During times of change, we lean on these company values

A Lighthouse In A Fog Of Uncertainty

The evidence has literally hit home: Changes we’re experiencing have upended normal life. People around the world and across generations are afraid, and companies are faced with unprecedented uncertainty. In these strange times, it’s only natural to clamor for a sense of control, certainty, and belonging—all feelings that seem a far cry from our current reality.

I believe our innate ability to adapt will shine through these tough times, guiding companies to connect with employees and customers on a deeper level than ever before. Industry experts predict that prospective customers, employees, and investors will be evaluating how organizations respond to these trying times. That’s why organizations must call on their core principles during periods of change.

When it comes to our principles, they must drive our organizational behavior and help our teams adapt quickly, effectively, and, most importantly, safely. Over the past few weeks, I have proudly witnessed how Spire Global uses its Values, much like a lighthouse, to navigate through uncertainty. Together, we are:

Global

Cultivating a global footprint, remote teamwork, and international participants have always been in our DNA. With offices in Singapore, Luxembourg, Scotland, and the United States, we created location-specific employee strategies early on. This has helped us adapt to the current crisis with minimal disruption. As our CEO, Peter Platzer, said recently: “We have a built-in advantage to the current situation because we already know how to work collaboratively across time zones in a remote fashion.”

Employees began sharing local photographs and describing the changes they’ve noticed. Dan Glass, one of our Software Engineers, took this photograph of the San Francisco skyline.

Reliable

Transitioning to a work-from-home structure while continually driving results requires trust and follow-through from employees at every level of the organization. Our teams have been showcasing their reliability in exceptional ways, especially with our customers. Many of our logistics customers rely on Spire data to make business-critical routing decisions based on weather and estimated delivery times. For businesses that ship perishable products, reliable data is the difference between a successful delivery and unexpected loss.

Unbounded

Solving unique problems is part of the lifeblood of our organization. Even with the sudden shift to a 100 percent remote structure, our teams still found innovative ways to use existing tools for engaging and onboarding employees—without delaying start dates. This helped our new team members feel secure and supported while changing careers during the pandemic.

Bread-making has also become a pastime for Spire employees, including Vinny Furia, Director of Space Operations.

Faster

Speed and adaptability have been critical for our teams and customers as we respond to evolving government recommendations in our various locations. Acting quickly has kept our employees safe and our customers updated about ways to optimize their businesses and supply chains. We’ve consistently revised our company policies on travel and working from home as the situation has evolved. And our People teams are rapidly developing programs to offer employees opportunities to stay connected and learn new skills.

Relentless

We don’t let roadblocks become a stopping point for our teams. Despite the considerable challenges in navigating changes to supply chains and launch schedules, our teams came together to prove they are relentless. They exceeded customer expectations, driving a 98 percent renewal rate. Exceptional outcomes require exceptional effort.

Software engineer Brian Stewart snapped a photograph of his new backyard friend.

Collaborative

Cross-team collaboration has been key to staying effective and efficient during this pandemic. I have been overjoyed to see the number of people in our company stepping up to support each other. We have maintained and strengthened our community by connecting on virtual coffee breaks, weekly happy hours, trivia nights, and our WFH (Work From Home) Slack channel. I believe it’s in these times that our commitment to collaboration truly shines. This commitment extends to customers through our close partnerships. Our sales, engineering, finance, and legal teams have showcased their genuine interest and extraordinary abilities by helping clients solve their challenges amid financial concerns and supply chain delays.

Spire employees have done an exceptional job of putting our values into action during this pandemic. They are helping us find new and powerful ways of supporting each other and our clients. In the future, I know we’ll reflect with pride in our accomplishments and perseverance, both as an organization and as individuals.