Guided by Our Values
At MongoDB, our values are more than posters on a wall. We live by them, every day, which ensures we fulfill the Leadership Commitment.
Think Big, Go Far
We are big dreamers with a passion for creativity. We eagerly pursue new opportunities and markets through innovation and disruption. We have a pioneering spirit - always ready to forge new paths and take smart risks.
What it is
- Willingness to experiment with crazy ideas, and recognize not all experiments work
- Eager to question the status quo
- Disrupting ourselves before someone else does
What it isn’t
- Change merely for the sake of change
- Grand ideas without a coherent plan
- Believing valuable ideas can only come from senior people
Build Together
We achieve amazing things by connecting and leveraging the diversity of perspectives, skills, experiences and backgrounds of our entire organization. We place the success interests of the company over any individual or team. We discuss things thoroughly, but prioritize commitment over consensus.
What it is
- Providing thoughtful and timely input and receiving feedback with genuine openness
- Seeking alternative points of view actively, and before making a decision
- Debating ideas passionately but constructively to further our thinking and understanding
What it isn’t
- Discounting ideas or individuals based on differences in opinions, beliefs, and backgrounds
- Using our distributed organization as an excuse for not collaborating globally
- Believing that working together and getting things done quickly are mutually exclusive
Embrace the Power of Differences
We commit to creating a culture of belonging, where people of different origins, backgrounds and experiences feel valued and heard. This is cultivated by learning from and respecting each other’s similarities and differences. We approach conversations with positive intent and believe that others value the perspective we bring to the table. We recognize that a diverse workforce is the best way to broaden our perspectives, foster innovation, and enable a sustainable competitive advantage.
What it is
- Recognizing that members of underrepresented groups may not always feel secure or equally valued in the workplace
- Seeking to understand a person’s intent before passing judgment on their behavior, recognizing that intent and impact aren’t always the same
- Holding ourselves accountable to recognize and address our biases, even when uncomfortable
What it isn’t
- Relying only on members of underrepresented groups to effect change
- Expecting others to understand your point of view without making any effort to provide your perspective
- Making exceptions for high performers
- Expecting flawless behavior, shaming people for missteps, or reflexively claiming offense on behalf of someone else
Make it Matter
We are relentless in our pursuit of meaningful impact. We think strategically and are clear on what we are and are not trying to do. We accomplish an amazing amount of important work, and we are obsessed with delivering on our commitments.
What it is
- Recognizing that speed matters and is a meaningful competitive advantage
- Clearly prioritizing what needs to be done now versus later
- Doing work that makes us proud
What it isn’t
- Letting the ends justify the means
- Getting stuck in process or ignoring processes we don’t like
- Letting perfect be the enemy of good enough
Be Intellectually Honest
We embrace reality. We apply high-quality thinking and rigor and operate with transparency. We have courage in our convictions but work hard to ensure biases or personal beliefs do not get in the way of finding the best solution.
What it is
- Prioritizing fact-based opinions over anecdotes, hearsay or conventional wisdom
- Being actively open-minded to different perspectives and insights
- Making the effort to find sufficient data to make a good decision even when it might not be readily available
What it isn’t
- Cherry-picking or withholding data to support a position
- Using ‘candor’ as an excuse to make unkind or unproductive remarks
- Failing to express concerns in order to be a ‘team player’
Own What You Do
We take ownership and are accountable for everything that we do. We empower and we are empowered to make things happen, and balance independence with interdependence. We demand excellence from ourselves. We each play our own part in making MongoDB a great place to work.
What it is
- Admitting our mistakes and seeking to learn from them
- Accountable for the impact we have on others
- Only speaking about others in a way that we would speak to them directly
What it isn’t
- Dismissing or not soliciting feedback from key stakeholders
- Using ‘It’s just the way I am’ to justify bad behavior
- Command and control behavior
