My internship with WP Daily is over in 8 days. That’s hard to believe. Someday’s I feel like I’ve worked here for over a year but most days it feels like I’ve just begun. I’m learning on a constant basis about writing, editing, WordPress, plugins, best practices, openness, community and more.
It’s been challenging as a relative newcomer to this whole scene but that challenge has also been what has made this internship so sweet.
I’ve been coached, called out, pushed, corrected, applauded and accepted by the WP Daily team. They don’t settle for poor work, they hold each other to a high standard and everyone has a voice in the discussion.
Even as an Intern I have the freedom to correct any mistakes I see on the site.
This all has really hit me over the last few days as I’ve been contemplating all that has gone on during my internship. I realized that the manifesto for WP Daily is not just a group of pithy sayings, rather, it’s a promise.
And that promise comes to fruition in the way the team operates behind closed doors and in public.
Collaboration, not Competition
This is not the “if you can’t beat ’em, you might as well join ’em” mentality. Collaboration, not competition is rooted in the idea that we can do more together than we can do apart. And isn’t this what open source is really all about? Let’s work together towards building something great instead of retreating to our respective corners and trying to outdo each other.
Community, not Agendas
When collaboration is a focus, community has a greater chance of growing. If you’re caught in the cycle of competition and one-upsmanship you can’t have a solid community. Community allows people to talk openly, honestly, confrontationally and lovingly. When you have an agenda you circumvent the benefits of community and you undercut progress, invention and collaboration.
Friendship, not Formality
Wouldn’t you rather work with your friends? Wouldn’t you want the people in your industry to view you as a friend and not as competition or as some nondescript title? Friendship is more powerful than formality or hierarchy.
The relationship we build can push us higher and further than any formality can. If we make promises to people we care about we are, more often than not, going to come through on those promises. Strong relationships matter. They help us work harder, with intent and for a greater purpose.
People, not Personalities
If you haven’t caught on to this yet, we believe people matter. Every single one of the tenets in the WP Daily Manifesto puts people first. It’s the people that create the ideas, that work together to achieve those ideas and that build the relationships that make up a strong community. Valuing people is one of the best things any company can ever do. People matter.
Participation, not Observation
We don’t ever want to be those people on the sidelines who are commenting on what’s going on in the field. You know those people right? They whine, complain or correct everything that you do but they themselves have never actually gotten off the bench to do anything. We believe in participation; get off the bench and go make it happen!
If I take anything from my time as an intern here at WP Daily, it will be the practical out-workings of this manifesto that I was privy to over the last 90 days. I know that’s pretty vague but I’ve got a bank of memories and experiences that I’m still processing. I know that my perspective on how I communicate, how I value team and how I value honesty and clarity have changed.
I’ve been given a glimpse into a company that I really like. I’m not trying to suck up or brown nose, I’m just being honest about how I feel. I genuinely like these guys, how they do business and what their priorities are. I don’t know what my future holds but I hope it’s tightly wound to WP Daily and the guys behind it.
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