I’ve had the fortune — some good and some bad — of working for a wide range of businesses on a diverse set of issues over the past 17 years or so. I did the TV gig — it wasn’t for me. I went to PR and have done corporate, agencies big and small, government, sports teams, not-for-profilt, yadda, yadda, yadda.

Like many of my peers I’ve written speeches and op-eds, pitched reporters, developed white papers, planned world domination, expounded on mustaches and bacon, supported tobacco, promoted “green,” introduced Pepsi products, pimped “Big Brown,” and I could bore you further but I won’t.

Needless to say I’ve been there and done that, sometimes leaving these issues and places on my own accord, and sometimes, I have not. Getting shown the door happens to us all at one time or another.

But as I’ve wound my way through professional life, I’ve gotten a taste of what I like and what I don’t. Some styles and cultures have meshed with my personal style and culture, and some have not. It’s hasn’t been as easy to figure out as one might expect. I spent 10 years thinking I wanted to be a sportscaster, and as soon as I started in TV, I knew it wasn’t for me.

Now, finally, I think I’ve got my finger on the pulse. It was more about figuring out who I am by being honest with myself more than anything else.

Throughout all of it, I’ve realized that I place an immense amount of importance on the humanity with which we treat one another in the workplace.  I don’t mean that I get a raise or promotion when I deserve it or whether a colleague is busting my chops over having a rotund backside. No, it’s more simplistic than that, and it’s why when Brian, Dan and I began to conceptually discuss our Website, I was insistent upon have a page for our People Principles.

I wanted anyone who wished to learn about our company — whether it be a client, colleague, or prospective employee — to really know what we stand for. And I’m not talking about BS corp speak, because if there has been one truism about almost every place that I’ve worked — it’s that there has been a company culture statement that is violated ad nauseum.

No, I’m talking about genuinely laying out a standard of decency that is actually cared about and adhered to.

So if you want to know about the Elasticity culture, I’m going to lay it out very clearly and a bit more succinctly than on our site, which I encourage you to read if you have time. Here’s the basic nuts and bolts:

• Be Elastic – Don’t be afraid of change.
• You Come First – If you are not happy, you’re not doing good work.
• We’re All Equals – From the boss to a bathroom attendant — treat them the same (I’d like to expound upon this one but I promised Brian I would not).
• Keep It Real – Do work because it matters, not because you think it’s what someone expects.
• Work Smart – It comes down to substance, not whether you work from home, a bar, the golf course, or the office.
• Different Is Good – We get paid to break through, not blend.
• Laugh
• Mistakes Happen
• It’s Not the People’s Court – Issues or people, don’t judge until you fully understand.
• Dance
• Endings Happen – People and clients come and go. It happens. Get over it and move on.