During our annual, week-long staff meeting in Prague, deep in discussion on various ways to improve the Standart experience, with head down sweating the small stuff, I realised that I hadn’t really ever spoken about our values — not even with the team. I thought perhaps it wasn’t necessary; we so often seem to be on the same page, we love what we do, and we constantly challenge and push ourselves to the fullest.
It’s important to put together a magazine that the whole team can be proud of.
But those values, even if unvoiced, remain ever present. We all feel them. But it’s still important to reiterate them. Clearly. Because from those values flow our best work, our motivation, and ultimately our business and creative decisions. So today, I wanted to share with you the three main pillars on which Standart stands:
Honesty
Both internally and externally. There’s no problem we cannot solve when we’re being open and honest with each other. And sometimes that’s hard; when I forget to send a shipment, I have to say I screwed up, apologise. (I probably didn’t have enough coffee that day.) And then I rectify the situation ASAP, and you know what? People are happy with that. No web of hidden truths I need to remember, no moral deliberations — honesty is simply more efficient, and always appreciated.
Empathy
We’re all about building bridges: across the supply chain, between coffee professionals and enthusiasts, between scientists and brewers. But the bridge we build between us and our readers is just as important — because it builds trust. It’s what’s made Standart a successful endeavour. Like the best cafés, we’re in the business of hospitality. A friendly email, a simple choice of words, can make someone’s day. Just as Maya Angelou wrote: ‘People will forget what you said, and will forget what you did. But they will never forget how you made them feel.’
Integrity
Quality content, design, communication — balanced and consistent. That’s what we set out to achieve with every issue. It’s our standard. It’s important to put together a magazine that the whole team can be proud of. And we’re lucky enough to live in a connected world from which we can take endless inspiration. We need to make sure we do right by not only ourselves, but all those who support and love what we do at Standart.
Michal Molcan
Founder and Editor-in-Chief
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