Our values comprise our common beliefs and guide our daily decisions and behaviours.
They describe Novastar on its best days, and we aspire to have more of those with each passing year. We select for them. The entrepreneurs and teams we work with share a commitment to these five characteristics.
We want to be held accountable to them in everything we do; framing them explicitly here helps with that.
Heart
– We are passionate about social justice and the health of the planet; our collective ambition runs deeper than fame or fortune
– We know all human beings have equal worth and believe the most valuable companies are the ones solving humanity’s biggest challenges
– We are motivated by entrepreneurial ventures that tackle the needs of everyday people
– We seek to be generous and nurture trust in our relationships, rejecting zero-sum thinking and win-lose behaviour
– We value a soft heart and a hard head — it’s about EQ as much as IQ
Humility
– We need each other if we are to succeed; no one person has a monopoly of wisdom
– We listen carefully and respectfully to differing views, embrace constructive criticism and are quick to admit when we’ve got it wrong
– We believe the best leaders serve
– We are responsible stewards of the financial, intellectual and social capital entrusted to us
– We embrace a sense of humour and don’t take ourselves too seriously
Courage
– We have the courage of our convictions and are prepared to confront issues head on
– We call out decisions and actions that are inconsistent with our values
– We honour the daring pioneers who take bold risks to tackle big problems in big markets; the entrepreneurs and their teams are the heroes
– We are respectfully honest and direct, even when it’s painful
– We make decisions based on the creation of enduring value, not short-term gain
Grit
– We are fundamentally hopeful about the possibility of change for good
– We are not surprised or deterred when things go wrong
– We value tenacity and perseverance in the big and little things
– We give our very best in all circumstances
– We are here for the long term
Adventure
– We are drawn to adventure, not the well-trodden path
– We value and invest in innovative solutions; not technology
– We are curious; we love exploring and learning
– We have a bias to action, adapting quickly based on what we learn along the way
We challenge ourselves to think in new ways and try new approaches
