The importance of rituals

We talk a lot about rituals at Drift. But it’s been a while since we’ve explained why we put such an emphasis on them — and what each of them means to us. And so this week, I wanted to do just that.

Elias and I wanted to put rituals in place very early on in the company because we believe they reflect the culture we want Drift to have — one based on things like transparency, learning and respect.

My hope is that they also help people understand and answer the “why” behind things we do — like “why am I doing this?” “why should I feel excited about this?”

Here are the main rituals we have at Drift and the “why” behind each one:

• Monday Metrics: We established Monday Metrics as a place to reflect on the previous week’s progress and align on goals for the week. This ensures we are all on the same page and all working towards a common goal. As you know, we also like to use this time to share “Drift love” and inspiration for the coming week.
• Show & Tell: Believe it or not, when we first started Drift, this was a chance for everyone in the company to talk about what they did that week. Obviously we’ve gotten too big for that now, and so a representative from each team presents on something they’ve worked on, with the goal of sharing how this impacts our customers. I think it’s really important to bookend the week with Monday Metrics and Show & Tell because it allows us to answer the questions “How did we do?” and then “What did we actually make?”
• Quarterly Company Meeting: While this used to be monthly, in order to be the best use of our time, to update the entire company on the overall strategy, we’ve made this a quarterly meeting. This is a chance to do a deeper dive into the performance of the previous quarter and what our goals will be for the next.
• Company Kick-off & Camp Drift: These two are obviously very different — but they’re also the only two times a year where the entire company has a chance to get together. As we grow, it’s hugely important that we continue to find time to not only align on our vision and celebrate our accomplishments and each other — but also to bond as a team.

All of these have evolved as the team has grown — and I’m sure will continue to do so as we hit more milestones. But I think these rituals — along with all the other little ones we do each day and week, will ensure that we stay true to our vision and culture.

And if you’re ever unsure of where we are going, or why we do something, I encourage you to ask me, or your manager, “why?”