Being part of Afi
6
.
Freedom, responsibility and autonomy
These three pillars are fundamental to creating a suitable environment for professional development. Afi fosters an environment in which people are given the freedom to act, responsibility for their actions and autonomy to carry out anyinitiative. This environment, combined with the talent of our team, provides the ideal context for professional development. We believe that good people are self-motivated, but they need to be given a context that encourages continuous development.
At Afi, responsibility is not given, it is taken. There are many areas in which contributions can be made, and it is important to create a context in which anyone who proposes a reasonable initiative has the opportunity to develop it.
Creating spaces for freedom and autonomy is a catalyst for innovation, transformation and growth within the company.
Logically, freedom and autonomy are powers that must be combined with responsibility. This responsibility helps us minimise mistakes, foster teamwork, and align our skills and interests with those of the organisation.
Recognise your limitations
When we rely on others, it is very important to know that we can trust them. Sometimes, people tend not to recognise their limitations out of embarrassment or fear. It is much worse to cause a problem by committing ourselves beyond our means than to acknowledge a limitation. Obviously, this is entirely compatible with our obligation to train ourselves, acquire new skills, and be available to others.
The limitations of some are the strengths of others; therein lies the value of a team. The difference between an assembly line and genuine teamwork is that teamwork generates synergies above individuality, paying attention not to limitations but to the strengths of each individual.
Ethical behavior
Ethical behaviour is a fundamental pillar that must guide all our actions and decisions. We firmly believe that freedom, autonomy and responsibility must always be accompanied by ethical behaviour. Acting with integrity is not only essential to maintaining the trust of our customers, partners and colleagues, but it is also one of the foundations on which our long-term success is built.
Each of our employees is responsible for strictly complying with current regulations and adhering to the highest ethical standards in all interactions and transactions. This includes absolute respect for contracts, discretion, protection of confidential information, and ensuring that our clients' interests are always prioritised and safeguarded.
Ethical behaviour also means recognising and addressing any conflicts of interest, acting with transparency, and ensuring that all decisions and actions contribute to the well-being and trust of those who place their trust in us.
Manage your team's mistakes well
A framework that encourages enthusiasm for innovation, autonomy, and freedom like ours is probably more prone to mistakes than more rigid and procedural structures. Lack of knowledge, lack of skills, or mistakes are not directly penalized at Afi.
Mistakes are a very effective way of learning when you are responsible and honest; the issue is that this form of learning is very costly and, therefore, we should use it with great caution. The three fundamental rules we follow when faced with a mistake are:
- Identify and communicate it immediately. The effects of mistakes generally grow over time. The sooner a mistakeis recognized, the easier it is to manage.
- Learn as much as possible from the mistake.
- Implement measures to prevent the mistake from happening again. Analyzing and sharing mistakes openly with the rest of the team and reflecting on what measures will prevent them in the future is a practice we call “post-mortem,” which greatly helps us grow and improve the quality of our work.
Getting angry is a natural reaction to mistakes, but it is not a management practice, nor does it contribute to improvement or learning. If someone on our team makes a mistake, don't express anger, instead, provide clear information about why the mistake occurred and how it could have been avoided.
If someone is not meeting the organization's requirements, we let them know clearly and explicitly.
Although we understand that mistakes must be managed as discussed, it is important to distinguish these from the following actions or attitudes, which we penalize severely:
- Lack of attention.
- Repeating the same mistakes.
- Negligence.
- Lack of agility in assimilating knowledge or skills.
- Disrespect
- Selfishness.
- Acting against the interests of the company.
Explain the reasons for saying no
One of the main functions of a manager is to ensure that the people who report to them are motivated. It is very demotivating to work with the feeling that you are not being listened to, and even worse to feel that the organization is missing opportunities to improve. That is why it is very important that, when we refuse something, we explain the reason for the refusal adequately. These explanations are important for the team's learning and also for maintaining interest in proposing, disagreeing, and being proactive.
A disagreement is not a confrontation. Any opinion different from your own is an opportunity to contrast your ideas. We listen, trying to avoid prejudices and assumptions, and allow the others to express their point of view fully before presenting our arguments.