bazaarvoice.com (sam decker) & boundlessnetwork.com (jason black)

sam/bazaarvoice.com: looked for a way to engender trust.
-passion teamwork excellence openness execution - five pillars of teamwork for bazaarvoice culture
-key is to have an understanding of how each person on the team fits into the culture
-tie reviews to the five pillars to see how they are sustaining the characteristics; rewarding and retaining people who are great examples

jason/boundlessnetwork.com: culture=family system (parents=investors; best friend=co-founder; siblings=management team; kids=employees) “Good to Great” — read this book

sam: “5 Dysfunctions of a Team” — also recommended reading

sam: allow everyone on the team to contribute to the culture; hire in alignment of the culture and then let the whole team contribute

question: what’s the most effective method to achieve alignment?

sam: alignment starts with core values; discuss the what and the how–what are you working on and how you are interacting with others?

jason: alignment starts with “what does the journey look like?” then paint the picture and get everyone inspired; everybody knows what the end game is; what is your role in the end game and how does your role impact the organization? over communicate; bring your team in, show them where they fit in the food chain; be vulnerable and 100% candid; always communicate what the crusade is and get everyone inspired.

sam: avoid silos to keep communication open between everyone; “Fierce Conversations” — another book

jason: are they doing it for a paycheck, or are they inspired by the work?

question: how do you avoid isolation when you have an environment devoted to development where productivity is paramount?

jason: create discipline and communication until the problem is fixed; even if the team doesn’t like it

sam: passion drives initiative, ideas, motivation; leadership must support that

audience: his org did a branding exercise of a sort: putting the company mission on the table for all employees to discuss, pick apart, re-invent–the result was everyone buying in

jason: monthly “open bar” where all employees attend and any question can be asked and will be answered without avoidance

question: how do you celebrate wins?

sam: ring the big gong (they have one; this is not a metaphor), everyone gathers and the success gets shared; also ongoing awards within each functional areas

jason: not good at this so we have a person in our organization who is responsible for it

sam: be mindful of what’s going on in your org outside of getting the work done

question: what about looking for a good fit when it comes to clients?

sam: difficult when you need to make money to keep the doors open; his company tries to fit or change somewhat to fit without changing at the core; sometimes there’s not a good fit and you have to say goodbye

question: how do you deal with employees who might not recognize your authority due to age, etc?

jason: make it about established and agreed upon business metrics; take the personal aspect out of it

audience: got to find a way to develop personal relationships while keeping the business goals as the cut-and-dry information about the job; be clear about the employee’s role and responsibilities and objectives

sam: create quarterly objectives and accountability

audience: you have to clearly demonstrate in the workplace that you as the boss mean business and are there to do the work, not to make friends

jason: “the starfish and the spider” — another book

question: what kinds of communication methods do you use (glut of email…)

sam: face to face meetings; share what’s really going on so they don’t get it from gossip; get up from your desk and talk to people instead of emailing

question: how do you spread awards between individual performance vs company performance?

jason: C-level 75/25 co/ind; mgmt 50/50; lower lvl 25/75

In: YMMV | | #