How we achieved a 91% eNPS score at NeuraLight, and why it matters.

Our latest Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) survey at NeuraLight recently came in at 91%, the highest I’ve ever seen at any company, and I thought it would be good to share a few thoughts about what this means to me, and how we got here.

Note: If you're not acquainted with the term eNPS, you can find a quick explanation at the end of the article, below the fold.

As a founder, the single most powerful driving force for me is the aspiration to change the world for the better.?In Judaism this is referred to as Tikun Olam, a value I was brought up with.?But as an entrepreneur I firmly believe you cannot go about changing the world for the better before ensuring that you have created a positive microcosm within the company you’re building. Or as the Buddhist saying goes (often attributed to Gandhi):

“Be the change you want to see in the world”?

That’s why the 91% eNPS score - with zero detractors(!) - is such an important achievement for us as founders.?

A few thoughts on how we achieved this:?

It all boils down to our values. Before incorporating the company Edmund Ben-Ami and I set three values for the company to culturally anchor the company's DNA. We spent long hours distilling our thoughts on what a healthy and thriving culture means to us, and came up with three core values, which we regularly use to guide decisions at the company:?

1. We are on an urgent mission;
2. We are psychologically safe;
3. We enjoy the ride.

We decided to limit ourselves to 3 values to ensure they don’t remain philosophical aspirations, but rather can drive regular day to day decisions.?

Why these 3?

Changing the world is hard. We look for people that are dedicated and passionate about actually changing the world for the better and understand what this entails. We look for people that want this job to be a significant part of their lives. If a team member is not on an urgent mission with us, they will be unhappy, as will we. Team members who are on an urgent mission will be force-multipliers and thrive in an environment that is driven by our mission.?

To balance out the urgency and intensity, we have our third value of enjoying the ride. We believe the journey is just as important as the goal. And if we don’t enjoy the journey we’ll not only be missing out on a great experience, but most likely diminish the chances of attaining our goals.?

And finally, we want employees to belong and feel psychologically safe. That’s not only because we’re empathetic and caring, but rather it’s what data shows again and again. For example, the New York Times noted how Google found that the top performing teams are ones where people feel vulnerable enough to bring their true selves to the table, knowing that they'll never be dismissed or disempowered. I like to think of this in terms of “Team IQ” which is a function not only of the individual team members' IQ, but of their ability to share ideas and synergize, an ability that is directly correlated the psychological safety of the working enenvironment.?

While we’re far from perfect, I think hiring in light of these 3 values is the key driver behind our incredible eNPS score.?

More importantly, I think these values actually reflect who we are as a company, and will empower us to make the changes we want to see in the world.?

So proud to be part of this team! Onwards and upwards!

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is a way for organizations to measure the level of satisfaction and loyalty of their employees. This is how it works. Employees are presented with a simple question: "How likely are you to recommend our company as a place of work to your friends?" Employees respond on a scale of 1-10. Team members responding with a "9" or a "10" (i.e. "highly likely") are called promotors. People responding with a "7" or "8" are called passive, and those responding between 1 and 6 are detractors. We then define eNPS = % Promoters - % Detractors. You don't need to be a mathematician to see that eNPS gives a much larger weight to the lower end of the scale than the higher one. The rationale is that people are very easy to complain, but that you need to be really excited about a company to actively promote it.