The foundation of any strong community lies in its shared values, and building such a community requires thoughtful collaboration. In this talk, Carla and I shared a real-life example of how we worked with multiple teams to map out their personal values and create a unified value system. This system became the cornerstone for fostering an inclusive and accountable internal culture—starting with individuals, expanding to the company, and ultimately extending to the external community.
By reflecting on values collaboratively, we went beyond simply adhering to a Code of Conduct or curating a diverse line-up. Instead, we created a process that made everyone part of defining the values, fostering accountability and a deeper sense of belonging. These shared values also shaped the voice of our external brand, "WTF is Cloud Native?" ensuring alignment between our internal culture and outward messaging.
This approach was presented at KCD UK, KCD Italy, and the DevRel meetup launch, showcasing how internal reflection and alignment can build communities that are diverse, inclusive, open, and safe for everyone.