Top 10 Tips for Making Your Workplace Culture Thrive | The Motley Fool

Over the years they’ve shared the perfect practices, instruments, and philosophies that make The Motley Fool an award-winning and fantastic place to work. Today, Lee Burbage and Kara Chambers are again to type by way of years of sensible recommendation to select their prime 10 tips for making your office tradition thrive.

To catch full episodes of all The Motley Fool’s free podcasts, take a look at our podcast center. To get began investing, take a look at our quick-start guide to investing in stocks. A full transcript follows the video.

This video was recorded on Nov. 11, 2022.

David Gardner: Seven full years of podcasting has enabled Rule Breaker Investing to have a reasonably deep bench of subjects, personalities, tales, recollections shared by you and me. When you come back to a sure matter, return to sure friends, the expertise turns into one thing extra. More integral, extra on our minds, deeper. One such matter recurring over time has been what makes for a fantastic firm tradition. From our first Company Culture Tips episode seven years in the past to at present, we’ve asserted that the tradition of your office actually counts, and that our award-winning tradition at The Motley Fool might need some tips, methods, and life hacks that may be just right for you, my pricey Fool. Might have advantages that you could put into play in your individual office, whether or not you are a CEO or oversee advantages or are only a new worker who could be a breath of contemporary air in her office. Company Culture Tips, 9 episodes value of 10 tips every over historical past precedes this week’s podcast. This week is the tenth. As we stated earlier this yr we’d do, we’re making this tenth the perfect of Company Culture Tips Volume 10, the ten all-time finest solely on this week’s Rule Breaker Investing.

Welcome again to Rule Breaker Investing. I’m David Gardner. I’m very happy to be with you this primary week of December, and I’m much more happy to be with my two friends right here within the studio for this version of Rule Breaker Investing. Now that is Rule Breaker Investing, however we’re really going to be speaking somewhat bit extra about enterprise at present and much more so, the enterprise tradition. I’ve two people who know the way to do company tradition higher than virtually anyone else I do know, Kara Chambers and Lee Burbage. Both longtime Motley Fool staff who’re actually partly the architects and partly the stewards of Motley Fool tradition. As I discussed final week, we’re very pleased with the Motley Fool that our tradition has been acknowledged nationally in a variety of alternative ways as the perfect employer. I actually needed to get beneath that this week. I figured why not have Kara and Lee right here to speak about 10 issues that we do on the Motley Fool that, if I’m listening to this podcast, perhaps I may do in my enterprise, too. Maybe I’m a small enterprise individual, we’ve plenty of them listening, or perhaps I work inside a enterprise or non-business. I believe any group can actually profit from what Kara and Lee are bringing this week. Thank you a lot for becoming a member of us.

Lee Burbage: Thanks for having us.

Kara Chambers: Thank you.

David Gardner: We’re going to go down the checklist. You’ve bought 10, and I simply wish to say upfront that for lots of the investing I do, I search for tradition within the corporations I’m investing in. We’re breaking our personal guidelines this week on Rule Breaker Investing. We’re taking a half step out of investing. This in the end does map proper again to selecting this inventory and never that one for me. That’s sufficient prelude. Team, earlier than I get began, I’d such as you every to introduce your self briefly, say what you do on the Motley Fool, how lengthy you’ve got been doing it, and one or two Foolish issues about you. Not to place you on the spot Kara, however how about you first?

Kara Chambers: I’ve been on the Fool simply 10 years prior to now couple of weeks. 

David Gardner: All proper. So that was the similar transcript. Lee, Kara, thanks in your bit components. Sorry that you just had bit components. You’ll have a lot larger roles to play this podcast, however that was the precise begin to this collection on December 2nd, 2015. Discerning listeners will discover I welcomed all people again to this primary week of December. Now, please do not inform me I missed Thanksgiving, will we? Thanksgiving did not occur.

Lee Burbage: Yeah.

David Gardner: Okay. Good. It had not occurred, however as a result of we needed to do the similar transcript from seven years in the past the place we began this collection, Company Culture Tips, we learn it and rethink the file scratch there, Kara, as a result of it is actually not true anymore that you’ve got solely been on the Motley Fool for 10 years. We did that in 2015. How lengthy have you ever been on the Motley Fool now?

Kara Chambers: I might be right here 17 years subsequent week.

David Gardner: Awesome. Lee, I believe you’d been right here about 17 years. There’s some type of?

Lee Burbage: Yeah, karma, kismet, one thing’s occurred.

David Gardner: Kismet, karma taking place right here. Now, what number of years have you ever been? I’m doing the maths.

Lee Burbage: Next month might be 24 years on the Motley Fool.

David Gardner: Spectacular. You each have been current during the collection from the begin to the celebration, the perfect of, the tenth version. We talked about this earlier this yr after we did Company Culture Tips Volume 9 collectively, we talked about the potential for doing 10 close to the top of this yr as a better of, trying again over seven years of Company Culture Tips. We’re now in 2022, we’re now not studying a transcript from 2015. You’ve each introduced your favourite 10, trying again over the 9 earlier volumes of the collection. This is a better of. We haven’t got fireworks. Well, really, we do have fireworks. Thank you, Rick.

We haven’t got the stable gold dancers. Oh my gosh, perhaps we do have the stable gold dancers. We haven’t got elephants or trumpets for you. Oh my gosh, I suppose we do have these for this particular version. Kara and Lee, what a delight to have you ever. Seven years and what an unimaginable seven years it has been. In truth, let’s delay your introductions for a second. Let’s simply discuss in regards to the final seven years. I listened to this primary podcast, Lee, and there we have been speaking about how we had simply, inside the previous yr, launched this cool new factor on the Motley Fool Slack. It was from a brand new upstart firm, and it was decreasing e-mail within the workplace.

Lee Burbage: It’s simply unimaginable. The variety of emails that I get at present, they actually rounds to zero in comparison with the quantity of Slack. My entire life is Slack. I can not think about it with out it now.

David Gardner: Seven years later, that actually has been true for you.

Lee Burbage: Fully taken over.

David Gardner: Same for you, Kara?

Kara Chambers: Absolutely. I really feel like all of us reside and die by Slack now.

David Gardner: It’s enjoyable to assume you have been saying, since we hearken to the podcast seven years in the past, you have been speaking about how our techies had introduced that to us. It wasn’t an HR initiative or CEO Tom Gardner saying, “I’ve discovered this new tool.” It bubbled up from, after all, a number of the smartest folks at our firm, our techies.

Kara Chambers: Absolutely.

David Gardner: We talked about Slack again then. We had additionally simply launched Trello as a venture administration instrument. Are we nonetheless utilizing Trello?

Kara Chambers: We’ve grown up now, we have gotten larger. So now we have moved to Jira, which is Trello’s cousin, owned by the identical firm, Atlassian. But simply larger and extra difficult, and I’m nonetheless studying it myself.

David Gardner: J-I-R-A?

Kara Chambers: Correct.

David Gardner: Okay. Yeah. Speaking of larger, we have been speaking in that first episode seven years in the past about having about 300 staff at that time. Lee, what number of staff do we’ve about at present?

Lee Burbage: About 600 staff at present. So we have doubled in dimension since that first podcast.

David Gardner: As you seemed again over the 90 earlier tips which have come by way of this collection, did you see ones that in some circumstances made extra sense for a corporation that was 300 as an alternative of 600? Does it really feel completely different at present the place you with at present’s eyes, as you considered our prime 10 all time, have been you considering extra about any firm or extra in regards to the mid-sized firm of 500-plus staff at present?

Lee Burbage: When I look again on the checklist, there actually simply issues that we might love to do this I believe works for us. I’m unsure. I felt restricted by numbers. Some of them didn’t age properly, and a few of them have aged rather well that we’ll discuss at present.

David Gardner: One different factor I used to be occupied with, Lee, is one other instrument that got here to the Fool in these previous seven years. It was not there in 2015. We weren’t considering but or utilizing Zoom but, however when did Zoom come to the Motley Fool inside these previous seven years?

Lee Burbage: I’ll should ask Kara what the date is as a result of she’s really the one which introduced it to the corporate. But I’ll say it was an enormous cultural problem for us determining the way to talk with people who weren’t particularly within the workplace the place these fancy Cisco rooms. We had little like egg cartons on the wall making an attempt to unravel for sound. Skype was reducing out and in and it was a giant problem for us till we actually bought on Zoom, which, such as you stated, has taken over our life at present. Do you bear in mind the inception of that, Kara?

Kara Chambers: Yeah, I do. At the time, we had opened an workplace in Denver and we had had perhaps I wish to say 10 p.c of our staff working simply remotely, however we’re very workplace tradition. It was about 2018 and I used to be laughing about this as a result of I discovered a doc as a result of, Lee, you and I sat down and stated, “Let’s make it easier for people to work remotely.” We needed to speak about like, however you’ll be able to work at home if you would like. But all people’s behavior was simply coming in an workplace and we’re making an attempt to encourage these. I wrote up this entire doc, put Zoom as my prime proposal, and on the doc I wrote a purpose and it says, “All Fools are able to work remotely by April 2020.”

David Gardner: Wow. Spooky.

Kara Chambers: It freaked me out. I did not imply it like that. So we have been fortunately ready, no less than to some extent, as a result of we had began out this dialog. It has by no means been a fantastic expertise to be sitting in a convention room and being the face on the wall that is working from house or every kind of comp. We did not notice that Zoom was going to take over our lives inside a yr.

Lee Burbage: Well, the story will get even somewhat creepier as a result of as a part of Kara’s plan, we developed a take a look at day, the place we closed the complete workplace and everybody labored from house as a day of take a look at. That was pre-planned and it turned out by no means got here again. We did that take a look at. It was the primary day we actually closed for COVID, and we did not reopen throughout all of COVID for a two-year interval.

David Gardner: That is wonderful. My recollection is it was one thing like Friday, March sixth. I can not bear in mind whether or not that was the precise day.

Lee Burbage: Something like that.

David Gardner: Let’s go together with ish. Do you’ve gotten in your minds what day we reopened?

Kara Chambers: Today. 

David Gardner: We’re nonetheless reopening.

Kara Chambers: It is our first time on this room collectively. 

David Gardner: I’m glad you stated that, Kara, as a result of for any discerning longtime listener, you may discover our sound high quality is again to snuff pre-COVID ranges. That’s as a result of that is the primary podcast we have achieved from Fool HQ, our studios right here in Alexandria, Virginia, since earlier than COVID. Meet with my little Scarlett Solo audio interface field that plugs within the headset that I used for my den for the previous few years. That’s been discarded for no less than this week, and we’re again to higher sound. But even higher, we’re right here with one another and that is particular, too. Kara and Lee, thanks a lot. Kara, thanks for bringing Zoom to the Fool. That was an necessary factor. We have been Zooming earlier than Zooming was cool. Well, let’s return to the place we have been earlier than the file scratch. I used to be simply asking, and I’m going to ask you each once more to only reintroduce yourselves and one or two Foolish issues about you. Kara, you are up first.

Kara Chambers: Sure. Well, as I stated, I’ve been right here 17 years now. I’ve the training and improvement and rewards staff. I deal with serving to Fools develop into the absolute best profession they’ve, and I do plenty of work on information and engagement surveys. I suppose one Foolish factor about me I used to be occupied with is I believe I bought somewhat of this from you, DG, however I really like random pairings very a lot. As somebody who’s somewhat bit introverted, I really like the concept that I haven’t got to introduce myself to folks. There are three folks at my desk at lunch or somebody I’d been paired with at random for espresso or Zoom has breakout classes I must be dropped into, and that barely compelled so you do not have to undergo that. So I really like any type of random pairing group of issues. That’s my Foolish factor I at all times add to my stuff.

David Gardner: Thank you, Kara. Thank you for doing that and making that occur. Yes, randomness and random pairings brings, sparks pleasure for each of us. Thank you for sharing that. Lee Burbage, how lengthy have you ever been on the Fool? Twenty-four or so years subsequent month?

Lee Burbage: Yes. I’ve been right here 24 years. I’ve at all times labored in and across the folks staff and actually simply targeted on I would like folks to like coming to work day by day. I would like them to be doing significant work for the corporate that they are actually good at. I’ve simply at all times targeted on that trifecta of being good at one thing, loving what you are doing, and that creates worth for the corporate. I used to be making an attempt to assume silly. I believe one thing that I’ve actually loved about working right here all these years is the chance to have enjoyable after which insert enjoyable into issues, and it is one thing I at all times attempt to do. I’m within the course of now. We have our companywide assembly subsequent week, and I’m constructing with Kara a flashcard reminiscence sport of Fools faces the place you need to play the sport of your youth and hopefully it teaches folks somewhat bit about who all works right here and reminds you some faces and a few names. But it’s going to simply be one thing enjoyable. I at all times wish to attempt to deliver somewhat little bit of enjoyable to the whole lot that we’re doing.

David Gardner: Something that I actually have appreciated about each of you is your open-mindedness and your willingness to scrap one thing that wasn’t working or strive one thing new, and we would get again to that with our prime 10 all-time Company Culture Tips. We’ll see, however I do wish to say that a variety of issues we do habitually at present on the Motley Fool, which nonetheless make us an odd firm when a number of different folks right here, what we observe, these issues have been actually because both or each of you determined, you recognize what, let’s not make that obligatory. Every different firm makes that obligatory. If we will not make it a obligatory, we have to make it enjoyable, we have to make it compelling. That can be one instance of the nice open-mindedness that I hope you’ve got felt company and autonomy in your roles since you’ve created that for thus many staff now over time. Thank you each amongst many different issues for that.

Lee Burbage: Well, I might simply say one in every of our shared favourite components of our job is that you just and your brother, Tom, have so many wonderful concepts and we actually get pleasure from. Some of Kara and I’s favourite days are if you’ve dropped a cool thought on us that perhaps appears unattainable and we’re in a position to craft it in a approach that it really works.

David Gardner: Thank you. We’ve bought 10 queued up and, after all, we’ve to do a count-up mannequin. These aren’t essentially extremely, extremely compelled rank, however we will go together with that simply to make it extra compelling from a human narrative perspective. We’re going to begin with our tenth finest tip ever and we will roll as much as #1 by the top of this week’s podcast. Let’s begin it then. I believe, Lee, I’m going to you first for prime 10 all-time Company Culture Tip quantity 10.

Lee Burbage: Thanks, David. Yes. Actually, as I look by way of all of those, a few of them appear perhaps apparent, however they have been resilient, they’ve caught with us by way of the years, and I believe work properly. Number 10, I name dreamy check-in. Dreamy check-in is simply merely the act of asking folks how they’re doing, do they want something, or the rest they’d wish to be engaged on. A few issues which might be key there.

Just asking folks how they’re doing and in the event that they want something is so highly effective and so which means that persons are like, wow, you care about me, you wish to know, you wish to assist. What we discovered was each individual in each job at each second has one thing that they might use for assist. Sometimes it is a small factor. I certain may use some extra paper, or generally it is one thing huge the place I need a function change or I’m dreaming of working in a unique a part of the realm. You simply won’t know in the event you do not ask. Taking the time to ask all people on the firm on some type of common foundation, how are you doing, do you want something, what can I do to assist has been very highly effective for us.

David Gardner: How many instances a yr will we do this? I’m placing myself, which I might be recurrently all through this week, within the seat of our listener who may be an entrepreneur, small enterprise individual. How usually do you do that?

Lee Burbage: Well, it is a fantastic query. When we first began this, it was simply me and I went round and requested all people that query.

David Gardner: How many staff did we’ve at that time?

Lee Burbage: Probably about 150 folks at the moment. It took a short while.

David Gardner: Did you are taking notes, or was this all from reminiscence?

Lee Burbage: I did take notes in a ridiculously lengthy Word doc. We discovered, A, that does not scale one individual doing it or utilizing a extremely lengthy Word doc. So then we went to the human sources staff. Then at present we have expanded to we’ve about 60 coaches working throughout our firm. They will do our check-ins for us and we accomplice with one other firm to have a instrument that helps us handle these check-ins. To reply your query, we’re checking in no less than a few instances a yr and we’ve a few different formal locations that we test in as properly. But if I’m an organization on the market, I might suggest no less than every year asking these questions.

David Gardner: Can you give me a way of a number of the hottest responses that we get or requests? Can you buck it up? What’s prime 5? Not essentially all 5, however what are just a few that soar out to you as common issues that we hear?

Lee Burbage: On the very straightforward aspect, usually you will discover folks which might be restricted by the know-how that they’ve, and normally their {hardware} is older or slower or they do not have the instruments that they want. Those are really easy to repair to create nice efficiencies. Again, on the opposite finish of the spectrum is that folks which might be actually occupied with a task change or one thing else, these are those that I really like as a result of historically on this planet, folks resolve that they are on the point of depart a job as a result of they’re in search of one thing else, and so they simply depart and the corporate by no means has an opportunity to reply.

David Gardner: All we ever needed to do was ask.

Lee Burbage: Correct.

David Gardner: Before we go to quantity 9, the opposite factor that jumps out to me there, Lee, simply your alternative, diction issues. For a mother or father like me, and I believe my followers have gotten to know this over time, I actually care about language, the phrases that we select. Why dreamy?

Lee Burbage: Dreamy, I particularly selected that phrase as a result of lots of people do check-ins, however they are typically very scrum-world-type check-ins. What did you do at present? How are you doing on that purpose? Really, each day task-oriented. I’m speaking about stepping again and saying, “No, really, David, how are you doing? What do you need? What do you think in long term?” It’s purposely up in that extra dreamer world than it’s the each day job orientation.

David Gardner: Outstanding. Onto Company Culture Tip all-time nice quantity 9, Kara.

Kara Chambers: That is assist methods are key. We talked about this in September 2020, and our huge focus again then was the brand new world of labor and what we have been doing. But after I seemed again, I notice this has been true for us all alongside and it is simply very profound when folks have been spreading out. One of my favourite channels is named HDAH, hey does anybody have. That’s the Slack channel.

David Gardner: Hey does anybody have dot, dot, dot.

Kara Chambers: There is a group of 600 people who provides you with recommendation on who’s going to tune your piano, or the place to discover a mortgage dealer, otherwise you’re elevating twin toddlers, otherwise you reside alone, and the canine channel could be very lively, Lee and I’ll inform you. It’s no matter life scenario you are in. Again, we actually targeted on. I bear in mind through the pandemic, we had teams the place folks like elevating youngsters by themselves after which folks have been homeschooling and issues like that. It’s been true the entire time. I believe we have been simply extra deliberate about it this previous yr or in 2020 by necessity.

When I hear, generally you hear about corporations supporting work-life steadiness, I just like the phrase assist. Whatever is occurring in your life proper now. It could be peer-to-peer assist. It could be the corporate’s supporting you with some artistic advantages. We have been simply speaking about one which we’ve is in the event you’re shifting, we’ll ship you shifting packing containers. That’s assist. Just an additional factor we take off your plate. It’s tremendous good. I believe simply occupied with in your organization the way you’re supporting folks at completely different phases of their life and completely different conditions and as we have grown and gotten larger, simply the range has been there, however I discovered folks have discovered their tribes out right here.

David Gardner: I’m occupied with how a lot assist one can provide largely comes down usually to the dimensions of the corporate. But even other than the dimensions, the sources that an organization desires to provide, no matter its dimension is. With 600 staff, I can think about we will not do as a lot as an organization with 6,000 or 60,000 staff. But presumably, greater than if we had 60 or six. But I suppose a part of it, Kara, it is virtually not how a lot you do, it is how a lot you present that you just care.

Kara Chambers: Absolutely. Again, its friends, but it surely’s additionally the corporate, too. I might say within the larger corporations, you are getting that scale. There’s going to be larger populations.

David Gardner: What assist will we want we may provide that we will not but due to our dimension? Because we’re simply not sufficiently big but, or perhaps we’re not grown up sufficient but.

Lee Burbage: I believe that one factor that we dream about, and perhaps it is much less about our dimension, however perhaps you get this at scale if you’re enormous, is a few actually private medical care. What we see within the United States no less than is discovering the fitting physician for particularly what you are coping with, accessing that one who actually will get to know you the best way that we get to know our staff. I believe that we offer a extremely private expertise as an organization, and we dream about that for our staff on this planet of drugs, psychological well being, and so forth. So perhaps we get that at scale. We’ll see. Maybe that is simply not out there within the market but. I’m unsure, but it surely’s positively one thing that weighs on us.

David Gardner: Conscious Capitalism, one of many higher displays I’ve seen, and I’m going yearly to the CEO Summit in Austin, Texas. I’m on the National Board. I really like Conscious Capitalism. I believe all of us do. We attempt to observe it right here on the Motley Fool. There was an exquisite presentation as soon as speaking about who’re your stakeholders as a result of that is an necessary choice you make. Who are our stakeholders? That individual stated that is subsequent stage considering for me. I believe we do that considerably. I believe we care about this. We have not essentially purposed it.

I do not know that we must always, however I’m placing it on the market for anyone else for whom your eyes may gentle up and you turn on. This individual stated an necessary stakeholder for us is definitely the household of our worker. We identify our clients. We identify our companions and suppliers. We identify our staff, however we additionally embrace the household of the worker. Now I do know in some methods, we’re offering a few of that assist, however I see you each nodding your heads. That actually feels subsequent stage not only for us, however for many corporations at present, however I at all times like to know what the following stage is.

Kara Chambers: That jogs my memory of a quote from an writer we like known as Gretchen Rubin. She says, “You’re only as happy as the only happiest person in your house.” The extra you maintain somebody’s household, the extra you are enhancing their high quality of life. So that sounds proper.

Lee Burbage: Now these members of the family are proper there with you in your workplace as a result of we’re all working from house. My spouse works about, gosh, 15 ft away from me and I’ll oftentimes lean over and say stuff to her, and he or she’ll yell one thing again like, “Tell Kara not to take that,” or no matter. They’re a part of our work lives in very actual methods, now that many people are working from house.

Kara Chambers: I name them my Fool-in-laws.

David Gardner: Let’s transfer on to quantity 8. Company Culture Tips all-time nice quantity 8 again to you, Lee, what’s it?

Lee Burbage: I usually say we’re a venture tradition. Here I used to be speaking about in August of 2019 aspect of desk initiatives. The approach I usually describe that is we have observed on the Motley Fool, it takes about six months to determine your job. Whatever you’ve got been employed for, after about six months, you type of have gotten that going. You’ll begin working somewhat extra effectively, and then you definately’ll create somewhat bandwidth for your self. So we’re very inquisitive about what you select to do with that bandwidth. We’re very open as an organization to getting concerned in all types of issues. Maybe you are an investor however you’d wish to get on a podcast, or perhaps you are working in human sources and also you’d wish to perform a little little bit of coding. So we extremely encourage the journey by way of your profession through the use of aspect of desk initiatives to experiment with issues that you just may be inquisitive about that would really find yourself being your subsequent function.

David Gardner: How many instances do we’ve butterflies changed into completely different colour butterflies right here on the Fool, particularly for workers who’ve been with us for five, 10, 15, 20, 25 years? Andy Cross, our Chief Investment Officer, do you bear in mind what Andy was initially employed into or a number of the roles that he is had? He’s a very good instance.

Lee Burbage: He was doing advert operations. I believe after I began, he was working the backend of our advertisers after we’re in promoting base mannequin at the moment. I simply could not bear in mind being right here on a Sunday late at night time and Andy was at all times right here. 

David Gardner: Andy is just not the one one.

Lee Burbage: We have a fantastic current story, somebody that labored for Kara and I for a few years, Christine Noonan, who managed our advantages. We have been simply speaking about our medical advantages and unimaginable care we attempt to take there. Now she’s a software program developer at our firm. She got here ahead and stated, “Hey, this is interesting to me.” She went to high school on her personal time. She bought concerned in some initiatives right here, doing somewhat little bit of coding, and now she’s a full-time software program developer. To go from advantages supervisor to software program developer all on the identical firm, I believe plenty of corporations would have misplaced that individual with out taking note of permit the type of tradition the place you would take a look at out different issues, to go away the room to study and encourage it. We get to retain an unimaginable human who does wonderful work.

David Gardner: Yeah. I certain hope Christine is an efficient coder as a result of she was awfully good at advantages. She is an award-winning worker for us, so she should be a extremely good coder, too.

Lee Burbage: Absolutely.

David Gardner: All-time nice Company Culture Tip Number 7. Again, we’re going from 10 as much as 1. Kara, what’s quantity 7?

Kara Chambers: This is one in every of my favorites, gratitude and thank yous. This was true again after we did this in 2015. It’s nonetheless going sturdy, in order that’s why I picked it up for our checklist. But we’ve a program colloquially known as Gold. It’s been a few completely different corporations we have used: YouEarnedIt, Kazoo, WorkTango. They’ve modified names a few instances. We name it Gold and hilariously, they by no means have, but it surely’s actually about sharing gratitude. Every Fool will get a set variety of factors each month, and then you definately give out these factors when somebody does one thing nice that you just admire and also you say thanks, and it is public so everybody can see it. That’s the important thing. As all people’s watching what nice issues different persons are doing, so that they’re studying.

Then you’ll be able to money these factors in for reward playing cards or journeys. I simply did. You can money the gold in for prizes. It’s somewhat little bit of the whole lot. It’s democratizing a bonus program. You’re not leaving your bonuses within the arms of simply your senior leaders to exit and persons are giving them to their friends. It builds the behavior of gratitude, which is nice in your mind and good in your morale, and this got here again from simply us studying about how folks. I at all times stated this was a part of our tradition lengthy earlier than we had this program. It’s simply we opened it up and made it accessible. But nonetheless there are millions of gold posts that exit yearly on the Fool 24 hours a day to only fly on the market, and also you learn them and so they heat your coronary heart. It’s one in every of my favorites.

David Gardner: I used to be going to say you introduced that to the corporate care as a result of I believed that is what we stated seven years in the past on the podcast. But, Lee, this was your doing?

Lee Burbage: Just teamwork.

Kara Chambers: Teamwork.

David Gardner: Good. Well, talking of teamwork, YouEarnedIt, which was the unique identify of this system, was began by Autumn Manning and Autumn Manning later took that firm. She’s offered it. It modified names just a few instances, as you talked about. What is the current identify of this program?

Kara Chambers: WorkTango.

David Gardner: WorkTango for these in search of. But now Autumn is on employees with Motley Fool Ventures, so we have been invested in YouEarnedIt. She made us some cash as an entrepreneur, after which we later employed her. Now she actively consults with Motley Fool Ventures, enterprise capital investments that we make. Lots of circularity going by way of this. Part of the enjoyable of doing this collection over seven years is we will see issues play out. We can see tales like that. In truth, generally we have been flawed about a few of our tips. Well, our coronary heart was in it on the time, however perhaps on reflection, we glance again and say that one we do not do anymore, and I believed it would be enjoyable, in the event you do not thoughts, park one or two in your minds. We’ll do it at halftime of this present.

After quantity 6 developing, I’m going to ask you every for one of many tips we have given by way of the collection that we do not nonetheless use for no matter causes. Anyway, a number of circularity and a part of the enjoyable of working along with folks over lengthy durations of time is that shared information, that shared expertise. Again, considering Lee, Kara, 24 plus 17 equals 41 years of mixed Foolishness, and that’s such a strong part actually to clearly our tradition, but in addition these collection of podcasts, your information and that you’ve got been there, achieved that. Gratitude and thank yous, such an necessary a part of our tradition on the Fool. Maybe my favourite factor, too. I do not know why you made it quantity 7, Kara. What it implies is that it is about to actually warmth up right here with an increasing number of superior. Lee, what’s Company Culture Tip all-time nice quantity 6?

Lee Burbage: Number 6, I name small surprises. This is one thing I discuss in a brand new supervisor class that I train periodically as we develop. It’s actually about taking note of the people who be just right for you and the little issues which might be taking place of their lives that you could acknowledge, and it would not want to only be birthdays. It may very well be particular anniversary. It may very well be understanding what chocolate they wish to eat, that kind of factor. Normally, it is a very small expense in at present’s world, ships one thing to their home or have one thing at their desk, and even simply acknowledge one thing that is happening of their life that actually reveals that you just’re paying consideration, that you just care and also you perceive who they’re as an individual. It’s not simply in regards to the work.

I discover this to be very highly effective for staff constructing and for main groups. When you all present that, hey, we care about one another. It’s little issues like, I do know that somebody on my staff loves the hundred grand bar. They’re usually, principally out there round Halloween, and I attempt to get these and get them to her. Kara and I’ve labored collectively for a really very long time, and she will be able to simply inform when I’m having somewhat bit or a tough time. All of a sudden, someplace on my desk or within the mail will arrive a field of Mike and Ikes, which is my all-time favourite. It’s the little issues like that. When the Mike and Ikes present up on my desk, she would not say something, she would not put a card and the whole lot, and I’m like Kara is simply saying like, “Hey, hang in there. It’s going to be OK.” That’s a giant deal.

David Gardner: Great examples. There are dozens and lots of of them as a result of they’re small surprises. One factor I do know that we do as an organization, once more, I’m placing myself within the seat of the entrepreneur listening to us proper now. Do we’ve a approach of storing that info? Do we objective it? Is all of it simply supervisor pushed, or would I as a fellow worker take into consideration that? I’ll say that I’ve benefited from dropping a notice into the staff sometimes about this or that worker, and you may know 3-5 issues that that individual likes. I do not assume that took place by way of osmosis. I believe it took place by way of some intention or course of. Could you pull again the curtain somewhat bit and clarify how we handle that info or do it?

Lee Burbage: Well, it is somewhat little bit of the whole lot. Part of it comes from simply Kara and I working right here a extremely very long time. But it is also about paying consideration and monitoring and the whole lot from you would simply use a Google Sheet to we use a few of our HRIS methods. So there’s locations in there the place folks can self-identify the issues that they like. You talked about folks’s households. That’s additionally crucial. I inform a narrative in that class in regards to the day that Tom Gardner, my boss, acknowledged my spouse’s birthday and work anniversary when nobody at her workplace did.

Imagine the loyalty I really feel in that second when one thing like that occurs. Then think about six months later, one thing actually huge and troublesome is occurring at work and he must name on me or ask one thing of me. We’ve actually constructed up some loyalty in that situation. There’s every kind of how to trace it, and I do not assume you need to be too bananas about it. But simply noticing these little issues and have fun them, yeah, it means lots. I do not know, Kara. You deal with all of our folks analytics and information. Are there hidden packing containers that I’m not conscious of or driving this info?

Kara Chambers: No, I might simply say I notice proper now that it is virtually an implicit expectation on everybody on the folks staff to construct these relationships. I consider Lee and I did know that individual and we might be capable of go into our channel and say, does anybody work intently with us and be like, “Oh my gosh, yes, she loves cats,” or one thing like that. We would know, and I believe we employed three or 4 folks on our staff, perhaps extra through the pandemic, and I believe we have been very specific and after we recruited them, they might be the kind of people who needed to construct these relationships no matter their job. I believe that I simply realized now that the an implicit expectation for everybody on our staff is to construct these relationships.

David Gardner: I’m going to make a request of you each, although, as a result of it happens to me that we can’t reside eternally, that the three of us will not at all times be in the intervening time.

Lee Burbage: I’m positively going to die first with the three of us.

David Gardner: Anyway, we’re hoping that we’re constructing one thing that outlives us. One of the higher speeches I’ve ever seen given by a enterprise individual was Danny Meyer talking at a convention, and Danny stated, he is the nice restaurateur of Union Square Hospitality Group, his New York City-based restaurant group. He’s written a fantastic e book known as Setting the Table that a lot of our listeners might be conversant in, and in the event you aren’t, go forward and browse it and perceive what true hospitality is. Anyway, Danny stated as a youthful man, as he constructed out his firm, he had a fantastic intuitive, implicit sense of the way to make a fantastic restaurant. Indeed, his first restaurant was very extremely rated. But then he wanted to broaden, he needed to broaden. So he had a second restaurant and a 3rd, and since he was solely simply him, he could not be in any respect three eating places. So the discuss and the framework he gave is about turning your instinct into intention.

He started to comprehend he wanted to coach in sure issues he took with no consideration in order that the staff, when he wasn’t on-site as a result of he can solely be on-site at one place, when the staff would nonetheless be superior when he wasn’t round. That’s the best way Union Square Hospitality Group in a way scaled as a result of instinct turned to intention. I’m merely going to ask again each of you to ensure, if you have not already baked it right into a course of, of small shock identification, and seize that info, and holding into the database, and having some folks accountable for it. If we’re not already doing that, and I believe we in all probability are, so I’m grandstanding somewhat bit right here, however I might ask each of you to make it possible for we do as a result of in the future we can’t all be on the Motley Fool, however I certain do need the Motley Fool to be doing that simply as nice as you each are doing it day by day right here in 2022.

Lee Burbage: Thank you. Again, to not harp on this an excessive amount of, however I do assume it is one thing that we realized from each you and Tom. Very early on I might observe you paying for a invoice, recognizing one thing small for somebody. I believe you each famously know each individual’s identify that labored on the firm and we hear that on a regular basis. We simply heard it lately. Someone that works in our staff who’s within the workplace says, “I can’t believe David Gardner knows my name.” That appears perhaps so easy, however little issues like which might be so highly effective.

David Gardner: My brother Tom Gardner is essentially the most beneficiant individual I do know. Thank you, Lee. Well, we have reached halftime and just some minutes in the past, I requested you every to supply no less than one of many previous 90 tips, once more, 9 podcasts, 10 tradition tips every over these final seven years. Surely, no less than one or two of these ended up not working for us or we have discarded it. I’m certain listeners know we’re simply as susceptible and, properly, Foolish as anyone else. So we study as we go. I believe it would be enjoyable to focus on a few these. So thanks each for doing that. This is halftime of the present, after all, as a result of we have achieved 5, there are 5 extra to come back. We could not rent Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. But we do have this transient musical interlude letting our listeners know it is halftime.

David Gardner: Lee, you are elevating your hand to volunteer. You go first.

Lee Burbage: Well, I’m considering again to May of 2016, and the tip was how we do as little as potential. The idea there was to maintain issues easy. Kara and I wish to search for locations the place issues are overengineered and folks aren’t having as a lot enjoyable, and the way will we make issues easy.

David Gardner: Love it.

Lee Burbage: One place that I’ve at all times helped to handle are reception space. There could be some tedious components to being a receptionist, so we have needed to lift up that job and permit these folks to do different extra impactful issues on the firm. We bought this concept from one in every of our companions that we may have a digital receptionist.

David Gardner: Yes, I bear in mind this.

Lee Burbage: It was simply an iPad, and so that you’d stroll into the foyer. It was really a big iPad, as I recall. You’d stroll into the foyer, and the thought was there’s like Max Headroom kind of individual there that is like, “Hey, welcome to the lobby and let me help you.” But what was really taking place was you are interfacing with somebody who is usually Des Moines or someplace, and so they’re doing one thing else of their lounge and so they occurred upon you. It was very awkward interplay that simply didn’t work very properly. In our minds, we have been actually fixing an issue. We have been giving somebody right here who’s in a task to do larger and higher issues and outsourcing it to a contractor who was completely satisfied to do it from house. But in actuality, it was tremendous awkward.

David Gardner: It was actually eerie. You’d stroll in and a spot of reception I believe is meant to be a heat welcoming place. There was a display, and when you say Max Headroom, Lee, that was a AI generated. That was all, Max was by no means an individual, however we had an actual individual.

Lee Burbage: It was an actual human and so they’re residing there.

David Gardner: I believe it was, I’m not even certain, prefer it was a giant iPad. It was a giant display. I’m after all embellishing. But I’m picturing like a 50-inch HDTV. It wasn’t fairly that, but it surely was like a giant face there.

Lee Burbage: I do not assume Danny Meyer would’ve been too proud of the reception that we had created. 

David Gardner: That was from May 2016. That was our second, which was Volume 2 of this collection. I believe that one lasted, Lee. How lengthy did that experiment final?

Lee Burbage: It was a couple of week earlier than there was a revolt and so they have been like, “Can we have humans back in the office and paying attention?”

David Gardner: I’m trying throughout the glass. Rick Engdahl, do you bear in mind our digital receptionist? I believed that she lasted extra like a month, or it is only a week?

Rick Engdahl: I do not assume anyone can’t bear in mind the digital receptionist. The bizarre factor for me is that, as a result of our foyer was additionally like a hall. You’d go to convention rooms or go to the elevators, and you would be strolling by way of the foyer, not essentially making an attempt to work together. You’d be strolling previous the desk, and immediately somebody would shout out like, “Hello, can I help you?” I used to be like, “No, I’m just walking.”

David Gardner: Don’t trouble me, and what are you?

Rick Engdahl: I do not assume any of our human receptionist ever did that. It went approach over or one thing.

David Gardner: Kara, for me anyway, that one’s going to be onerous to prime.

Kara Chambers: It is.

David Gardner: But trying again over the 90, what do you see that you just would not essentially advocate for strongly now in 2022?

Kara Chambers: I might say in our tradition, and it is a related theme of the robots. I’ve talked about Donut greater than as soon as. Donut is a Slack app, as I stated in the beginning, that randomly pairs you with an individual to have espresso.

David Gardner: Yeah.

Kara Chambers: I like it. I really like the idea. There was one known as pint time the place you would go and have a contented hour with 4 random Fools. In principle, that sounds wonderful. In observe, to get 4 random Fools, particularly now to get collectively in-person, is unattainable. But what we discovered was there are a few of us that also use it. By the best way, we love Donut as a Slack app. It is enjoyable. It does plenty of our onboarding, too. But it by no means totally took off as a result of folks didn’t like being instructed what to do by a robotic. It says, “Hey, Lee, your scheduled to have coffee with Rick,” and Lee can be like, “Ignore, ignore,” and everybody would do this. Then they might message me like, “How do I turn off that Donut? It’s yelling at me. It tells me I need to be friends with Rick,” and they’d simply get actually pissed off and switch it off.

Again, I believe it is a useful gizmo and plenty of corporations use it. I really like the randomness, however I believe in our tradition, we’ve spent plenty of intentionality round constructing these interpersonal connections in different ways in which it by no means took off the best way I hoped it will. In truth, I can bear in mind, I believe earlier this yr somebody from our staff did like, we have paired you for espresso. Everybody goes to satisfy for espresso at 4 o’clock on Thursday and have been like, “That was so great. I met with my four people,” as a result of somebody deliberately wrote a spreadsheet and so they discovered these teams of individuals. Someone took the care and so they reached out personally and bought us to affix. Everybody is like, “That was so much fun, why don’t we do that more often?” This Donut robotic has been doing it for years. No, folks don’t wish to be instructed. It’s like there’s simply to date {that a} nudge will take you. I’ve observed that in a few areas in our staff you want an individual in some circumstances to get you to do a factor.

David Gardner: Well, I’ll say as a frequent Donut participant, I actually did discover it enjoyable and I get pleasure from it, however I additionally should admit I have never achieved it for some years now.

Lee Burbage: It kind of yells at you generally. “David, have you not met with Kara?” I’m like, “Oh my gosh, Donut is watching me.”

David Gardner: We wanted to substantiate with the thumb up or thumb down that we had it, it felt obligatory and it felt like there was a deadline.

Kara Chambers: Did you strive? Anyway.

David Gardner: Well, you are not throwing any shade Donuts. I really like random pairing.

Kara Chambers: I like it, too. I believe simply it did not automate the best way that I had hoped it will. I believe Lee you talked about this one, it is just like the human plus the robotic is what we want. So a full robotic telling you the way to make associates. Again, nonetheless assume we must always use it, nonetheless assume different corporations ought to use it. But it solely went to date for us.

David Gardner: I hear the ambivalence. That one was from August of 2017. That was Great Company Culture Volume 3. There are a few issues that have not stood the take a look at of time in Motley Fool tradition. Let’s now bid adieu to our halftime leisure and get nearer to the mountain prime. Friends, we at the moment are at our prime 5 all-time nice Company Culture Tips. For Number 5, Kara, we flip to you.

Kara Chambers: This got here up twice, in August 2019 and initially in December 2015, it was about belief. I heard myself in 2015, my early profession was in recruiting on the Fool. I talked lots about hiring nice folks, after which setting them free. You by no means wish to have this adversarial relationship with the people who be just right for you. You need folks that you just love and provides a number of freedom to. I can bear in mind my early days of recruiting, anytime somebody stated I believe they’ll get bored on this job, I might say no. People by no means get bored.

They will discover new issues to do, as Lee stated. New initiatives, issues like that. I believe the belief of hiring good folks that you just wish to accomplice with, folks usually, in all my years of teaching, they often wish to do nice work. They simply wish to be trusted. It is about that, it doesn’t matter what, with our no trip coverage, no set schedule, no gown code, I have never even thought of gown code. I believe setting your individual priorities and simply working towards these, I believe that is the place we actually realized to say it is actually on the theme, and it got here up greater than as soon as in several methods. So I felt like this made it to the highest 5.

David Gardner: Wear what you need, work if you need, select your individual priorities. I believe lots of people hear that and it sounds nice. But in observe, they marvel, may I really implement that at my firm? I do know we have by no means counted trip days. We’ve actually made plenty of that over time. We’ve been written up as the corporate. Sometimes we’re in a headline, the corporate with limitless trip coverage. Everybody could be on trip on a regular basis if they want. In observe, after all, that does not occur, Kara. An enormous a part of belief is understanding what you are trusting. When you do rent nice folks, you’ll be able to belief them to be nice. Not to take limitless everlasting trip from their job, which, by the best way, would not actually work that properly since their teammates can be expressing that and we would discover out that there is a efficiency downside fairly rapidly, however belief?

Kara Chambers: Yes. Again, it got here from our recruiting days of hiring people who needed to do nice work. I’ll add a tip. There’s a e book that lately has described this rather well to us, it is known as Impact Players by Liz Wiseman. Come the closest to actually describing what that kind of individual is. I say it is relevant wherever. It was like reinforcing all of the issues we do in regards to the varieties of behaviors you see in folks. We seemed for that earlier than we even may describe it after we have been recruiting, and we nonetheless do, folks you’ll be able to belief.

Lee Burbage: We’ve achieved a variety of calls by way of the years with different corporations who’re making an attempt to undertake this strategy. It’s onerous as a result of their query usually is, properly, what ought to the coverage appear to be after we write it for the way to belief folks? What we’re making an attempt to inform you is, no, you simply belief them. You simply have to leap in and go for it. That could be scary for lots of corporations. But we love after we get the calls again which might be like, “I did it. I get everybody convinced and we just went for it and we tore up some of our things, and now we just hire great people, and trust them to do great work, give them some goals to go after.” It’s fairly particular when you will get it rocking and rolling.

David Gardner: Do you discover this has been notably necessary in an period now the place we’re not really seeing folks day by day at work or not? We by no means seemed over anybody’s shoulder, however no less than we knew in the event that they have been there, and in the event that they’re smiling, or in the event that they’re unhappy at their desk. We do not see folks practically as a lot in 2022 even post-pandemic, as we as soon as did on the Fool. Is belief extra necessary?

Lee Burbage: That was a giant deal again after we have been all coming into the workplace. You would get managers who would say, properly, they do not are available in. So I do not know in the event that they’re actually working. People would query one another in the event that they weren’t coming into the workplace. Now you notice, no, it is really, it is nice. People are nonetheless on the market getting their work achieved. I needn’t see them day by day. I believe that was simply extra custom than an precise metrics-based coverage.

David Gardner: Kara, Liz Wiseman, spelled as we’d assume with an A. I really like that, amongst Fools, we’re quoting a Wiseman.

Kara Chambers: Nice.

David Gardner: Impact Players, I have never learn it. It sounds good.

Lee Burbage: It’s an incredible e book.

David Gardner: On the Company Culture Tip all-time nice quantity 4, Lee.

Lee Burbage: This one dovetails properly with quantity 5, and I hope that is allowed as a result of I used to be notably enthusiastic about how this one aged. Back after we offered it in August of 2017, it was fairly early in agile and scrum taking on the world. We have a Fool right here, Brian Ty and Chadwell Schirmer, who delivered to us the concept that desks needs to be on wheels. It was revolutionary on the time that inside our workplace, you would simply stand up and transfer your desk everytime you needed and wherever you needed. So in the event you’re engaged on a unique staff or a unique venture, otherwise you wanted to have quiet otherwise you needed to be within the loud area, you actually simply roll your desk wherever you needed, and that was a giant deal in our tradition. I really like this.

Mobility is what I name that until again then, and at present, how does that symbolize itself? We on the Motley Fool are open in 17 completely different states within the United States, and Fools can go work from any a kind of states that they wish to. It’s a giant deal for us now. We’re seeing lots of people shifting nearer to their households or nearer to a assist community that, Kara talked about earlier, the significance of assist networks, or perhaps a less expensive price of residing, or a spot the place they are often extra environment friendly. It’s opened up avenues for us to search out new pockets of expertise that we do not have to only search right here in our rapid workplace areas. Anyway, we’re totally within the camp of embracing mobility, letting folks work from wherever they will really feel like they’ll be simplest, and it is a huge deal for us. Again, again within the day, it was drag your desk round. Today, it’s, hey, pack up your entire home and transfer to North Carolina.

David Gardner: Yeah. It began with wheels on chairs and wheels on desks. Lee, you talked about 17 states. What state do you want we have been open in or do a few of our staff want we have been open in that we’re not but open into work for full-time for the Motley Fool?

Lee Burbage: Oh, that is a very good query. We’re we’re fairly steady now on the East Coast. We have California, we’ve Texas. I’m making an attempt to assume who else is on the checklist.

David Gardner: Illinois?

Kara Chambers: I really like Illinois.

David Gardner: That’s a giant populist state with Chicago.

Lee Burbage: Yeah, I believe folks have a tendency to maneuver to the extra hotter areas of the nation.

David Gardner: So we are typically open in hotter states?

Lee Burbage: Yes, I believe that is the place persons are. Maybe Georgia.

David Gardner: Minnesota, you’ll be able to’t work for the Fool from Minnesota proper now?

Lee Burbage: No, you can not proper now. I believe Georgia might be on that checklist. Some folks would in all probability wish to get right down to Georgia. Alabama. Our beloved CFO is from Alabama as just a few different Fools, and I believe they might love for us to open that state in some unspecified time in the future.

David Gardner: I believe implicit on this dialog is the notion that that is working, that this can work. I do know so many individuals proper now are questioning the way forward for work. There are conferences devoted to this. We are however one instance, we’re pattern dimension of 1 as an organization. I actually solely know our firm to how we’re doing, what we’re doing. It feels prefer it’s working properly sufficient proper now. As a enterprise, we’re not having a fantastic yr, however we have already talked about that. All of our listeners know that.

The inventory market is down. I used to be checking it simply earlier than at present’s podcast. The S&P 500 is down 20 p.c this yr. One-fifth of its worth gone in lower than one yr, year-to-date. The Nasdaq has misplaced 1/3 of its worth. Friends, in a few of these previous podcasts we have achieved collectively, Lee and Kara, we would have had an ABR mentality, at all times be recruiting. I nonetheless assume we’re ABR, however we do not essentially have plenty of open positions proper now. But for this firm of 600 folks now residing in 17 states, how properly do you assume it is working? Are we going to maintain going this path? Is it going to be 27 states and 37 states, or will there be some recohering? For instance, I’m having fun with doing this podcast with you guys within the studio in our outdated workplaces as soon as once more.

Lee Burbage: Those are plenty of huge questions there.

David Gardner: Yeah. I simply caught it in right here on quantity 4 and do not go alongside as a result of in any other case it’s going to be too lengthy of a podcast. We’ve really had some conversations alongside these traces for a few of our previous Company Culture Tips. But because you’re right here with me and we’re taking the temperature right here wanting Thanksgiving in 2022, I believed why not.

Lee Burbage: I may give the high-level reply. I’m certain Kara has some statistics to again it up. I might say by way of getting your work achieved, effectivity, productiveness, we’re doing properly. I believe the know-how is a large a part of that. So issues like simply Google Docs which might be shareable, and utilizing Zoom, and Trello, and Jira. So having all the fitting know-how has I believe helped lots. We have lengthy tenure right here, so we’ve lots of people that knew one another going into it, however then we’ve employed plenty of new folks. I believe the place our challenges lie forward are actually staying linked.

I do not know of any firm actually that has uncovered the best way that connectivity goes to work on this new world of labor. We’ve all achieved the cooking courses and issues on Zoom and I see corporations doing their finest, and I believe we’re, too. But there’s some subsequent stage that I’m enthusiastic about that I believe we’ve not unlocked but that in all probability has to do with smaller teams of individuals geographically situated getting collectively and breaking bread in some types of how. But I believe that is nonetheless a giant alternative for us. I used to be simply trying again in December of 2019, one in every of my tips quantity 6 was play video games within the workplace. That simply would not work anymore precisely the identical approach.

David Gardner: Although I’ll say that this month we’re enjoying a companywide Codenames match utilizing a mix of codenames.sport, which is the web site the place you’ll be able to really play that fantastic, accessible, household oriented phrase sport, Codenames, that I’ve talked about on this podcast prior to now. It’s a fantastic interface on-line and also you pair it with Zoom, you’ll be able to play a very good sport of codenames with folks from wherever. We have a few hundred Fools enjoying Codenames this month. Lee, we’re nonetheless enjoying video games, however I hear you. I hear you.

Lee Burbage: There’s a chance there, I believe. Hey, by the best way, everybody in my community is getting, is it known as So Clover?

David Gardner: So Clover is an excellent board sport that got here out this yr.

Lee Burbage: You launched that to me and I beloved it. So all my family and friends are getting on to them these days.

David Gardner: So glad to listen to it. You may be previewing subsequent month’s video games, video games, video games every year episode that I do on this podcast the place I discuss the perfect video games to place beneath somebody’s tree this yr. Glad to listen to that. Kara, earlier than we go on to our prime three to shut, any additional ideas?

Kara Chambers: The solely factor I’d add is I believe it is one thing all corporations are nonetheless studying, particularly an organization that went from such an office-centric tradition is that asynchronous work. I believe we’re nonetheless within the wall-to-wall conferences kind of tradition and serving to us take into consideration who’s in several time zones, who’s working. I believe it is taken somewhat longer for us to interrupt these habits. That’s regular. I believe an organization that going distant, you wish to take into consideration asynchronous work somewhat bit extra. To me, I believe that is in all probability our subsequent problem forward to consider that zone.

David Gardner: Awesome. A drum roll, please, Rick Engdahl. Here we go, our prime three all-time nice Company Culture Tips. It’s going to be Kara, then Lee, then Kara. Team, let’s go. Kara, quantity 3.

Kara Chambers: Number 3 is locate your individual metrics. I believe it is a thread that has gone by way of after we discuss belief and the way we measure work. This is our metric as we measure by engagement surveys. But I believe having metrics offers you plenty of freedom usually. But if you ask issues like, is that this working? We put that in our engagement survey and we test, after which we observe. We use a instrument known as Culture Amp, which we have in all probability talked about a variety of instances right here.

David Gardner: Culture Amp?

Kara Chambers: Culture Amp. They actually do a fantastic job of, for example, you might be on the West Coast in that instance I simply gave and you’re feeling much less linked as a result of folks aren’t working in your identical time zone or you need to stand up on the morning time to go to all of your conferences. We would begin seeing that in our survey and it will be one thing we tackle. I’m making that up. But that might be an instance of simply an opportunity for folks to, what we talked about, uncovering what’s taking place. I divided it into three classes. One is earlier than and after. People say they want extra suggestions, we would begin a brand new suggestions program after which measure it to see if it labored. There’s additionally simply pinpointing what populations are scuffling with a sure factor. That actually helps us. So they can assist us reduce demographically in several methods.

Then lastly, actually, we have been speaking about this lately, however generally we uncover huge questions in that survey and it simply will get folks to begin speaking, and it will get folks to open up and speaking about the way to have wholesome disagreements or the way to give suggestions or something like that. Our surveys are taken critically. They’re learn by all people in our senior management staff and we use that as a metric, but it surely is also a second for us to pause and say, are these tips working? If I’m these tips, you’ll be able to inform those which have labored for us are those that we have measured and confirmed over time. Sometimes they work for many folks and generally they work for sure populations and never others and each time. It’s simply good suggestions loop for us. So measure. Again, if you’re in an organization that does engagement surveys or would not do engagement surveys and you might be ready the place you’ll be able to run one, completely do this.

David Gardner: We do it twice a yr.

Kara Chambers: Twice a yr.

David Gardner: Kara, I do know what it’s as a result of I’ve taken many instances. Roughly, what number of questions will we ask sometimes on our twice-a-year engagement survey?

Kara Chambers: I wish to say it is about 40. Because they’re agree-disagree questions, you’ll be able to crank by way of them fairly quick. I realized it is 5 a minute. That’s a tip I realized. Then perhaps one or two open-ended simply to get folks speaking about what’s on their thoughts. Again, it helps our staff uncover what’s taking place there.

David Gardner: Roughly, what number of of these 40 questions from one six-month interval to the following repeat? Then what number of are new?

Kara Chambers: I’m going to guess half over time. Because generally we’ll ask a query after which we’ll learn the solutions and be like, “I don’t think people understood that or I don’t even know what we’re going to do with these.” So I’ve a gathering no less than in each different week and say, what are we actually going to ask? What do we actually wish to know? How are we going to reply? I might say it is about 50-50. Sometimes we make up our personal, generally we discover some which might be business finest practices that we will benchmark off of. We have our personal recipe each time.

David Gardner: Love it. What share roughly of our staff fill out our twice a yr engagement surveys?

Kara Chambers: It’s normally within the mid-80s, like 85 p.c.

David Gardner: That is superior. I’m not going to steal from Lee’s subsequent level. I bend right here. We do not make it obligatory, however I believe we have had such excessive engagement with that survey, Lee and Kara, as a result of as you simply stated, the management staff at our firm reads not simply the outcomes, however usually my brother Tom talks about studying each single remark as a result of folks could make feedback. Six hundred folks could make feedback up and down. There are 40 questions. Those feedback are learn and the outcomes are acted upon. You each, Tom, and our staff make an enormous level within the following six months of claiming here is what we heard from you, these are the areas we’re specializing in for enchancment, and then you definately retest later. Talk about belief, this was all-time nice Company Culture Tip quantity 5 just a bit whereas in the past, when you’ve gotten belief in place, folks will interact and the entire flywheel dynamic begins setting in. The higher you get, the higher you’d higher get. I believe we do get higher by sustaining the belief that results in engagement. Company Culture Tip all-time nice quantity 2, Lee.

Lee Burbage: Well, you’ve got alluded to it. It’s one thing that I discover myself saying lots and it’s compelling, not obligatory. This actually comes from me rising up on this planet of human sources and in my early days not having fun with being the HR police. It’s no enjoyable to run round and make folks do stuff.

David Gardner: Adults?

Lee Burbage: Yes. Things like filling out efficiency critiques, attending coaching, studying firm communication, and even attending completely satisfied hours and issues like that. I attempt to actually take into consideration for myself and discuss with our staff. If folks aren’t displaying up or they are not doing the factor that you just’re asking them to do, as an alternative of getting offended with these people and making an attempt to make them do issues, return and redesign what you are doing such that they’ll wish to do it, and then you definately’ll know you’ve gotten a extremely nice program.

Things just like the engagement survey that Kara runs, we’ve excessive participation as a result of there’s plenty of care that goes into that to make it wonderful and to make it highly effective and that we do comply with up. If you end up on the market on this planet making an attempt to make folks do issues, what I wish to say is these are generally the simplest issues to cease doing and the issues that you’re going to get essentially the most accolades for as a result of persons are stoked and so they’re like, “You mean I don’t have to do that thing that I can’t stand doing anymore?”

David Gardner: The depraved witch is lifeless.

Lee Burbage: Yes. Instead we will do one thing enjoyable and gratifying. Performance value determinations, I believe we have been a really early firm to cease doing these as a result of we noticed that folks simply do not like doing them and so they weren’t very efficient, and we have invented different ways in which we have talked about on this podcast earlier than. Make issues compelling and it is much more enjoyable for everyone.

David Gardner: This is only a basic Lee Burbage tip, so I’m glad that you just parked it right here in your prime quantity 2 on this case simply because we’re alternating. But, Lee, that is your prime tip. I’m not saying it is best to put one thing like this in your headstone, however I believe you’ve gotten actually embodied this and championed this at our firm. For years, I’ve seen you give no less than one TEDx discuss talking to this partially. Lee, have you ever written a e book about this or an article? This is your level, I believe you personal this one.

Lee Burbage: This may very well be a kind of issues the place perhaps I did learn this someplace or another person, I do not know, but it surely’s one thing that I really like and is significant to me. The first time I believe I noticed it in motion in my profession was I labored for Bank of America in my early days and I used to be supporting the financial institution system. I used to enter the financial institution and meet with a teller, as an illustration, and we had enormous turnover and plenty of issues that I handled have been people who have been displaying up late, or not displaying up in any respect, or quitting. It was an actual downside. When I investigated, what I discovered was the job was horrible. So we have been spending all of our time making an attempt to pressure folks to get to work on time with insurance policies, and threats, and firings and all of this stuff, making an attempt to get folks to pressure them to do one thing that simply wasn’t enjoyable. So what I needed to do as an alternative was, why do not we take a look at the job itself and see if we will make it extra fascinating? The cause persons are coming in late is as a result of they do not wish to be there. Let’s make it so that they do.

David Gardner: The grand finale. This higher be the perfect of all, Kara, as a result of we have positioned it within the ballot place #1. Kara Chambers, Lee Burbage, thanks each a lot for a particular week. You can solely do better of if in case you have some fairly great things, and you’ll solely do better of in the event you’ve achieved some fairly great things for a protracted time frame and right here we’re, our tenth Company Culture Tip podcast The Best Of. Speaking of better of, what’s the single biggest all-time Company Culture Tip that has issued from our collection, Kara? No stress, I’m not hyping this in any respect.

Kara Chambers: I’m one hundred pc assured on this, it’s caring issues. When I look again and you’ll hear it in what we talked about at present is displaying that you just care issues greater than something. If you do nothing else, then you definately take nothing else away. In our engagement survey, we ask, does somebody at work care about you as an individual, your supervisor, any person? About 95 p.c of Fools say sure. I believe it is simply necessary to construct a group. That is after we’ve grown to 600 folks, it is after we’ve employed 200 folks remotely in a world pandemic. I believe that is been true the complete time, all seven years that we have been doing this podcasts, all 17 years I’ve been working right here.

Probably, I’m assuming the historical past of the Fool. I believe for us, it is simply come during. We have been placing this collectively final night time as common, and I used to be trying in our advantages channel and there was a Fool saying, “I’m trying to get into the Doctor On Demand, my is toddler sick.” It’s 8:30 at night time and moments later, one other Fool who did not know her stated, “I know how it is. Here’s the app, here’s the password, here’s how to get in.” They did not know one another. They simply had the widespread expertise of a sick toddler and so they helped one another with none of us being concerned in any respect as a result of these have been the varieties of folks we employed. Then later HR stepped in, helped her get on there or one thing. Again, simply seeing that instance virtually just about day by day right here is de facto the way it works. We discuss group, the people who look out for you. Once you be a part of the Fool, your a part of our group and that is how we’d shut it.

Lee Burbage: What’s nice about Kara’s story is, when she and I noticed one another at present, it is the very first thing we talked about, the factor we’re most proud about, that 8:37 at night time, East Coast normal time, somebody out in our Fool group was struggling and different Fools have been leaping in to assist them. No one requested them to do it, that is simply who we’re. I believe that tradition of caring is palpable. You understand it exists, you see it in all places. Kara and I simply beam with delight as we see it exhibited day by day throughout Fooldom.

David Gardner: One factor I’m aware of, I’m by no means wanting us, and I hope we’ve not achieved this on this wonderful 10-part collection now, I hope we’ve not been bragging. I hope we’ve not been saying we’re so nice and look what we’re doing. I hope we have additionally by no means been saying this could solely be achieved by us. In truth, the entire level of this collection and all the contributions Kara and Lee that you’ve got made to this collection are freely sharing what we’re making an attempt, what we predict works, no strings hooked up. Some of the issues that we have shared might be extremely related and eye-opening and a number of the others, relying on who you might be, won’t even apply. But I actually admire that you just took the time to say that, Kara, that the care is obvious and care is just not one thing that we’ve a monopoly on or that we’re even the perfect at. Care is one thing that all of us listening to us proper now’s able to at a person stage to begin with, however then actually at a household or group stage, actually at a company stage, and perhaps particularly that final half, at a company stage, appears stunning to some.

I suppose I should not even say company, I ought to simply say enterprise or skilled as a result of we’re not simply speaking about firms right here. You may work for the federal government, you may work for an NGO. Everyone can care, each office could be extra caring, and boy if it would not depend for a lot. Thank you for that, Kara. I at all times put in thoughts the nice Maya Angelou quote, I’m certain I’ve rocked this on the podcast earlier than, I’m certain many people are acquainted, but when you have not heard this one, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,” Maya Angelou, the poet, stated. “Forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Kara and Lee, you’ve got made me really feel like a professional as a result of I get to, in some methods, share on this or sound like I deserve credit score as a co-founder of this. I do know Tom and I really feel the identical approach.

You each have introduced your individual distinctive imaginative and prescient, your professionalism, your love of the custom of HR, your perception that we will do it higher, that we’re by no means going to get there, you’ll be able to at all times prime it. In truth, I’d be the primary to say, pricey listener, if there’s something we shared with you this week in our Best Of that you just assume you’ll be able to prime or that places you in thoughts of one thing new, [email protected] is our e-mail tackle and we do have a mailbag on the finish of each month. I’d love to listen to reactions, challenges, or higher concepts shared out from our listenership. Kara, Lee, thanks very a lot. This has been spectacular. This was the besties, pre-besties. I’m going to do a besties later this yr of our greatest podcasts. I’m going to forewarn you, this might be in our besties this week that we spent collectively partially as a result of I believe it is so related to so many individuals listening as a result of we’re all working someplace, most of us. Even in the event you’re retired, you are working someplace and we’re making an attempt to make it higher. Kara, Lee, thanks.

Lee Burbage: Thanks for having us.

Kara Chambers: Thank you.