Are you EPIC? A reflection on Andela’s EPIC values

What are values?

Wikipedia defines value as the degree of importance of something or action, with the aim of determining what actions are best to do or what way is best to live or to describe the significance of different actions and also went on to state that value systems are proscriptive and prescriptive beliefs; they affect ethical behaviour of a person or are the basis of their intentional activities.

What are Organizational values?

J.D. Meier, the best-selling author of Getting Results the Agile Way defines Organizational values as abstract ideas that guide organizational thinking and actions and that organizational values represent the foundation on which the company is formed. Defining an organization’s unique values is the first and most critical step in its formation and development.

Andela as a young technology firm summarized their values as EPIC — Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Collaboration. These values have helped the firm in their selection process over the years, screening hundreds of thousands of applicants and successfully selecting candidates that have demonstrated that they are EPIC in all aspects tested during the recruitment process.

Let’s carefully look into the meaning of Andela’s EPIC and how aspiring andelans can imbibe these values.

E — Stands for Excellence. This basically means being the best version of yourself, holding oneself and the people around with high esteem always believing that nothing is impossible and always strive to achieve whatever one aims or dream at achieving. In the end, one can be the master of his/her craft, demonstrating proven excellence. With this life approach, aspiring Andelans should always be internally motivated, knowing that excellent mentality brings about excellent outcomes.

P — Stands for Passion. This can simply be understood as loving what you do or believe in, seeking to inspire and be inspired. Passion also entails having an unwavering stance about things one believe in, always reflecting on one’s goals and dreams to keep going and also building a support system to turn to whenever one experience a blocker(s).

I — Stands for Integrity. This means living base on one’s value knowing that “we are what we preach”. Whenever one experiences a blocker, he/she is open about it and seek the necessary help needed to unmount such a blocker. It also entails staying true to one’s value, never changing no matter any challenges encounter that may seem to threaten one’s value.

C — Stands for Collaboration. Collaboration is the process of two or more people working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. In this value, collaboration is key. An aspiring Andelan should know how to join forces with others, seeking other opinion and demonstrate that they can work with individuals from a diverse background. Teams that work collaboratively often access greater resources, recognition and rewards when facing competition for limit resources.

In conclusion, for you to be EPIC, you have to imbibe the Andela values of Excellence, Passion, Integrity and Collaboration.