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CAPITAL QUESTION:
UPCOMING:
How have you made your company culture attractive? Capital Ideas members share tips for building a desirable workplace
NOV
07-08 NOV
21
CAPITAL IDEAS
NOV
26-27
Rendez-vous économique 2014 Alberta’s business conference en français Where: La Cité Francophone (8627 91st St.) When: 5:30 p.m. Friday to 4 p.m. Saturday Admission: $154 to $259. Details at ocs.oohoo.biz/rve2014
The Enlightened Fall A creative showcase of an eclectic mix of organizations hosted by Guru Digital Arts College Where: The Jubilee Auditorium (11455 87th Ave.) When: 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. Admission: Free. To submit something to showcase, visit gurudigitalarts.com/EFsignup
2014 Productivity Summit: It Begins at Why Information and inspiration to help organizations continue building on productivity Where: Northlands Expo Centre (7515 118th Ave.) When: 5 p.m. Wednesday to 5:30 p.m. Thursday Admission: $350. Details at productivityalberta.ca
Have an event that Capital Ideas should know about? Contact us at hello@capitalideasedmonton.com
PHOTO BY SAM BROOKS/CAPITAL IDEAS
Christophe Delmotte, CEO of Kore Solution Inc. (koresolution.com), says that it’s all about being inclusive. “I try to involve everyone with the development of the company and its culture. We try to make every day enjoyable, and develop the skills and capabilities of each [employee]. It has its challenges, but it’s very rewarding.” “Internal branding is so important. Ensuring we involve our staff in the decision-making process helps us create an attractive culture, because our brand-message consistency comes right from the inside out. We live and breathe our values, and that shows through from every level. The message then becomes very clear for attracting and retaining top talent!” — Brandi Bartlett, director of human resources at Quercus Solutions — quercussolutions.com
“Recruiting is important; however, our culture goes much deeper than just attracting new staff. Our core values define everything we do and set the foundation for our culture. We recognize Yardstickers with core values stories at each weekly meeting to ensure ours are a constant part of our communication and ongoing decision-making.” — Alexis MacMillan, EVP of eLearning at Yardstick — getyardstick.com
“We have an attractive company culture because we work as a team, and our employees’ input is valued. Each team player feels supported, therefore they are not afraid to ask questions and offer suggestions. It’s an enjoyable atmosphere where each can learn and grow.” — Chantal Beaulieu, director of marketing at ICS Engineering Inc. — icsengggroup.com
“The first thing was to understand what our culture was and define our values. We met as a company and agreed on our values and how everything we do would ensure our values were always supported — that drove our decisions. We also ensured that we hired first for culture and values, then for attitude, and finally for skills. If you can do all that, then everything falls into place.” — Ashif Mawji, CEO of NPO Zero — npozero.com
“My company culture is attractive because there is a benchmark of professionalism … We have created an environment for learning. Every meeting is education-based, with a keynote speaker who is an expert in their field. We encourage our clients to be better, and show them how! When you know better, you do better.” — Dorothy Briggs, owner and publisher of Womanition Magazine — womanition.com
“We have sought to understand the competitive cultures in our industry, and emphasize collaboration, family and community over individual competition and numbers. We know our culture and our people authentically provide a distinct service in recruitment, because our culture is distinct in our industry.” — Darryl Moore, vice-president of Marketing and Communication — executrade.com
“It’s in our mandate, which is to inspire hope and contribute to the safety and wellbeing of all ages, professions, cultures and communities concerned and/or affected by bullying. People want to work in healthy, supportive, safe and inspiring environments.” — Linda Crockett, CEO of ABRC Inc. — socialworkersagainstbullying.ca “We need employees who can work with little supervision, who can surprise us with their insights, and who know how to learn. To attract and keep these people, we’ve been pretty extreme; we have unlimited vacations and no managers. People choose when and where they work from. Everyone gets a say in major decisions —from project choice, to marketing, to compensation. We trust our staff to make good decisions, and we’re not disappointed.” — Daniel Haight, president of Darkhorse Analytics Inc. — darkhorseanalytics.com “The culture at STARS is one of family; we place importance on staff, and encourage them to take on new challenges and support them with professional development. Being part of a family at work makes it easier to have work/life balance, as we understand that staff have lives outside of work, and those lives are supported through teamwork and flexibility through work hours. Staff are also encouraged to be innovative, and know that it’s OK to fail in order to succeed.” — Gurpreet Lail, executive director of STARS Foundation — stars.ca
“Two phrases that go a very long way in making any relationship work are ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’ In my office, these words accompany any ask. One moment of genuine politeness changes the entire nature of the ensuing dialogue. We give each other respect, and in exchange, a respectful working environment is enjoyed by all.” — Laura M. Schuler, general counsel at Schuler Law Group “Developing core values that our staff believe in, and doing our best to live those values daily has significantly helped naturally attract the right people. For example, we value balance, so we naturally attract people that are seeking a culture that truly [promotes] work-life balance.” — Bryan Smith, president of Bluetrain Inc. — bluetrain.ca “I’d say it’s partly by design, and partly my team that has been the key. First, we treat employees like adults and provide maximum flexibility to deal with personal issues, don’t worry about timesheets, and focus on results, not micromanaged work processes. We have an open office design to encourage communication and teamwork, and we celebrate successes and learn from failures. Our team members are enthusiastic, positive, treat each other with mutual respect, and have great energy!” — Chris Vilcsak, president of Solution 105 — solution105.com
These answers are in response to a question posed by Wellington Holbrook, executive vice-president of ATB Business. Here’s his take: “Culture is everything, and you can see how true that is by looking at the most successful companies in the world. What sets them apart? Usually it is culture. It is the feeling their customers get when dealing with those businesses. It is the emotion that team members feel about working for their company. What I have seen from those that have built the most successful businesses is that they often made culture a key part of their strategy. They would deliberately state the culture they wanted, and would tell stories of how certain behaviours made that culture come to life. They would do this in a way their employees understood and that would inspire them to do their best work. Of course, another factor is hiring employees that fit that culture, but that is a conversation for another Capital Ideas question.”
COMMUNITY QUESTION: What does innovation look like in your company? Innovation can give any business a competitive edge, but coming up with a new way of doing things or adding value for your customers can also be a challenge. That’s why Jason Collins, president of Collins Industries (collins-industries-ltd. com), wants to know how your company stays ahead of the game. What does innovation look like in your company? • Open today’s Capital Ideas email if you’re a member, or • Visit capitalideasedmonton.com We’ll publish the best answers, along with your business name and website address, on Nov. 13. Jason is one of the speakers at the 2014 Productivity Summit: It Begins With Why, which takes place at the Northlands Expo Centre on Nov. 26-27. For more information and to get your tickets, visit productivityalberta.ca/events.
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