Our Philosophy
ByteStyle & Leadership Principles.
Culture plays an important role within ByteDance and at the heart of our culture are our Mission, ByteStyle and Leadership Principles.
Our Mission is "Inspire Creativity, Enrich Life." Our ByteStyle is a set of work styles and methods that guide how we work together, treat each other, and pursue our goals. Leadership Principles are additional standards set for our people leaders, but equally aspirational to employees of all levels.
Together, these qualities foster a truly unique culture for our talent and are embedded in our day-to-day lives.
ByteStyle
Always Day 1
• Always maintain an entrepreneurial mindset. Keep pioneering and innovating instead of relying on resources or past achievements.
• Stay agile and pursue efficiency and simplicity. Reduce unnecessary procedures.
• Reject complacency. Stay open and humble.
Champion Diversity and Inclusion
• Value individual differences, and focus on people's unique strengths.
• Think global. Understand and celebrate different cultures, views, and experiences.
• Facilitate effective collaboration by assuming good intent and trusting by default.
Be Candid and Clear
• Speak your mind. Expose problems candidly. Avoid "managing up".
• Be accurate, concise, and straightforward. Avoid overusing jargon or elaborate terms.
• Drive communication and form conclusions with data and facts, instead of assumptions or emotions.
Seek Truth and Be Pragmatic
• Be an independent thinker. Get to the bottom of things. Distill ideas down to their fundamental truths.
• Dive deep into facts. Seek direct experience and first-hand data and information.
• Be grounded and focus on real impact.
Be Courageous and Aim for the Highest
• Dare to take calculated risks for bigger gains, with a focus on return on investment.
• Explore alternative solutions in a larger scope for the optimal result.
• Insist on high standards. Don't just get the job done; execute with excellence.
Grow Together
• Live and be driven by our mission and vision.
• Show patience and resilience in the face of short-term fluctuations. Solve problems together.
• Keep learning and keep pushing boundaries. Pursue mutual growth with the organization.
Leadership Principles
Be mission and vision driven
• Think big, bold and ambitiously to inspire others in pursuit of our mission.
• Always keep our overall vision and the long-term outcomes in mind when developing strategies. Prioritize innovative and meaningful breakthroughs.
Understand the fundamentals to develop sound judgement
• Get to the root of problems and seek critical improvement.
• Be clear and firm when developing conclusions. Steer away from ambiguity.
• Carefully and thoughtfully consider feedback and different viewpoints, but do not reflexively change your judgment without a solid case.
Focus on actual impact
• Put users first and prioritize user feedback. Focus on real impact.
• Be practical and communicate in plain language. Avoid embellishing achievements, using abstract expressions or jargon, or letting style substitute for substance.
Small ego, big picture
• Avoid titles or honorifics, and don't focus on hierarchy. Prioritize business needs and show flexibility in reporting lines.
• Think beyond your role. Take ownership in your scope of work while keeping the bigger picture in mind.
• Leadership is a responsibility, not a privilege. Focus on impact, and continue to demand more of yourself as you take on more senior roles.
Leverage collective wisdom
• Provide sufficient context to partners and team members, and ensure efficient information sharing.
• Encourage participation from everyone to develop better ideas.
Lead by example
• Be a role model of ByteStyle and be responsible for building team culture.
• Be fair and trustworthy. Uphold high ethical standards. Create a work environment that promotes integrity.
Lead people based on their qualities
• Hire for core capabilities, qualities and potential, instead of highlights on a resume such as titles, or work history in big companies.
• Keep raising the bar. Be open to hiring or developing people more capable than yourself.
• Lead without biases or preferences. Resist leader pleasing, or "managing up", from your team.
Foster the growth of team members
• Believe in people's potential and bring out the best in others.
• Unlock growth potential with enriching work opportunities.
• Set high standards, but allow trial and error. Provide timely feedback.
Manage with firm principles
• When solving management problems, be patient, but firm on our principles.
• Differentiate rewards based on performance and contributions. Identify and reward strong results generously, while being realistic and honest about underperformance.
• Proactively manage low performance cases in the team. Keep boosting team performance and culture, while staying lean and efficient.
Set ambitious and clear goals
• Help the team understand their business mission and goals.
• Stay vigilant. Direct resources to our most important goals.
Be resilient and achieve results
• Lead teams with a sense of resilience and willingness to tackle challenges.
• Be willing to delegate responsibilities, while being hands-on whenever needed. Always take responsibility for your team's actions.
• Lead with a focus on achieving consistently strong results based on quality and efficiency.