What’s Already True: From Core Values to Honest Principles–with Julie & Aaron of Rocket Money

f your people can’t guess what the company’s core values are, how valid are they? It’s definitely a question that’s been knocked around at Rocket Money, the massively popular personal finance app. Their Head of People, Julie, and VP of Agentic Products, Aaron, took a different approach. They collaborated on a project that revealed what principles reflect Rocket Money’s actual workplace culture and employee experience. As it turns out, data really does supercharge conviction. “Most values projects are doomed because they focus on what we want to be true instead of what is true.” – Aaron Key Takeaways · Defining aspirational core values is fine when you’re founding a new company. One or two may even stick for the long haul. · As companies grow, the values upheld must be recognizable and authentic to teams. · You can’t make people value something, but you can share principles that help shape their approach. · Starting with a few key principles can have greater impact and ensure everyone remembers them. · Don’t cling to guiding principles. Keep analyzing and planning for what comes next in a rapidly changing workplace, especially if you’re remote-first. Timestamps 00:50 Julie and Aaron Introduce One Another 06:45 Post-Acquisition Values Confusion 09:00 Values vs. Principles 14:11 53 Interviews 17:50 What To Do With All That Data 20:41 The Three Principles 27:45 Goosebumps: The Big Reveal 30:21 What’s Next? 33:24 Five Tacos to Share Key Topics Discussed Amazing Teams, Una Japundza, Rocket Money, HeyTaco, company core values, workplace culture, peer recognition Mentions Website: https://rocketmoney.com/