Manifesto


Leadership principles are the foundation of any successful company culture. They aren't just ideals—they’re guiding forces that shape decision-making, align teams, and drive consistent behavior throughout Octopus. These principles help scale leadership quality, ensuring that every person in the business, regardless of their role, makes decisions that propel the company forward in a unified direction. They serve as a compass, especially in complex or ambiguous situations, fostering innovation and customer-focused excellence.

At Octopus we use leadership principles as our way of working and embed them in all our decision making and processes. 

Our 10 Leadership Principles are:

I.

Hire the Best: Relentless Talent Hire & Growth

We discover and hire the best talent aligned with our high standards. We empower individuals to surpass expectations through continuous learning and development, cultivating leaders who drive personal and company-wide growth. As we invest in others, we propel our organization forward, creating a culture of development that leaves no one behind.

II.

Bias for Action: Positive can do Mindset

Leaders with a bias for action encourage their teams to act now and not delay. They prioritize making decisions quickly, understanding that it's better to take action and learn from mistakes than to stagnate in overthinking. This approach fosters a "just do it" mentality / "can do mindset", where progress is valued over perfection, and momentum is built through continuous experimentation and quick iteration.

III.

Radical Candor: Earn trust, Open Communication, trust, even in hard decisions and difficult topics, constructive feedback

Leaders build trust by fostering an environment of open communication. This means they address tough topics head-on, provide constructive feedback without sugarcoating, and are transparent about challenges. It also involves being direct yet compassionate and ensuring that criticism is framed in a way that supports the recipient's growth. Leaders who embrace radical candor demonstrate vulnerability, leading by example and cultivating stronger, more authentic relationships with their teams.

IV.

Dive Deep / Deep Insight and Expertise

We dive deep into every level of our organization, combining strategic vision with granular detail. Leaders actively seek out expertise. We gain critical understanding by leveraging expert insights and informed decision-making to ensure our actions are data-driven and impactful.

V.

Deliver Results

Leaders help define KPIs, targets and objectives, which aim to measure the effectiveness of the implementation of a plan or an idea. Leaders are accountable together with their teams for delivering against the KPIs, and for delivering the results.

VI.

Think Big: Persevere and when Obstacles come double down on the effort and overcome a limiting mindset

Leaders set the bar high, support bold ideas, think big beyond most people's wildest dreams and are relentlessly focused on finding ways to make it happen. Leaders accept failure and learn from it but only accept failure after having explored every imaginable avenue to reach success and achieve what others would have classified as impossible.

VII.

Ownership: Infinite mindset / Infinite Ownership for Long-Term Success

We lead with a long-term, purpose-driven mindset, over short-term gains We also ensure that our decisions nurture the well-being of the company, employees, and partners. This fosters a culture of accountability and collaboration, building a sustainable future for all.

VIII.

Make a positive impact on people and the environment around us

Every initiative should serve a larger purpose beyond profit. Leaders committed to this principle ensure that projects not only drive business success but also contribute to making the world a better place. Whether through innovation, sustainability, or societal impact, they prioritize initiatives that have meaningful, positive effects on people and the environment, aligning business goals with a broader mission for good.

IX.

Stakeholder Obsessed

Leaders design their offerings focused on the positive impact they can have on their stakeholders.

X.

People-Centered Purpose

We exist to deeply understand and serve the evolving needs of those we support: our clients, our team and our community. Every action we take is grounded in empathy, always putting people first.