A bold mission for Momentous

Internet company isn't afraid to state its risk-embracing values and stand out in a city that it's CEO says is dominated by a suffocating government mindset.

OTTAWA, ON - FEBRUARY 12, 2011
By Mark Sutcliffe, The Ottawa Citizen

Lots of companies have mission statements and corporate values. But Ottawa-based Internet company Momentous doesn't throw around platitudes about honesty, integrity and respect. The company has deliberately defined its culture with a brash set of values and the chief executive says he doesn't care if some people find them offensive.

"We've got more balls than Ikea" is one of the 10 corporate values of Momentous, speaking to the company's attitude toward risk. Another reads, "Drifting along is what a log of wood does," followed by an explanation that if employees just "get by" it will mean "goodbye." Number 10 on the list includes a word that can't be printed in the newspaper. But it does appear on the company's website.

"They're deliberately provocative," says Momentous CEO Rob Hall. "They're meant to be polarizing. If you hate them, great. They've done their job. If you love them, come work with us."

Hall wants to create the complete opposite of a government workplace in a city dominated by them. And if he ruffles a few feathers in the process, so be it.

The parent company of a group of subsidiaries including several Internet domain registrars, a digital marketing agency and the movie rental business Zip.ca,Momentous has about 120 employees.

Hall says the process of crafting the values began out of frustration with the pool of available employees in Ottawa.

He thinks the presence of the federal government in Ottawa has created a shortage of candidates who can fit into an entrepreneurial environment.

"This city truly has a government mentality when it comes to work," he says. "It's amazing how that mentality is pervasive in Ottawa. It's suffocating for an entrepreneurial company.

"Everybody knows somebody who works for the government. Everybody knows what a government job involves. It's hard to find people who are the opposite of that in this town. We're the opposite of that."

Hall says he found a lot of prospective employees asked questions about how many hours they would be required to work and how much sick leave they would receive rather than what kind of opportunity they would be given.

He also found Momentous itself slipping into a "government mentality" by not demanding a high level of performance from all staff.

So early last year, management began engaging employees in a discussion about values. In October, Hall released a final version of the list at a company event. He says the statements were met with a standing ovation. Since then, the company has used the values in the interview process for prospective employees and also applies them during performance evaluations for existing staff.

One of the most important values to Hall is introduced as, "We're a team, not a family." The explanation stresses, "Not everyone can make the team." Hall says he wants employees who want to work alongside the best, not necessarily their best friends. He compares that to a successful professional sports franchise. "It's about winning, it's about profit. Some people find that offensive."

Another value emphasizes that attitude, behaviour and competence matter to the company in exactly that order. "Competence is still important to us, but it will only get you through the door," the statement reads. "Great attitude and behaviour are what will keep you moving forward."

In other words, says Hall, "we will not put up with brilliant jerks."

Hall says the result is that potential applicants have a much clearer idea of the company before they submit their resumes. "We're getting more applications of the right kind of people than ever," he says.

In addition to the provocative values, the company has a few unusual and even radical policies. For example, Momentous no longer tracks employee vacation time. If an employee thinks he can take time off and still meet company deadlines, he takes the time.

"Is it possible that we hire somebody that abuses that?" says Hall. "Sure, but they won't be here long."

And if you smoke, you can't work at Momentous. That's the subject of the naughty word in Value Number 10.

"We do not hire smokers and it's a contractual condition," says Hall, "for productivity and health reasons. Look at the wall of smokers you've got to walk through to get into any government building. We don't want that."

Hall says he deliberately avoided the standard words that turn up in the mission statements of other companies.

"There are lots of words that are very typical, like ethics and integrity," he says. "Those were carved into the marble in the lobby at Enron.

"They're meaningless. I shouldn't have to tell you we have integrity."

Still, not everyone likes what they see. And that's not a problem for Hall, nor is he surprised by it, in a city where the largest employer is government.

"A small percentage of the Ottawa population will love them," he says.

"We are trying to make a place that the type of talent we want would enjoy. That's a very small fraction of the Ottawa workforce, unfortunately."

"Some people say, 'You can't do that, they're horrible,' I have had ex-staff who blogged about how horrible they are.

"Perfect," says Hall. "That means they worked."