Andela has played a very significant role in my developer journey. I came across Andela through the Google Africa Challenge Scholarship in collaboration with Andela and Udacity early 2018. Every andelan is guided by what in Andela is known as the EPIC values. The EPIC is an acronym for Excellence, Passion, Integrity, and Collaboration.

In this post, I would share my reflections on what it means to be EPIC, having been fortunate to participate in ALC 3.0 as a learner and ALC 3.1 as a community mentor.

“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” ― Roy Disney

Living excellence

Being excellent does not mean being perfect. As humans, we make mistakes, our willingness to continuously learn to improve ourselves and what we do makes us excellent. Knowing what our shortfalls and taking responsibility for improving ourselves and those around us.

Photo by William Stitt on Unsplash

Being passionate

Acknowledge that it takes hard work to become good and believing in our abilities to achieve whatever we work at. Sharing knowledge acquired and leaning on mentors who will pull you up when you get down.

Integrity is key

By integrity, we are honest about what we know and where we fall short, admitting our mistakes.

Mistakes are inevitable; and when they happen we seek to limit their impact, and learn from them, to avoid similar mistakes in the future. We know that integrity isn’t the absence of mistakes, rather the acceptance of responsibility and acknowledgment that the learnings would only make us stronger.

We respect the privacy of others and not harm anyone through our work or our actions. And committed to continuous improvement.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

Collaborate or become extinct

Nobody is an island. We all need each other to be really great. Sharing our knowledge helps us identify what we really know and strive to improve. Respect everyone and be honest with teammates. This creates a conducive and open environment for all.

Those are the values that guide my life and the many people who believe in their abilities to make the world a better place. I implore you to live by the EPIC values and you will be very happy you did. As always, your feedback is important. Don’t hesitate to share your thought with me in the comments.