Tear Down Those Cubicles!

December 8th, 2009

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There’s not a moment during the day that I don’t become a little stoked by the many impressive personalities that surround me here at Border Stylo.

Honestly, I don’t like to dwell on it much because then I begin to think I’m too boring. But then I remember that I’m a movie trailer junkie who listens to mariachi love-ballads from the 1940’s and 50’s. It’s obvious that we’re all very different, yet these differences are not what make us a special or innovative start-up. We’re valuable and inventive because we have a solid company foundation that allows us to thrive naturally. The swagger and culture are spillover added bonuses.

Needless to say, intelligence and imagination flow constantly in our offices, but what makes this a one-of-a-kind company is that everyone just brings it, and with their own style. It’s an automatic process because there are no suits or micro-management. The right people and talents were found and given the essential resources to excel and have fun. No one is judged, no talent big or small is excluded, and no one is restrained by cubicles or tedious work routines.

I admit , I’ve never been a CEO nor do I have a strong business management background, but I’ve been the intern, the worker bee and the assistant and I do know that every company needs to build structure and organization before a company culture can emerge. It sounds so obvious yet many start-ups and established businesses fail to build a strong management team, or invest little time in hiring the right individuals. And even after this happens, workers begin to lose passion because they’re depicted as numbers not people. No one is treated like a leader in their own field, but instead, labeled a follower. This runs the risk of creating a boring, depressing and unhealthy environment.

Generate excitement for what you do and make that passion transparent. Become acquainted with your team, strengthen employee weaknesses and reinforce strong talents. Recognize company set-backs and milestones together, and socialize and celebrate with everyone; don’t wait for the annual Christmas party to interact. (Every company has their own approach to team building, while we prefer ping-pong tournaments and Wii.) Get to know every one of your employees and make each of them feel valuable regardless of their position, and yes this includes interns as well.

As the College Outreach Coordinator, I will soon get the chance to practice what I’m preaching above. I will work with students from multiple universities and various backgrounds to carry out our message of awesomeness and bring change. We will call them Catalysts and they will be our evangelists. These Catalysts all have the interest, skills and vibrancy, so it’s up to me to keep the momentum going while allowing them to learn and teach. I don’t mean just becoming familiar with our company or product, but guiding them as they get an extra step closer to their own self-fulfillment. Let’s face it, they’re young and still have many hidden talents to discover. They’re growing and so are we, and hence our Catalysts represent us in more ways than they think.

We’re all going through the same exciting journey although we’re each at different stages of our personal life. The end-prize is still the same: to become an irreplaceable figure within an organization and a culture we can influence and enjoy.

Image source.

Tagged with: Catalysts, Culture

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