Our mission is to create economic mobility for our Fellows and support them to build wealth for themselves and their families in just a single generation. When we encounter the necessary challenges that come with this bold and radical charge, our culture keeps our team grounded in what is most important. In ambiguity and in adversity, culture and values serve as guiding forces. The values below serve as both a “mirror” and a “window.” In some ways, these values are a reflection of the culture that has emerged over the past several years and enabled us to achieve success beyond what we could have imagined when we were founded in 2019. In other ways, these values are an aspirational vision of how we must grow to approach our work with our Fellows and with each other in order to overcome the challenges that we face now and the many more that are ahead. In all instances, they are here to illuminate our way forward.
The smartest person in the room is the room, so we make space for others.
In some organizations, seniority and hierarchy determine which voices are heard. In these environments, ideas are stifled, and innovation stalls. At Marcy, moving with humility in our work means we acknowledge that our strongest ideas may not come from ourselves or our senior leaders but from anyone on our team. It allows us to take a step back to see ourselves as part of a whole, one that functions better simply because it is made up of experiences and knowledge of more than just a single individual. It puts less emphasis on positional power but on the idea itself.
In action, humility fuels our desire to give and seek help and to intentionally share our space, time, and energy with others without the need for reciprocity. It shows up as expressions of gratitude for the efforts of others to ensure they feel seen and appreciated. It's holding yourself accountable when you didn’t show up as your best or admitting that despite how much you think you know, we all have so much more to learn.
Go slow now to go far later.
We often say we are building the school we’d want for our children, which means we’re playing a long game. One where certain decisions can and will have an effect for years to come. It’s our privilege to hold this responsibility, and we do not take this job lightly.
That’s why we give each other the space and permission to be deliberate about our choices, bringing awareness and thoughtfulness to the impact of our actions. Sometimes being deliberate in our work means giving each other the grace to go slow to implement with precision, or sometimes, it looks like moving swiftly but with intention. However, in instances where deliberateness is threatened by speed, we’re not shy about our commitment to pause to make a measured choice. In certain cases, it will be encouraged.
At the heart of it, deliberateness requires forward planning. The conscious shift from a reactive state to a proactive one. In action, deliberateness is taking a beat at the top of a consequential meeting to take a few deep breaths. It’s taking prep time and think time just as seriously as meeting time on your calendar. And it’s allowing yourself enough space to prioritize and focus on your main things.
We don’t take any success, learning opportunity, or contribution for granted.
At Marcy, we are thankful for every experience, person, and interaction that has come our way. To the executive who refused to hire our Fellows. Thank you. You pushed us to take a critical look at our curriculum and make it even better. To the first person who wrote us our first check. Thank you. You showed us what it looks like to feel supported. To the mentor who spends countless hours of their time ensuring our Fellows nail their first interview. Thank you.
From the good and not-so-good experiences we’re hit with daily, we’re grateful for every single one because they’ve helped us stay on our path, helped us evolve, and pushed us to reach our highest bar.