Collaboration Value Questions

Moralis Business School Onboarding Course
#21

  1. We need to collaborate because one person only has 24 hours available. Multiple people have hundreds or even thousands of hours available. So if you want to achieve great things, you need to collaborate with other people.

  2. You are expected to collaborate in case you need help and advice.

  3. At Moralis, we give positive feedback by endorsing each other in a public way, via channels on slack.

  4. At Moralis, negative feedback is given in the smallest setting as possible. And I would say this is applicable for any company. Negative feedback is actually constructive feedback.

  5. Negative feedback is when you want the person to directly improve a specific aspect of his way of working. Disagreement is when two people have contradicting ideas which requires extra discussion to settle it. The disagreement can be done in a public channel.

  6. Negative feedback has the goal of improving the other person, and it offers an actionable way to improve, while negativity does not have the goal of improving and it is not actionable.

  7. Disagreements should be discussed in a public channel.

  8. Negative/constructive feedback should be discussed in a 1-on-1 call.

  9. If I am higher in the management chain, then people can give me negative feedback in a group setting.

  10. Providing feedback as fast as possible, solves the problems while they are small and fresh in memory. If you linger and wait to provide feedback, then the situation is not that relevant any more, and you can become resentful if you keep it within yourself.

  11. The #thanks channel can be used to give praise to someone.

  12. When praising someone you should think about doing it sincerely and also say the reason why you are thankful.

  13. Some important ingredients to take note when giving feedback to someone: provide the observation, meaning provide a clear and objective example of when the situation happened. Then state to the person how that situation made me feel. And then focus on improving the team member by providing a way forward.

  14. Of course it is ok to give feedback to managers. They are also people, and they are not gods. They also have points to improve, and they cannot improve them without being aware of them.

  15. Heh, of course not. Driving off a cliff sounds like sudden death, and sudden death is not cool man. So give feedback.

  16. It is important to get to know each other informally, because then the collaboration is way more efficient, knowing how the other person can react to different situations. It will make also easier to prevent conflicts.

  17. A weekly session is organized on thursdays in which you can get to know the team more informally.

  18. Not pulling rank meaning not using someone else’s name to get a point across. If you do that, then that means you don’t truly believe it yourself.

  19. Assuming positive intent means to assume that the other person comes from a place of positivity and good faith, rather than negativity, and then try to respect their position while you are getting your point across. This should be done when a disagreement occurs.

  20. A straw man is when you are disagreeing against the weakest points of the argument, or an imaginary argument. Whereas a steel man is when you are arguing against the most strongest points of the discussion raised by the other.

  21. The steel man should be used in every argument or disagreement.

  22. Saying sorry should be done as fast as possible and it is a sign of strength, not a weakness. Saying sorry is also a form of leadership, because others can pick up to this kind of behaviour and it reinforces the values.

  23. No ego means that you should not force to win an argument just because you want to be on top, or not show weakness. The idea is to find the right answer and to help others, even though you might not be right.

  24. The goal is to improve and provide quality, not to bash other people because they maybe did a mistake. By blameless problem solving, you focus on solving the issue and improving the processes instead of focusing on criticizing the other person.

  25. Short toes means that everyone should be able to take the initiative and to try to improve things, independently of the experience he has in the company, or the rank.

  26. Collaboration is when multiple people can contribute to achieve a certain goal. Consensus is when multiple people have to give their input in order to achieve that goal.

  27. No, you do not have to ask for people’s opinions always.

  28. Permissionless innovation is when you do not need to ask for permission from people, but people can contribute to achieve a certain goal.

  29. Politics at Moralis is showcased when, for example, a decision needs to be made. Politics should not be involved, and the focus should be put on finding the right decision for the given situation, objectively. Another example of when politics should not be involved, is when a promotion is given: this should be given based on merits, and not based on somebody liking them.

Uff, this was a doozy :sweat_drops:

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#22

  1. Because together we have more than 24 hours per day

  2. You are expected to collaborate and help others, and expect the same from the colleagues around.

  3. In a public way!

  4. Ideally in a 1-on-1 call.

  5. If no feedback is included then its a discussion and should be held in public - respectfully and transparently.

  6. Negative feedback i aimed to help and is actionable, when negativity has no goal of helping someone improve.

  7. Publicly in a slack channel or similar.

  8. 1 on 1.

  9. To someone higher in the management chain.

  10. Because we want to solve problems while they are small.

  11. In the #thanks channel.

  12. By doing it sincerely and summarize why you are thankful so the person on the receiving end can easily understand why they are being thanked.

  13. Focus on the business impact. Don’t focus on the person. Include at least one recent example.

  14. YES!

  15. No.

  16. Because it is easier to prevent conflicts once you know the person behind the text.

  17. We have weekly FIKA

  18. It means to not use you rank or someone else’s in order to get your way. Instead prove that the work or the idea is correct.

  19. It means that in our interactions with others we don’t assume they mean harm.

  20. Straw man is when you’re disagreeing with someone and argument against their weakest points, instead of arguing against their strongest (steel).

  21. When you disagree with someone, but its important to have in mind that the points are presented in good faith.

  22. That at Moralis we appreciate the people that are able to understand their mistakes and take responsibility for them. To say you’re sorry as early as possible makes other learn from those mistakes.

  23. It means that we don’t defend a point just to win an argument. Our goal is to find the correct answer.

  24. nvestigate mistakes in a way that focuses on the situational aspects of a failure’s mechanism and the decision-making process that led to the failure, rather than cast blame on a person or team.

  25. People joining the company frequently say, “I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
    At Moralis, we should be more accepting of people taking initiative in trying to improve things.

  26. When we are collaborating we keep everything transparent. With consensus we mean that people shouldn’t ask you “why didn’t you ask for my input?” or that we ask the and have to wait. We believe in permissionless innovation

  27. No.

  28. It means that we don’t need to involve people, but everyone can contribute.

  29. We don’t want people to play politics. Proposals should be weighed on their merits and not on who proposed them.

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#23

Introduction

  1. Why do we need to collaborate?
    We only have 24hours to work so one person can only make tiny achievement but when we collaborate with others we can achieve a lot more in the same 24hours that then turns into thousands of hours.

  2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advise?
    I am expected to ask for help and collaborate with others. This provides opportunity for me to learn from others and become more knowledgeable and therefore be able to help someone else.

Feedback

  1. How do we give positive feedback?
    Give as much positive feedback as you can in as public way. You can use the #thanks channel on Slack or make a very public endorsement of someone’s work in your channel you use for that particular project.

  2. How do we give negative feedback?
    Needs to be given in the smallest setting possible. Ideally in a 1-on-1 call. It needs to be aimed to help coming from a place where you genuinely trying to help the recipient improve the situation. It needs to be actionable ideally giving suggestions on exactly what they need to do.

  3. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
    Negative feedback is aimed to help the person and is actionable ideally coming with suggestions on how to improve the project. Disagreement doesn’t come with suggestions and may not come from a place of wanting to help the other person improve or learn.

  4. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
    Negativity is not aimed to improve the person and is not actionable while negative feedback is.

  5. Where should disagreements be discussed?
    On a public channel with transparency and respectfulness.

  6. Where should negative feedback be discussed?
    In the smallest setting possible. preferably in a 1-on-1 call.

  7. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
    To someone higher in the management chain. This shows no one is above feedback.

  8. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
    To solve problems while they are small.

  9. What channel in slack can you use to praise someone?
    #thanks chat channel

  10. What should you think about when praising someone?
    Being thanked at the company level for what you view as a small or minuscule contribution can feel awkward. Thanking a person should be done sincerely and summarize why you are thankful so the person on the receiving end can easily understand why they are being thanked. Help the person understand how they went above and beyond and why you felt is was important for the team member to be recognized.

  11. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
    -Make it about the work itself; focus on the business impact and not on the person.
    -Provide at least one clear and recent example.
    if negative feedback must be given, focus on the purpose of that feedback to improve the team member’s performance going forward.

  12. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
    We are expected to, and it is our job to give feedback to managers.

  13. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
    No it is not ok. that is why it is important to give feedback to managers. Managers are just people and don’t know better in all cases. Therefore it is important to always help your team speak up if you see that Moralis is heading in a wrong direction.

Working Together

  1. Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
    Moralis is an all-remote company that uses a lot of text-based communication. if you know the person behind the text it will be easier to prevent conflicts.

  2. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
    Through the weekly FIKA session on Thursdays

  3. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
    Don’t use your or someone else’s position in the company to sell an idea or decision.

  4. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
    Assume the points are presented in good faith . Respect someone’s expertise and giving them grace in the face of what you might perceive as mistakes. When arguing, argue against the strongest version of your opponent’s position.

  5. What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
    A straw man is when when disagreeing someone argues against the weakest points of an argument, or an imaginary argument.
    A steel man argument is when someone argues against the strongest version of your opponents position. It is against the most effective version of your opponents position. The other person feels that you have represented their position well even if they still disagree with your assumptions or conclusions.

  6. When should you use the steel man?
    In a disagreement.

  7. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
    Apologize as soon as possible… Saying sorry is not a sign of weakness but one of strength. When we share our mistakes and bring attention to them, others can learn from us, and the same mistake is less likely to be repeated by someone else. Mistakes can include when you have not been kind to someone. It is important to apologize publicly when you have been unkind publicly.

  8. What do we mean by “no ego”?
    Don’t defend your point to win an argument or double down on a mistake. You have to search for the right answer with help from others.

  9. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
    Investigate mistakes in a way that focuses on the situational aspects of a failure’s mechanism and the decision-making process that led to the failure, rather than case blame on a person or team. Moralis holds blameless root cause analysis and retrospectives for stakeholders to speak up without fear o punishment or retribution.

  10. What do we mean by “short toes”?
    We can let go of the view of not wanting to step on anyone’s toes and instead be more accepting of people taking initiative in trying to improve things. As companies grow, their speed in decision-making goes down since there are more people involved. We should counteract that by having short toes and feeling comfortable letting others contribute to our domain.
    Collaboration

  11. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
    Consensus involves everyone’s inputs and opinions before a decision can be made. Collaboration means working together in teams but not needing everyone’s opinions or participation in order to achieve a goal. You don’t have to wait for people to provide input

  12. Are you expected to ask peoples opinions always?
    No we don’t need to ask other’s opinions in every situation, however everyone can contribute.

  13. What is permissionless innovation?
    You don’t need to involve people, but everyone can contribute. This is core to how we iterate, since we want smaller teams moving quickly rather than large teams achieving consensus slowly.

  14. What can you say about politics at Moralis?
    Playing politics is not allowed at Moralis. Proposals should be weighed on their merits and not on who proposed them. People should be promoted based on their results instead of based on others liking them or having a lot of alliances.

#24

Introduction

  1. Why do we need to collaborate? - To achieve great results we can work better and more efficiently if we combine efforts, skills, and hours of work.
  2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advise? - To reach out and ask for help inside the team and even across departments if needed.

Feedback

  1. How do we give positive feedback? Publicly
  2. How do we give negative feedback? As privately as possible. Ideally 1-1
  3. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement? Negative feedback is directed to someone specific, with constructive motives. A disagreement should be discussed in a private channel, respectfully and transparently.
  4. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity? Negative feedback has good intentions, means well and proposes solutions. Needs to be actionable. Negativity is never accepted since it bad intentioned.
  5. Where should disagreements be discussed? Disagreements should be discussed respectfully in a private channel.
  6. Where should negative feedback be discussed? As privately as possible.
  7. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting? Managers
  8. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible? To find a solution while they are still small problems.
  9. What channel in slack can you use to praise someone? #thanks
  10. What should you think about when praising someone? Some people might feel uncomfortable with public praising. should be done for something meaningful and consider there are other places to say thanks.
  11. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients. Should be sincere, should explain why, and do it for something meaningful.
  12. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager? More than ok, it is expected.
  13. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff? Never.

Working Together

  1. Why is it important to get to know each other informally? A lot of the communication while working remotely is done over text. Knowing someone informally will make communication easier and avoid misunderstandings.
  2. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible? Weekly FIKA Sessions on Thursdays.
  3. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”? If you are using your rank to impose a decision, something must be wrong.
  4. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that? We usually blame circumstances on our mistakes and people on theirs. We should assume positive intent, recognise their expertise and give grace in what we think are mistakes.
  5. What is a straw man and what is a steel man? Straw- arguing against the weakest points of the arguments, while steel is arguing against the stronger ones.
  6. When should you use the steel man? When there is a disagreement.
  7. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis? Its a sign of strength.
  8. What do we mean by “no ego”? Don’t argue for the sake of wining. Search for the right answer with the help of others.
  9. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”? Search for the cause of the error and not who made it. Blame the decision making that took you to it and not the team that made it.
  10. What do we mean by “short toes”? we should let others contribute to our work and accept innovation.

Collaboration

  1. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus? We can collaborate in the team, ask and give help, but we don’t need others input to work and innovate.
  2. Are you expected to ask peoples opinions always? No.
  3. What is permissionless innovation? Everyone can contribute but you don’t need their input all the time.
  4. What can you say about politics at Moralis? It is not accepted.
#25

  1. Why do we need to collaborate?
    Collaboration is pertinent to success for the individual, teams, and Moralis. The main way this is achieved is time management- with the complexity of “cryptoworld” we cannot do it alone, there aren’t enough hours in the day.

  2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advise?
    Simply put, just ask. We’re all in this together.

  3. How do we give positive feedback?
    We do it publicly at a company level. Since Moralis is remote, Slack is utilized. Most importantly we are doing it in a motivating way.

  4. How do we give negative feedback?
    In the smallest setting possible, ideally a 1-on-1 call, we avoid negativity and offer feedback appreciating the other’s perspective. The allows ourselves to evaluate our own perspectives as well as others, allowing us to grow as well. If we are not in direct feedback, we are to use the public channels. What I like about this is that it avoids gossip and poor time management.

  5. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
    Disagreement is just reflective of different approaches to the same outcome. Negative Feedback is more precise and identifies a particular matter that needs improvement.

  6. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
    Negative Feedback is just a feedback that isn’t positive to, or about, something- seeking improvement of something. Negativity is not seeking to improve anything- it’s just negative for negative’s sake- as such there is nothing actionable or productive to it.

  7. Where should disagreements be discussed?
    With respect and transparency, it should be discussed in a public channel.

  8. Where should negative feedback be discussed?
    The smallest setting possible, preferably in a 1-to-1 call.

  9. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
    Anyone

  10. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
    Time and resources are precious to achieving goals in an efficient manner.

  11. What channel in slack can you use to praise someone?
    The Thanks Chat Channel

  12. What should you think about when praising someone?
    Explain why the praise is warranted- it may seem frivolous without it.

  13. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
    Most importantly, be kind. Have empathy and understanding. Seek to make actionable improvements. Never be negative or political.

  14. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
    Yes.

  15. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
    No

  16. Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
    Since Moralis is remote, and this applies to any remote organization, “If you know the person behind the text - it will be easier to prevent conflicts.”

  17. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
    Thursday FIKA Sessions

  18. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
    If a decision has to be forced by rank in a business setting, then it is likely a poor decision. An open discussion must be formed to discuss further inputs and disagreements.

  19. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
    When we are anxious, embarrassed, nervous, we have to remind ourselves that the person causing it has our best interest at heart.

  20. What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
    Straw Man is usually a tactical maneuver to create an argument about something rather than the topic at hand, a form of deflection. In this case, however, it is described as attacking the weakest point of an argument. Steel Man is a highly productive discussion strategy involving critical analysis of a position’s strongest attributes.

  21. When should you use the steel man?
    Steel Man, when performed properly and with courtesy and respect, is a great tool for analyzing a larger strategy. When performing a more tactical task, it may be used to determine how the smaller task works into the larger strategy.

  22. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
    I like the “Say Sorry” approach at Moralis. It shows the strength of humility.

  23. What do we mean by “no ego”?
    Put on your big boy/big girl pants and admit when you make a mistake.

  24. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
    If there’s a problem, fix it. Fix it immediately. Looking for blame is a Fool’s Endeavor. If there is a repetitive problem, address it professionally.

  25. What do we mean by “short toes”?
    Don’t let ego get in the way and let the new person make Moralis better.

  26. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
    Collaboration is people working together. Consensus is when everyone agrees. Consensus is an efficiency killer that’s symptomatic of large corporations. Collaboration gets the job done.

  27. Are you expected to ask peoples opinions always?
    No

  28. What is permissionless innovation?
    I love this quote, “you don’t need to involve people, but everyone can contribute.” It’s about getting the job done.

  29. What can you say about politics at Moralis?
    What politics at Moralis? :wink: Moralis doesn’t do favoritism or any other ridiculousness.

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#27

Introduction

  1. Why do we need to collaborate?
    To achieve monumental things, we need to work together effectively. Collaboration allows us to pool our time and resources to accomplish meaningful goals.

  2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advice?
    I’m expected to seek help and advice from others. I can also rely on others to help me out when needed.

Feedback

  1. How do we give positive feedback?
    Positive feedback should be given publicly and as often as possible. I can express my thanks in channels like #thanks on Slack, or endorse someone’s work in a project channel​.

  2. How do we give negative feedback?
    Negative feedback should be given in the smallest setting possible, ideally in a one-on-one call. It should be aimed to help and be actionable.

  3. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
    Negative feedback is intended to help improve someone’s performance, while disagreement does not necessarily have feedback involved.

  4. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
    Negative feedback aims to improve the person and is actionable, while negativity is not aimed at improvement and is not actionable.

  5. Where should disagreements be discussed?
    Disagreements should be discussed respectfully and transparently in a public channel​.

  6. Where should negative feedback be discussed?
    Negative feedback should be discussed in the smallest setting possible, ideally in a one-on-one call​.

  7. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
    Negative feedback can be given in a group setting if it’s to someone higher up in the management chain.

  8. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
    Providing feedback fast helps solve problems while they are still small, ensuring that issues are addressed early before they grow larger.

  9. What channel in Slack can you use to praise someone?
    I can use the #thanks channel on Slack to publicly praise someone.

  10. What should you think about when praising someone?
    When praising someone, I should be sincere and summarize why I’m thankful, so the person understands why they are being recognized.

  11. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
    To give feedback effectively:

  • Make it about the work, not the person.
  • Focus on the business impact.
  • Provide clear and recent examples.
  • Consider the person’s personal circumstances.
  • Be mindful that feedback from managers can have a stronger impact

  1. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
    Yes, it’s important to give feedback to managers. In fact, it’s part of the job at Moralis​.

  2. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
    No, it’s crucial to speak up if I see the team heading in the wrong direction. Managers are just people and may not always have all the answers​.

Working Together

  1. Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
    Getting to know each other informally helps prevent conflicts and fosters better collaboration, especially in an all-remote setting.

  2. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
    Moralis encourages informal meetings through weekly FIKA Sessions on Thursdays, providing an opportunity for team members to connect.

  3. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
    “Don’t pull rank” means I shouldn’t remind someone of my position to justify a decision. Instead, I should explain my reasoning and respect everyone, regardless of their role.

  4. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
    Assuming Positive Intent means believing that others have good intentions, even if mistakes are made. We do this in all interactions to mitigate biases and foster better communication.

  5. What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
    A “straw man” argument is a weaker or imaginary version of someone else’s position, while a “steel man” argument is the strongest version of their position​.

  6. When should you use the steel man?
    I should use the steel man when arguing against someone else’s position, to fairly and accurately represent their viewpoint before presenting my own.

  7. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
    Saying sorry is a sign of strength, not weakness. It’s important to apologize when I make a mistake or have been unkind to someone.

  8. What do we mean by “no ego”?
    “No ego” means not defending a point to win an argument or doubling down on a mistake. It involves seeking the right answer with help from others​.

  9. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
    Blameless problem-solving focuses on the situational aspects of a failure and the decision-making process, rather than blaming individuals.

  10. What do we mean by “short toes”?
    “Short toes” means being accepting of people taking initiative and not feeling stepped on when others contribute to my domain.

Collaboration

  1. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
    Collaboration involves working together, while consensus requires everyone’s agreement. Collaboration is about transparency and innovation without always seeking consensus.

  2. Are you expected to ask people’s opinions always?
    No, I don’t need to ask for people’s input all the time. Collaboration does not mean consensus.

  3. What is permissionless innovation?
    Permissionless innovation means I don’t need to involve people to contribute or improve things. It’s about enabling smaller teams to move quickly without needing consensus.

  4. What can you say about politics at Moralis?
    Politics at Moralis is discouraged. Proposals should be weighed on their merits, not based on who proposed them. Promotions should be based on results, not alliances or popularity.

#28

Why do we need to collaborate?
To achieve big things together.

What are you expected to do if you need help and advice?
Ask for help and collaborate.

How do we give positive feedback?
Publicly, like in the #thanks channel on Slack.

How do we give negative feedback?
Privately, ideally one-on-one.

What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
Negative feedback helps improve; disagreement is a different opinion.

What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
Negative feedback is constructive; negativity is not helpful.

Where should disagreements be discussed?
In a public channel.

Where should negative feedback be discussed?
In a private setting.

Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
Managers.

Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
To solve problems quickly.

What channel in Slack can you use to praise someone?
#thanks

What should you think about when praising someone?
Be sincere and specific.

How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
Focus on the work, give clear examples, and be constructive.

Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
Yes, it’s expected.

Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
No, speak up if something is wrong.

Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
It prevents conflicts and improves communication.

What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
Weekly FIKA Sessions.

What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
Decide based on merit, not position.

What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
Believe others mean well, to reduce conflicts.

What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
Straw man: weak argument. Steel man: strong argument.

When should you use the steel man?
In disagreements.

What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
Apologize quickly; it shows strength.

What do we mean by “no ego”?
Don’t defend mistakes; seek the right answer.

What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
Fix issues without blaming people.

What do we mean by “short toes”?
Be open to others contributing to your area.

What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
Collaboration: working together. Consensus: full agreement.

Are you expected to ask people’s opinions always?
No, innovate freely.

What is permissionless innovation?
Take initiative without needing approval.

What can you say about politics at Moralis?
Decisions based on merit, not alliances.

#29

  1. Why do we need to collaborate?
    As a team we achieve more than as an individual, collective effort needs an open mind to collborate

  2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advise?
    Ask the team for help instead of being persistent and solving on your own. A post in slack/discord about something you’re stuck upon could’ve been solved by someone else, taking the help of collective intelligence saves time and it works other way too.

  3. How do we give positive feedback?
    A note of gratitude in any manner, public or private, like in slack. Or an acknowledgement of a team mate’s idea which made a difference

  4. How do we give negative feedback?
    In private with the team mate.

  5. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
    Negative feedback is when there scope for improvement and a person has not looked at it or refuses to look at it due to some belief or experiences. The communication to change the belief and to take some action on it is negative feedback.
    Disagreement is when both parties stick to their beliefs and needs intervention from outside. We need to understand in spirit of collaboration, that it is ok to disagree

  6. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
    Negative Feedback needs to be objective and actionable aimed to improve upon
    Negativity is refusing to let go of your belief because of individual biases and beliefs which is not acceptable

  7. Where should disagreements be discussed?
    Preferably in public or in small group of team/people. Idea is to bring different PoV on the disagreement and not look at the source of disagreement rather than on the topic of disagreement.

  8. Where should negative feedback be discussed?
    In public forum (slack) among a small subset of people who could be affected by that decision.

  9. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
    Anyone but has to be in private and with we need to approach it with an open mind as well.

  10. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
    So we don’t start forming beliefs which lead to bias towards a person

  11. What channel in slack can you use to praise someone?
    #thanks channel

  12. What should you think about when praising someone?
    The magnitude of help someone gave you and praising them appropriately. For Ex: asking a team member or a team about where you can find a particular document, warrants a simple Thank you to that person or in that small setting, not company wide.

  13. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
    State the problem, How it was solved, the benefits it had and who helped you solve it. Objective is the key

  14. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
    Yes, Managers are also enablers, if there’s something which is not working according to you voicing it out will give a perspective to the manager who looks at it collectively from the team and take action so that if the concern is genuine, other members in the team are not affected. This is again in the spirit of giving feedback fast and not holding on to it.

  15. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
    Largely No. Especially due to their own beliefs and biases. Moreover when not aligned with Company goals and values.

  16. Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
    Getting to know a person will always help in understanding their intention especially when it’s remote and most of the communication happens over slack or on messages.

  17. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
    Cross Departments, always good to know what others are doing, we could solve the problem or learn something from them.

  18. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
    Be open for feedback, maybe it’s from your junior or senior in the company. It’s not good to state your rank as a defense to your feedback or argument or disagreement. Being objective about the discussion and helping others understand why it so makes more sense rather than stating rank.

  19. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
    We become defensive or intimidated when threatened, its human nature. The perception that a feedback is a threat somehow causes us to react in less constructive way, rather looking at it that something was said with a positive intent changes the approach to communication in positive and significant way.

  20. What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
    Arguing on the weakest point - Straw man
    Arguing on the strongest point - Steel man

  21. When should you use the steel man?
    When we challenge the strongest point argument, what we are saying is, can we do better? This happens when you believe the argument is in good faith.

  22. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
    A positive mindset about accepting mistakes and acknowledging that there is room for improvement and taking action on it.

  23. What do we mean by “no ego”?
    Defending something due to our personal biases and beliefs rather than the best solution to the problem at hand

  24. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
    Focus on solving the problem first regardless of who created it.

  25. What do we mean by “short toes”?
    Make people feel they can approach you for any feedback, suggestions or ideas.

  26. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
    Collobration is working in a transparent way with collective objective in mind to achieve a goal
    Consensus is when we need to agree upon each and every decision being made

  27. Are you expected to ask peoples opinions always?
    Not always, but when in doubt, ask.

  28. What is permissionless innovation?
    When you innovate and execute keeping in mind of the goal, vision, mission of the company.
    Continuous improvement.

  29. What can you say about politics at Moralis?
    It’s when individual biases are superseded by results or objectives.

#30

Introduction
1. Why do we need to collaborate?
We can accomplish more and have more time working together then by ourselves.
2. What are you expected to do if you need help and advise?
We can do more by helping each other. It is easier to accomplish things by working together and thinking together.

Feedback
3. How do we give positive feedback?
Give positive feedback in a public way. The more we say about the things we like and appreciate, the more motivated we will all be to do great things.
4. How do we give negative feedback?
Negative feedback needs to be given in the smallest setting possible.
5. What’s the difference between negative feedback and disagreement?
Negative feedback is aimed to help and is actionable. A disagreement is when you have apposing views.
6. What’s the difference between negative feedback and negativity?
The difference between negativity and negative feedback is that negativity is not aimed to improve the person and is not actionable, while negative feedback is.
7. Where should disagreements be discussed?
Discuss disagreement in a public channel respectfully and transparently.
8. Where should negative feedback be discussed?
Ideally in a 1-on-1 call.
9. Who can you give negative feedback to in a group setting?
Someone lower in the management chain.
10. Why is it important to provide feedback as fast as possible?
We are able to solve problems while they are small.
11. What channel in slack can you use to praise someone?
#thanks
12. What should you think about when praising someone?
Summarize and be specific so that the person understands why you are thanking them.
13. How can you give feedback effectively? Write some important ingredients.
Give at least one clear and recent example. Is the error of great enough that the value gained by correcting the person is worth it? Members react to a negative incident six time more strongly then with a positive one.
14. Is it ok to give feedback to the manager?
IT IS YOUR JOB TO GIVE FEEDBACK TO MANAGERS!!!
15. Is it ok to let the manager drive us off a cliff?
We can’t allow our managers to drive this company off a cliff.

Working Together
14. Why is it important to get to know each other informally?
It is easy to misinterpret text. Know the person behind the text helps to prevent misunderstandings.
15. What do we do at Moralis to make the informal meetings possible?
Weekly FIKA Sessions on Thursdays.
16. What do we mean by “don’t pull rank”?
Do not use your position, or someone else position to prove that you are right.
17. What do we mean when we “Assume Positive Intent”? In what situations do we do that?
Give people the benefit of the doubt.
18. What is a straw man and what is a steel man?
The straw man is arguing against a preconceived idea.
19. When should you use the steel man?
When there is a disagreement and you want to mitigate bias from you statements.
20. What can you say about “saying sorry” at Moralis?
It is not a sign of weakness but of strength.
21. What do we mean by “no ego”?
We are not our work. We make mistakes.
22. What do we mean by “blameless problem solving”?
Focus on solving the problem not the person that might have made a mistake.
23. What do we mean by “short toes”?
We need to be more accepting of people wanting to improve things.

Collaboration
24. What is the difference between collaboration and consensus?
Transparency is needed so everyone knows what is going on. You do not have to wait for everyone approval, how ever their needs be enough time for everyone’s imput.
25. Are you expected to ask peoples opinions always?
No, but they are allowed to give them.
26. What is permissionless innovation?
You don’t need to involve people, but everyone can contribute.
27. What can you say about politics at Moralis?
When the focus is more on the person making the proposal then the qualities of the proposal.

#31
  1. So that we can improve work flows and ensure that different people from different backgrounds all understand what is expect of them and how to behave in the workplace.
  2. Ask and rely on the help and assistance from others in the team. As you should help them when needed.
  3. As much as possible and in a public way. In the thanks channel or on your own channel.
  4. In a private manner, if possible 1 on 1. It also needs to be aimed to help and actionable.
  5. If there is no direct feedback involved.
  6. Negative feedback is actionable and aimed to help where as negativity is not.
  7. In a public forum
  8. One on one forum
  9. A manager or someone superior to you.
  10. To solve problems while they are still small.
  11. #thanks
  12. Should be done sincerely and summarize why you are thankful.
  13. Focus on the business impact and not the person. If the person is having difficulties in their personal life take that into account. Don’t mention it if its inconsequential. Focus on improving the team member’s performance going forward.
  14. Yes, it is essential.
  15. No.
  1. To get to know the person and to help avoid conflicts.
  2. Hold weekly FIKA Sessions.
  3. Don’t use your position or the position of someone else to influence a decision and process.
  4. Respecting their expertise and giving them grace in the face of what you might perceive as mistakes. The staw man and the steal man.
  5. A straw man is when disagreeing, folks sometimes argue against the weakest points of an argument, or an imaginary argument. A steal man is when you assume the points are presented in good faith, and instead try to argue against the strongest version of your opponent’s position.
  6. When the other person feels you’ve represented their position well, even if they still disagree with your assumptions or conclusion.
  7. It is a sign on strength rather then a sign of weakness.
  8. Don’t defend a point to win an argument or double-down on a mistake. You are not your work.
  9. Investigate mistakes in a way that focuses on the situational aspects of a failure’s mechanism and the decision-making process that led to the failure, rather than cast blame on a person or team. People are not blamed or punished for their errors.
  10. Encouraging people to speak up and feeling comfortable letting others contribute to our domain.
  11. Collaboration is everyone having the freedom to contribute and be involved on their own accord where is consensus is every one agreeing first and then moving on.
  12. No, its not needed.
  13. People can participate if they wanted without being asked.
  14. People should not play politics at Moralis.
#32

"We want everyone to know that at Moralis - IT IS YOUR JOB TO GIVE FEEDBACK TO MANAGERS!!!

It is part of your job description.

Why is it so important?

We can’t allow our managers to drive this company off a cliff."

This bit really resonated with me.

#33

Introduction:

  1. We have to work together for efficiency. Each individual only has 24 hours a day and together we can achieve great things.

  2. If I need unexpected help I would ask my team if this couldn’t be solved by myself. Teamplay is key in a world with many different tasks and problems to that have to be solved.

Feedback:

  1. Positive feedback only is possible it you share what you got with others. You will reach the right person by sharing to public audience.

  2. Negative Feedback first needs to be solved 1 to 1 when the issue occurs. In the best case organise a 1 on 1 call and strive to discuss the disagreement. Be kind, clear and honest.

  3. Negative feedback is distinct from negativity and disagreement.

  4. The difference between negativity and negative feedback is that negativity is not aimed to improve the person and is not actionable, while negative feedback is.

  5. The best way to discuss a disagreement is to organise a 1 to 1 call with the person.

  6. Personal in a 1 : 1 call.

  7. Negative feedback can be given in a group setting if it’s to someone higher in the management chain. This shows that no one is above feedback. Everyone makes mistakes. Be honest and try to solve.

  8. Because in this fast living industry some issues need to be solved quickly. So it’s very essential to provide feedback as fast as possible.

  9. You can do it in the “thanks channel” but there are many different other ways to say thanks

  10. Keep in mind even while assuming positive intent, not all folks are comfortable with public praise. Help this person understand how they went above and beyond and why you felt it was important for the team member to be recognized. Be kind always.

  11. When providing feedback, always make it about the work itself; focus on the business impact and not the person. Be honest, clear and make examples of things that don’t go with the flow, but also keep in mind everone some times gets through tough times in life.

  12. Feedback on the managers is always welcome. It is part of the job description.

  13. We can’t allow our managers to drive this company off a cliff. We are all humans and humans tend to make mistakes some times.
    Managers are just people - they don’t know better than you in all cases, they may be more experienced but we are living in such a complex world and industry that no person can know it all.

Working Together:

  1. Because Moralis is a all remote company and there a lot of text-based communication. It provides more trust and prevent conflicts through knowing each a bit better by joining the weekly FIKA sessions on Thursdays.

  2. Weekly FIKA call

  3. If it is legit you don’t need the highest authority by rank. Everyone can have great ideas when the mind feels comfortable.

  4. Assume Positive intent means when it comes to conflicts. The receipient of the feedback needs to be able to improve the situation. Ideally you can give them suggestions on exactly what they need to do. If you can’t come up with some suggestions yourself in how they can improve themselves - the feedback is most likely not actionable.

  5. When disagreeing, folks sometimes argue against the weakest points of an argument, or an imaginary argument = straw man.
    A “steel man” argument is the opposite of a straw man. It involves presenting the strongest possible version of someone else’s argument, even if it’s not the one they explicitly made. The goal is to engage with the best form of the opposing argument, showing respect and understanding. This approach can lead to more productive and respectful discussions.

  6. You should always be honest and respectful in general.

  7. Admit to your mistakes and communicate them in a clear and professional manner.

  8. Don’t defend a point to win an argument or double-down on a mistake. You are not your work; you don’t have to defend your point. You do have to search for the right answer with help from others. Errors occur where there are people. Own up to them and communicate them openly.

  9. Don’t blame individuals for making mistakes. Try to solve it as a team in a professional and fair discussion and enviroment.

  10. Sharing is caring at moralis. Together we are better is the main vision of completing tasks efficiently.

Collaboration

  1. Collaboration involves working together and sharing ideas to achieve a common goal, while consensus is a decision-making process where everyone must agree on the final decision. Collaboration can be more flexible and efficient, while consensus requires unanimous agreement and can be time-consuming.

  2. No you don’t always need to ask peoples opinons. Unless it is absolutely unclear and cannot be solved by yourself. In some cases asking for opinions can help ensure that conversations are engaging and inclusive. It also helps to understand indivdual preferences and provide more personalized responses.

  3. Permissionless innovation refers to the idea that experimentation with new technologies and business models should generally be allowed by default, without needing prior approval from regulators or authorities. This approach encourages creativity and progress by allowing innovators to explore and develop new ideas freely, addressing any issues that arise later.

  4. Moralis don’t want people to make politics. Proposals should be weighed on their merits and not on who proposed them. Let results and actions speak for themselves and don’t talk the talk. Authenticity and team spirit are required, not ego-driven motives.

#34
  1. We need to collaborate in order to exponentially increase the amount of time we have in a day. If we did not collaborate, we would all do a lot of work for not much affect.
  2. If you need help and advise, you are expected to ask without fear of judgement for any gap in knowledge. inversely, if you are being asked a question, you are expected to help without judging the asker’s lack of knowledge or displaying surprise at it to reinforce collaboration.
  3. We give positive feedback in a public way, in the #thanks slack channel. It is important to do so because this motivates those who make a positive impact.
  4. we give negative feedback in a private, 1-on-1 call, and should be done with a specific example and no ad-hominem.
  5. Negative feedback and disagreement are very different concepts, disagreement is a function of mutual understanding, where parties discuss to come to a mutually beneficial solution, while negative feedback is a statement of unhelpful or not useful information or behavior.
  6. Negativity is far from the same as negative feedback. Negativity is not actionable or aimed to help the recipient, and has no place whatsoever in any business.
  7. Disagreement should be discussed openly, publicly, and transparently, so as to in having the disagreement, remain professional while providing information to anyone who reads the discussion.
  8. Negative feedback should always be discussed one on one and privately.
  9. You can give negative feedback to managers in a group setting.
  10. To address problems while they are still small, instead of allowing them to grow and waste time.
  11. #thanks
  12. You should think about some people being uncomfortable with recieving praise publicly. Make sure that praise is given sincerely and that the reason for it is summarized so that the recipient understands why they are being praised.
  13. Give feedback effectively. Take into account if the person is going through a hard time in their personal life. For managers, understand that team members react much more strongly to negative feedback than positive feedback, follow the 5 to 1 positive to negative interaction rule. If the result of feedback is inconsequential consider keeping it to yourself. Make sure your feedback sticks to its actual purpose: improving the performance of the team member.
  14. Always.
  15. No. Managers are just people and they are succeptible to feedback like all of the team is.

Working together.

  1. Moralis is an all-remote company, so we will use a lot of text based communication. Knowing the person behind the text makes it easier to prevent conflicts.
  2. we make informal meetings possible by holding a weekly FIKA session on Thursdays.
  3. Moralis defines “don’t pull rank” as not bringing up who you are, your position in the company, or who you know to sell an idea or prove a point. Rank derives naturally from merit, not the other way round.
  4. When we “Assume Positive Intent”, we mean to give others the benefit of the doubt, respect their expertise, and give them grace in the face of what we might perceieve as mistakes. We mitigate the Fundemental Attribution Error when we do so.
  5. A straw man is when someone argues against an imaginary argument, or the weakest points of the argument, in order to disprove its merit. A steel man is arguing against the most compelling version of the argument, perhaps even a stronger one than the original. This assures that the other person feels heard, and that their idea was evaluated fairly.
  6. You should use the steel man when you disagree with someone
  7. Saying sorry at Moralis is just as important as saying sorry in life. Dropping your ego when you realize you were wrong or unkind, instead of doubling down, strengthens your own mind and the relationships you have in life and at work. It is important to apologise as soon as possible. I suppose I could say I’m sorry I didn’t learn about this company sooner, LOL
  8. By no ego, we mean we don’t defend an argument just to win, and we separate ourselves as people from our work. Instead of working alone just to prove we can, we seek the right answers with help from other people. No ego is something I personally hold dear.
  9. We investigate mistakes in a way that focuses on situational aspects of a failure’s mechanism, and the decision making process that led to the failure, instead of blaming the person for the problem.
  10. By having “short toes”, we mean we are accepting of people taking initiative to try and improve things, no matter the rank, or the age of the decision or system already in place.
  11. The difference between collaboration and consensus is that with collaboration, disagreements are instrumental in finding a solution that works for more than just one person, and that the idea does not need to rely on the knowledge of just one person to come to fruition. Consensus is not collaboration, as consensus should not be required to implement a useful change. The more people up the chain of command required to agree on something, the slower that thing can be implemented, inversely affecting the growth of the company.
  12. You are not always expected to ask other people’s opinions.
  13. Permissionless innovation is the concept of not having to involve people in your innovation, but everyone is allowed to contribute.
  14. Politics should not be played at Moralis. Focusing on who presented an argument might as well negate the presence of an argument. Just because of someone’s status, does not mean all of their ideas are good ones. The merits of their argument are all that should be considered.