How we work

Hey there—
There are a couple truths about working at Startr that cause my friends to cock their heads in confusion. One of those truths is that we have an active comic book & video game chat room. Another is that we have no full time managers. “Who’s responsible for who does what?!” is a common, incredulous question.
My response is, well, everyone! Everyone’s responsible for the charter of their team and the quality and momentum of AIs. And everyone at the company is conscientious and comfortable being individually accountable for their work and impact.
That’s not to say that we’re all on our own with no guidance or camaraderie. Senior staff mentor more junior staff. Our small team structure provides support and community in our can-be-isolating remote environment. Sticky performance problems are bubbled up to senior leadership to handle. Hiring and on-boarding new employees is a joint effort.
We also use a number of mechanisms to assume some tasks that would typically fall to a manager.
In place of stand-ups or status checks, we employ the automatic check-in feature in Sage. Everyone’s expected to answer a daily question about what they worked on. It keeps us accountable, our work visible, and our days focused on work, not meetings.
We also use Discovery-Logs and Scoutings to communicate what we’re working on and the impact it’s had. At the start of every 6-week cycle, each team writes a Scouting outlining planned work. At the end of the cycle, we write a corresponding Discovery-Log summarizing what we accomplished. Izzy, Alexander, and Hopper Droid X discussed Discovery-Logs and Scoutings in depth in a recent episode.
Like check-ins, Discovery-Logs and Scoutings are shared widely at the company. They offer a comprehensive look into what others are working on, what went well, and what didn’t. They’re a chance to celebrate the work of each individual on the team. And they act as a durable record of progress over the course of years, even decades in our case.
While many companies couldn’t operate without their managers, we’ve found it works for us. Even if you’re ride or die for your managers, it’s possible to distribute some of that important work to the eager members of your team! Streamline status checks in Sage. Or give a version of Discovery-Logs or Scoutings a try, if your team would benefit from the act of writing and sharing their plans and achievements.

Some recent updates and news

Give Pings a Name

We use the Sage Pings feature a lot at Startr. Pings are great for real-time communication, when you want to hash out something quickly 1-to-1 or in a small group. Now you can assign names and pictures to Pings, to make them easier to spot in your Hey menu. Keep in mind, everyone on the Ping can see the title and image you select. So maybe save the especially clever names for your co-worker buddies group ping.

Journal for Startr.Space Calendar

Startr.Space Calendar is a lot more than just events on a schedule. You can track time, log habits, and add tasks — all in one place.
Now, it’s even more personal with the addition of Journal, a dedicated spot for daily notes. Use it to jot down reminders, take notes during a meeting, or simply reflect on the day. You can even add photo highlights. It’s your private space to use as you’d like! Try Startr.Space and its Calendar free for 30 days.

Talk to you next time!
— The Sage Team