Employing the Whole Person

WHEN I WAS a kid fresh out of college, I landed a true dream job at a city magazine just a little north of the 405 in Tulsa. I loved every minute and everything about that job, and I worked the hours to show for it. But it didn’t matter: I was at the stage of life when work could be my life, and my life could be my work.

Fast forward more years than I can believe, and now my work-life balance has to look a lot different. I’ve got kids, carpools and a whole slew of other people to consider every day. My priorities have shifted, just like the employees at more than 50% of Oklahoma companies that now offer remote work positions to meet the flex-time demands of a post-COVID workforce.

So many employers, thanks to an abundance of reasons like the Great Resignation and a tightened job market, are turning their attention to growing a positive company culture. The leaders in this group push authenticity and transparency — along with a good dose of humility about what they can do better — in order to accurately assess their culture. In our cover story, Building a Better Culture, we wanted to ask these leaders what makes a good culture and see if we could glean advice for how other companies can grow their culture, too.

I had the privilege to talk with so many smart, passionate, intentional business leaders from a lot of Oklahoma's biggest and well-known companies for this story. These men and women dedicate their professional lives to helping the culture of their business match the mission and vision of its leaders. They care about the whole employee, and they want to build companies that help these employees become the best version of themselves, both in the office and out. It was inspiring to hear Simple Modern Chief Culture Officer (and our cover star) Jonathan Kuhlman talk about knowing culture was an important cornerstone of the company even before the company was formed. Or hearing Phase 2 CEO Heath Clinton talk about the importance of trust when his team of 67 employees all work remotely in 10 states.

The bottom line is that work looks different than it did when my parents were younger, or goodness, even when I was younger. But people are the same. Companies are realizing that they actually employ the whole person, not just the parts they see behind the keyboard. And, for that, we’re all better.

Kayte Spillman EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Bob Funk Express Employment Professionals, co-founder & president

"For a leader to say he or she is above someone else, it just doesn't work in managing people. It’s only if the leadership feels like they're humble enough to be able to be criticized and to listen to what the other person's issue might be, and then try to solve the issue for them."

Jenny Love Meyer Love's Travel Stops, Chief Culture Officer

"Listen to your employees. Hear them. What do they want? What's important to them? What are their problems? Have simple conversations. Show them that you care. Then use what they are saying to grow your culture and the strategy behind it."