In the latest HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Daniel Todd about fostering thriving company cultures. Below is a summary of the main points from their conversation! Check out the full episode and let us know what you think!
Watch the episode here:
Quick Recap
Daniel and Jonathan, both leaders in their respective companies, discussed the importance of fostering a thriving company culture, particularly in a remote or hybrid environment. They emphasized the need for intentional focus on building strong relationships among team members, addressing past workplace trauma, and providing consistent effort, honesty, and integrity in leadership. The conversation also touched on the benefits and challenges of having a large remote development team, and the role of company culture and employee engagement in business success.
Fostering Thriving Company Cultures in Remote Settings
Jonathan and Daniel, the CEO and founder of Influence Mobile, respectively, discussed fostering thriving company cultures, particularly in remote settings. Jonathan emphasized the importance of an intentional strategy to create a positive and healthy company culture, as opposed to leaving it to chance as an organization grows. Daniel, whose company has been operating in a remote or hybrid environment for over a decade, shared his experiences and challenges of maintaining a good company culture in a distributed team setup. They both agreed on the need for finding a healthy hybrid approach to leverage the benefits of remote and in-person interactions.
Company Growth and Remote Work Transition
Daniel shared the company's growth trajectory, from 7 to 50 people in a short span, leading to everyone wanting to work in the same office. When faced with company-induced layoffs and the Covid-19 pandemic, the company shifted to remote work. Daniel shared that this remote setup enabled the company to merge with another organization based in Montreal, and also facilitated the hiring of a more diverse team from around the world, contributing to the company's growth from 7 to 80 people.
Creating a Great Remote Work Culture
Daniel and Jonathan discussed the importance of creating a great place to work, particularly in a remote or hybrid environment. Daniel emphasized the need for intentional focus to maintain a positive work culture, including building and nurturing relationships among team members. Jonathan highlighted the benefits of a diverse labor market and the necessity of being intentional about communication, purpose, vision, and company culture in a remote setup. Both agreed on the foundational role of relationships in a successful work culture.
Maintaining Strong Team Culture in Remote Settings
Daniel discussed the challenges and advantages of having a large remote development team. He emphasized the importance of building strong relationships among team members to foster a good company culture, even as the team size grew from seven to eighty people. Daniel also highlighted the need to address past workplace trauma among new employees, which they've tackled by treating each individual differently and by organizing company-wide events to encourage relationships and build trust. To maintain this culture, the company is now budgeting for employees to make two trips a year, one for company events.
Building Strong Relationships and Trust in Teams
Daniel and Jonathan discussed the importance of building strong relationships and trust within their teams, noting that this is especially crucial in a remote work environment. They emphasized the need for consistent effort, honesty, and integrity in leadership to foster a psychologically safe environment for team growth. Daniel shared his insights and experiences, highlighting the importance of company culture and employee engagement for business success.
Listen to the webinar here:
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