Company values show up in some facet of our roles every day, whether we’re making a hard choice or determining priorities. They help guide our team towards shared business goals and, in doing so, shape company culture. With many technology companies having faced working remotely in the past months, culture has become a greater priority and a shared responsibility. Getting everyone on the same page about culture begins with defining values. At Cockroach Labs, we have four values that are shared across the organization. At a surface level, each of these values is hard to argue with. It’s important that we elaborate on what each of these values mean in practice, as each individual’s interpretation can vary. We commit to shipping products and serving customers with a singular focus on excellence. We take pride in breaking boundaries, constantly improving, and aiming to produce great (not just good) work in order to win the market. Excellence is how we build a category-defining company. We are our best when we communicate openly and honestly – understanding both our successes and our failures in order to continuously improve and enable each Roacher to effectively contribute to solving difficult problems. Everyone is here because they’ve spent years studying and working hard. We approach discussions with humility and an open mind to guarantee that we’ll learn something new or appreciate a problem from a new perspective. And that, in turn, leads to better outcomes. We believe that whole, healthy individuals produce consistently exceptional results. Whether we find work-life balance through time with friends and family, a healthy lifestyle, or intellectual pursuits, maintaining a healthy balance enables high performance.