Why we started Maze9
We started Maze9 in 2020 as a way to take the knowledge we gained from years of working with small and midsize businesses and scaling one from within and share it with growing companies. Through carefully analyzing the companies we’ve admired over the years, the struggles we’d overcome in our own businesses, and the words of those we’ve had the honor of leading, we came up with 9 game changing beliefs that we’ve found can change a business from average to high-performing:
Your culture is your brand. There’s an undeniable link between employee experience and customer experience, and in order to create loyal fans who rave about your products and services, they need to feel that same energy from your team.
Strong core values allow your team to move faster. When your team internalizes your values, it’s easier at all levels of the organization to see which decisions are the right ones.
Equity and representation matter. A team where the demographics of both employees and leaders reflect the community they’re located in lead to more innovative and equitable outcomes for both employees and customers.
Freely sharing information with your team builds trust and accountability. We default to transparency and trusting our team members. Giving trust builds trust and ownership.
Choosing the right format is as important as the right words. Words matter, and choosing the right medium to clearly communicate your message with your team and your customers has a profound impact on understanding.
Innovation comes when people feel psychologically safe. Whether it’s throwing out dumb ideas yourself first or praising a beginner’s mentality, teams create meaningful change when it’s safe to fail.
Collaboration is crucial. Working with others to solve complex problems is not a sign of weakness but rather an understanding we are stronger than the sum of our parts.
Data-driven decisions lead to more equitable outcomes. While numbers are rarely perfect, they can lead us to examine our business decisions with greater objectivity and mitigate some of our biases.
Change is a muscle we must maintain. What got us to where we are will rarely take us to the next level, and consistently working with our teams to understand what drives our need to change creates more an adaptable, forward-thinking organization.
As we wrap up 2020, we’re thrilled to share these insights and to begin collaborating with our new partners on how to bring them to life.
