9fin's behaviors describe how we make decisions, collaborate, and serve our customers.
These don't aim to capture everything about working here, but they are tied to our values [link values blog] and aim to express the attributes that are essential for tackling the types of challenges we work on [link challenges blog].
Ownership. This means taking accountability for outcomes, as well as tasks. It means thinking in the long-term interest of the company, and solving problems rather than escalating them.
The absence of ownership usually manifests in a problem that bounces between people with no one putting their hand up. Or, most noticeable of all, in a person who says 'that's not my job'.
When people here are at their best, problems get solved rather than just surfaced. We love it when people see around corners and take the initiative to get something done.
Move fast. Learn things. This is about speed with intention. The goal is to get to the next step as quickly as possible, learn from it, and keep moving.
A useful frame we use is the idea of one-way doors and two-way doors. Most decisions are two-way, and very few are irreversible. What this looks like in practice involves prioritising impact over perfection, making time-sensitive calls with incomplete data, and treating mistakes as learning points rather than failure points – as long as you don't repeat them.
Candour. This is one that people can sometimes feel uncomfortable with. The framework we find useful is radical candour: give feedback early, give it often, and give it with positive intent. Praise and criticism both. We want people debating ideas, and speaking up when something doesn't add up. We should share information because it makes everyone better, not because we’re required to.
Play to win. We want to be number one in our space, as quickly as possible. That demands ambition, stretchy goals, calculated risk, and an instinct toward 'why not?'. One of the most demoralising things in a fast-growing company is someone listing twenty reasons why something can't be done. The right question is almost always: how do we make it happen?
Playing to win also means accepting that growth is uncomfortable. If you're sitting comfortably all the time, you’re probably not learning.
Data led. Opinions are fine, but evidence is always better. We try to base decisions on data, not hierarchy or instinct, and we share that data openly so the whole company can learn. We challenge our own assumptions, measure what we do, and adjust when reality contradicts the plan. The only thing worse than being wrong is staying wrong because it's inconvenient to change.
Integrity. This is the most important of all. It covers acting honestly, treating people with respect regardless; and understanding that no customer, no deadline, or target is worth someone's health or their relationships.
It also means we will not hire people who don't meet this standard, regardless of how talented they are at everything else. The phrase 'brilliant assholes' exists for a reason, and it describes the one kind of high performer we have no interest in.
A few other phrases you'll hear a lot
Some of 9fin's original values [link values blog] have embedded themselves as shorthand that still circulates today:
- Beautiful simplicity – if it's not easy to use, it's broken.
- Have an opinion – disagreement means you care.
- Don't know? Say so – ignorance is only a weakness when you don't admit it.
If this sounds like the kind of culture you’d thrive in, we’d love to hear from you. Check out our open roles.
