1 — Love Brand

Background:

At S4L we have transformed ourselves profoundly in the last two years; we are now an educational group with a global vision that seeks to create meaningful and comprehensive learning experiences for all who choose us. From Mexico to Patagonia, from Colombia to the Philippines, we believe in the transformative power of education and we work every day to help our students achieve everything they set their minds to. 

Along the way, we have made organizational adjustments in structure, team and mindset; we have added talent from other industries, nationalities, cultural and professional backgrounds. Today we are a deeply diverse team, with 14 countries operating and counting.

As a marketing team, we are a cornerstone of many of the group's strategic projects. We support other teams in all countries to materialize their ideas and propose new ones. We test and refine them to find together the ideas that add the most value to our current and future students. We act together to achieve any goal we set ourselves, we are a leading group and with that we have the great responsibility to continue to encourage creativity and innovation to overcome any challenge and set a standard.

In response to this new way of conceiving ourselves, the need arises to put down in black and white what we want to build as a team culture, what unites us in our differences and what highlights the unique contribution of each one of us. We want to capture in a shared code, what we are and what we aspire to be. In order to contribute to our mission and vision we seek to have a common understanding of what we value, what we believe and recognize as institution. 

We are the S4L MKT team and this is our Manifesto:

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1- The purpose of positively impacting people's lives is the driving force behind our daily work. 

People who choose us are making one of the most important decisions of their lives. Where to do it and under what model becomes an enriching experience that contributes to their personal growth and knowledge of the world. From there, we become part of people's lives and our work has a direct impact on all of them. We find purpose in having them at the center of what we do and in knowing why and how we resonate in their lives. Students, alumni and collaborators, they are the reason that unites us. We change our lives by knowing that we have an impact on theirs.

2- Passion for what we do takes us to new places.

We are passionate and dedicated people, we love what we do. This leads us to proactively look for ways to break our own paradigms and limits, explore unconventional ways of approaching challenges and push boundaries. This is the passion that has led us to grow into new markets, expand our offerings and create out-of-the-ordinary strategies.

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3- We are Doers

We know that the best way to keep our balance is to keep pedaling; we do not stop, we look for solutions, we try, experiment, evaluate and start again. We are restless and distinguish ourselves by putting ideas into action. We value initiative and proactivity in each member of the team, we do not wait for someone to tell us what to do, we design, plan, build and co-create. If we do not know, we ask, we seek the support of other people who complement our talent and/or we learn it.

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4- We rely on our talent and diversity to achieve any goal.

We are surrounded by talented people, all of whom have something valuable to contribute. Our life experiences diversity, professional backgrounds and education, allows us to read beyond our own habits and routines, to understand the particularities of the team; and, mainly, of our community, with its singularities and cultural nuances, to translate them into market needs and solutions. This makes our team unique and is our greatest strength. Each person brings something special to the table and each contribution is equally valuable and necessary. We believe in the enormous capacity we have to ride any wave together.

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5- We decide to play and win as a team

We prefer to play and win as a team rather than go alone and solve everything "on our own". That is why we act according to the most important values that a team teaches us: companionship, solidarity, good communication and being humble. We foster a work environment where ideas have no hierarchy and we share them together with experiences and good practices. We know how to respond together for good results, which we recognize as a collective achievement, and we stand by each other in difficult times. We value and praise the authenticity, courage and talent of our teams, as well as their courage and tenacity to solve and learn together.

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6- We are tireless learners

We anticipate the constantly changing world by staying curious and always learning. We value a learning and growth mindset over expertise to face the unknown. Continuous improvement is part of our DNA, we know that questioning and reflecting on this is basic to find ways to keep progressing and learning. 

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7- We look for a "YES" but value a well timed "NO".

We remain open and flexible to new ideas and challenging timelines. We put our efforts into the "YES". Before going for a straight NO, we look at options, discuss priorities and propose possible paths. We have a good attitude towards challenges and see them as opportunities for growth. However, we also value what we gain from an assertively and well timed "NO". Good agreements are indispensable to have better results, so limits are important in any project to frame the expectations of our work.

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8- We generate value

We focus on generating value for our team, audiences and stakeholders. We bring this to every interaction, post, content, event or meeting. Everything we create and execute is to grow our communities and increase engagement. If it doesn't generate real value, then it's not necessary. We prioritize what is original and exclusive, where our contribution is genuine and true. We are fans of what is simple and done well as of a straightforward and clear communication. 

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9- We think outside the box (and sometimes we "break the box").

We believe that creativity has the power to change human behavior. Innovation is part of our daily work; we are promoters of new ideas and so, we encourage the team to take measured risks to experiment and test. We know that innovation does not come from doing the same thing in a repetitive way, but from finding new ways in what we already do; so we look for spaces to enrich ourselves from other disciplines, teams and ways of thinking. We share our knowledge, gather ideas and reformulate concepts to create something new. We are enemies of the phrase "we already did that and it didn't work", because we are advocates of "what do we need to do differently to make it work? We believe we can build on past experiences and try it from another perspective. Our ability to create and bring new ideas keeps us always one step ahead.

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10- We recognize that the process is just as important as the outcome.

We are a team motivated by ambitious goals and we look for results that give us the pulse of the quality of the strategies we implement. Our sense of urgency drives us to look for quick answers to make assertive decisions. However, if these results come at the expense of any of our values, we raise a red flag. We know that true learning comes from reflecting on what we have experienced, so we open spaces where we reflect on the process, on what we did well and what we can improve, thus exercising our continuous improvement mindset and recognizing those who are examples of our values by putting them into practice during the process. 

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11- We love feedback

Feedback is a gift. For those who give it, it is the best way to build trusting relationships through transparency, and it demonstrates a genuine interest in the person and the team. For the receiver, it is a powerful tool to recognize blind spots and continuously improve. We practice constant feedback, we give it directly and in all directions (to peers, collaborators and leaders), considering the situation, recognizing a behavior and the impact it has on the results, the process and/or the culture of the team. All of us have areas of opportunity and we rely on others to recognize them. 

We know that culture is dynamic, so we suggest reviewing from time to time the agreements expressed here, to nurture and adjust them according to the evolution of the organization, times and people. 

This manifesto is a north star, a guide of what we value and what we aspire to as S4L Marketing team.

‍We suggest keeping it in mind when making decisions, performance evaluations, hiring, onboarding and recognition of people and teams.  

Let's live this manifesto by acting according to each of these values.