Our Principles

I've alluded to this in multiple places across this site but there doesn't feel to be a good place to put this aside from the blog.

These are the founding principles of Photon Strategy. They're not revolutionary or particularly earth-shattering in any way, but it's important to keep these clearly stated and constantly visible as a solid reminder.

1. Do Good Work

It's an engineering principle and personal mantra. It radiates out, drives all aspects of my life, and inspires my team.

It's the reason why I mentor high school engineers, support local tech groups, remember every team member's birthday and their favorite Overwatch hero.

Doing great work is not always about the biggest, baddest build on the block. It's about making something, a real thing, that you can be proud of. The engineers I work with regularly site this as the reason why they look forward to the projects I lead. Good work is targeted, effective, efficient, and strategic. It stands up for itself without explanation and doesn't take over people's lives. It's not always glamorous or well-awarded, but it's honest.

2. Always be Better

It's about expecting more from yourself. It's about improving yourself in a thousand little steps until you achieve something great — and then doing it again. It's not about being unhappy, unsatisfied or self criticizing, but it is about seeing yourself as something worth investment and identifying opportunities.  

Push yourself to constantly improve, grow, develop new skills, and take risks. While this can be scary, terrifying at times even, you are worth it.

Yes, I believe in it for myself, but I deeply and truly believe in it for every engineer I work with (developers or otherwise). I ask them what they love doing, where do they want to go, and who they want to be. Your team is always worth re-investment and feeling valued.

Don't ever let them stop innovating, experimenting, and at times... failing.

3. Clean up your Sh*t

Said to me once by a senior hardware designer, it was fitting that he made it into a sign for the workshop. 

Obviously, keeping your workspace clean is important, but keeping your workspace/server/code clean is about respecting your team. You may get sick, have emergencies, or the project may outlive you. Respect your team enough to make things as simple as possible and no simpler, logical, and clean.

Respect them enough to not stand in their way and enable them so anyone could pick up your work.