Chamath Palihapitiya is a self-described “Aspiring Merchant of Progress” and an owner at the Golden State Warriors. He previously was part of Facebook growth team. While leaving Facebook he wrote this letter way back in 2011. The letter is not as much about leaving Facebook, but the values he tried to leave behind. In their own right, the words in the letter are values every company should aspire to on daily basis.

I’ll try to single-out few of the gems in his letter.

...on staying humble

“its easy to get distracted. everyone thinks we are much better than we actually are. be humble and honest about the fact that more is left to do than has already been done.”

...on company culture

fight for the culture the way it should be…not the way it was or the way its becoming.

...on relevance

there is someone out there lurking with a small idea that will grow into a giant. don’t ignore that which you don’t immediately understand and keep pushing to evolve faster than what people expect.

...on speaking the truth

speak the truth… speak candidly especially when it means it won’t be well received. respect the person but don’t let bad ideas go unchallenged.

...on success

its rare to learn much of anything from success except to conflate luck and skill, but you learn tons in failure. take enough risks that you continue to fail…and celebrate those so that it becomes the battle scars you talk about when you do eventually succeed.

...on douchebaggery

don’t be a douchebag.

Read the letter in its entirety, bookmark it, save it, and share it with your team.