know I can have an impact and make the product better. That’s why I’m here.” Helen Park Mobile UX/UI Designer Why We Love To Come To Work
- 35. 4. Opportunity for growth It’s a time of great movement and opportunity—the company’s hyper growth is creating whole new pockets and paths to delve into… without stepping on anyone’s toes. Why We Love To Come To Work
- 36. “One of the biggest things here is if you’re eager for an opportunity to wear different hats, there aren’t a lot of barriers to take on new challenges beyond your designated role.” Korey Gannon Talent Advisor Why We Love To Come To Work
- 37. 5. A Holistic Life Our quality of life is supported at work. There are things at the office like yoga, fresh juice, organic fruit, dogs, a gym and a nap room—not because it’s a gimmick or because everyone is doing it, but because we are already people who pursue a healthy lifestyle and work-life balance. Why We Love To Come To Work
- 39. Freedom At Hootsuite there is a culture of trust. We are given autonomy to get our work done. No one is monitoring when I take my lunch or punch in...or out. And that’s what frees us to go beyond expectations. 6. Why We Love To Come To Work
- 40. “I’m living a dream as the founder and CEO of Hootsuite. Our product touches billions of people and I’m surrounded by an amazing team who loves innovation as much as I do.” Ryan Holmes Founder CEO Why We Love To Come To Work
- 41. THEPEEPSBOOK|WRITTENBYTHEPEEPS The Peepsbook As a Hootsuite employee, we want you to have this Peepsbook to guide you in your journey. What is the Peepsbook? It’s a passionate, united expression of What We Do, How We Do It, and most importantly—How We #BSU.
- 42. Chapter 1 WHO WE ARE Chapter 2 WHAT WE DO Chapter 3 HOW WE DO IT
- 43. We Are Pioneers We’re proud to be at the forefront of the social revolution, a one-of- its-kind company with top talent in the city. country. globe. In this way, we are pioneers. This all contributes to our shared sense of purpose. “We never set out to build a product that was going to help a protester in Egypt have a voice; it was really about making a good product to help people…it still is.” Paul Donnelly Principal UX Designer (and one of Hootsuite’s first 4 employees) Chapter 1 • Who We Are
- 44. Hootsuite is a special and highly unique experience that we all feel lucky to be a part of. It feels great to be a part of an unprecedented success on such a huge trajectory. We all have this sense we are in the midst of having a once-in-a-life- time opportunity. When will we ever experience this again in our lives? “Being at Hootsuite in the beginning was akin to walking into Vivienne Westwood’s SEX shop and witnessing the Sex Pistols learn how to play their first 3 chords.” Chris Trottier Strategist, Alternative Growth Channels (and early Hootsuite employee, on witnessing firsthand the beginning of communication revolution) Chapter 1 • Who We Are
- 45. Who Thrives at Hootsuite? People who like to experiment and always try new things. People who are self-directed and self-motivated. People who never rest until the job is done. People who thrive at Hootsuite are passionate, driven, hustlers; entrepreneurial by nature. Chapter 1 • Who We Are People who like to experiment People who never rest until
- 46. We celebrate our diversity and pride ourselves on it • We refuse to be cogs in the wheel. • We are agile and don’t waste time in countless meetings. • We are egoless, resourceful, and driven by purpose. • We are people who see possibilities over limitations. “We’re hustlers—in that we hustle by nature. We ‘just do it.’ Our focus is on getting it done. Because if you can’t ship it, it’s irrelevant.” Beier Cai Director of Technology (and one of Hootsuite’s first 4 employees) Chapter 1 • Who We Are
- 47. Chapter 1 • Who We Are We are our own vibrant community of artists, builders, dreamers, and everything else. We are our own vibrantWe are our own vibrant community of artists, builders, dreamers, and everything else.
- 48. Chapter 1 WHO WE ARE Chapter 2 WHAT WE DO Chapter 3 HOW WE DO IT
- 49. What We Do Hootsuite was perfectly positioned to ride the social wave. We built a product that filled the void faster and better than anyone else. We’ve been ahead of the game from the start, learning, reiterating, improving on social media tech- nologies. It’s a great place to be. Being in this advantageous position, we’ve become an advocate for businesses who want to evolve. We give customers a voice they didn’t have before social media. We can help empower businesses and people to turn messages into meaningful relationships. (To top it off, we get to work with cool customers who similarly ‘get’ the potential of new tools like social and have open minds.) Chapter 2 • What We Do
- 50. Chapter 1 • Who We Are We are part of a revolutionary change in communication. We have the potential to change the way people around the world interact on a large scale.
- 51. Purposeful Work We live and breathe social media. We ‘grew’ up on it, and it’s in our DNA. We know social media inside and out, and we want to share our experiences with others. At Hootsuite, we are building some- thing with a purpose: It’s a product, a solution, a community, an industry. “In this space we’re the most legit tech company. We’re like the Google of social media. It’s a culture thing, it’s a product thing, it’s a people thing. We have a strong engineering culture, a real respect for the product and we’re not just in it to make some cash and get out.” Mo Zahid Lead Analyst, Online Revenue Chapter 2 • What We Do
- 52. We Give Back Because we are leaders in the space, many of us have found ourselves quickly becoming mentors to our teammates and the greater community. So we connect with our local community and support others and share our knowledge—it’s very important for us to give back and share our experiences. Chapter 2 • What We Do
- 53. Chapter 1 WHO WE ARE Chapter 2 WHAT WE DO Chapter 3 HOW WE DO ITHOW WE DO ITHOW WE DO IT
- 54. Even though we have a competitive advantage, we don’t ever sit back and get complacent. Our blades are always sharpened—We’re always ready to take down the competition. We think long term, because we’re building a 50-year company, not a 5-year one. We approach it like we are running a marathon, not a sprint. “You can become really arrogant when you have some success. But when you are on top you have way more to lose. We don’t think here, ‘We made it—let’s just rest on our laurels.’ At Hootsuite we keep challenging ourselves to the next level.” Chapter 3 • How We #BSU Andrea Lemon Corporate Account Executive
- 55. Work out loud We strive to constantly give each other visibility into the bigger picture. Keep open doors We have an open door policy for everyone, no matter what position. Our offices there- fore have no walls or barriers (physically or metaphorically). Set visible, big picture goals Knowing what others are doing and seeing big picture goals helps us better support each other and share a greater sense of purpose. HOW WE #BSU
- 56. Chapter 1 • What We Do We foster collaboration without barriers.
- 57. “Human beings have an innate inner drive to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another. And when that drive is liberated, people achieve more and live richer lives.” – Daniel Pink, Psychologist WE LIKE DANIEL: Chapter 3 • How We #BSU
- 58. We have an agile and uniquely innovative work environment Working at Hootsuite, you get to be a pioneer, shape trends, be a part of the newest and emerging technologies. Everything is exciting because we’re on the cutting edge of our industry. There is always a new challenge and the learning doesn’t stop. “Most other tech companies have a longer release cycle. At Hootsuite, factors like bureaucracy or infrastructure don’t get in the way so we’re releasing at a rate of 10 times a day.Your code is basically going straight to production. That’s why we really need to trust each other.” Bill Monkman Lead Software Engineer Chapter 3 • How We #BSU
- 59. Chapter 1 • Who We Are Finally, we embrace change at work, not fear it. With change comes growth. Finally, we embrace change at work, not fear it. Finally, we embrace change at work, not fear it. Finally, we embrace change at work, not fear it. With change comes growth.
- 60. In this way, over time, we have built a culture of inclusion, community, and support—you can try to manufacture that but you can’t. “People here step in without hesitation. They’re proactive helpers. The startup culture has fostered this. And there’s a very tight team feeling that you don’t necessarily find elsewhere.” Jaime Stein Senior Manager, Social Media Chapter 3 • How We #BSU
- 61. In the same way we don’t fear change, we don’t ever fear failure. At Hootsuite, when we have a good idea, our best leaders say, “Try it. And let’s just see what happens. If it doesn’t work, we’ll learn from it.” You get visionary leadership here who (for the most part) let us take risks, and make our own decisions, as long as we learn from our mistakes. Chapter 3 • How We #BSU
- 62. In fact, this is how Hootsuite came to be. So this remains still a core principle throughout: “Always believe in the projects that make you excited and drive you to do ‘crazy’ things. You might not end up at the exact destination you set out to reach, but it will eventually lead somewhere better than if you never tried.” – Ryan Holmes, Founder CEO Chapter 3 • How We #BSU
- 63. “Here there’s an overall sense of curiosity and inquisitiveness. It seems everyone is always chipping away at some- thing everyone is trying to push something somewhere. It’s a culture of optimism.” Josh Lamb Software Engineer (formerly Junior Accountant)