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By Laura Perry, Copywriting & Editing Intern at Talent Academy
Culture eats strategy for breakfast
In episode 6 of our Clubhouse Chatroom series, Founder and Managing Director of Talent Academy, Sanja Jovanovic interviews three of our interns who share their experiences of the culture here at Talent Academy.
This post is part of Talent Academy's Clubhouse Chatroom series, Episode 6 "Team Culture". To watch the episode click here or watch below.
Sanja notes that people often have such a large focus on the process of producing work, that they create a culture that is difficult for employees to buy into, which can then have a negative impact on the outcomes of the business.
Perception vs reality
Strict rules such as a formal dress-code, working 9-5 and separating work and home life are often associated with the corporate world. Talent Academy strives to move away from such stereotypes, and media intern Allysa Maywald recalls that she didn’t realise it would be so casual when she first walked into her interview. We operate with flexible working hours and the option to work at home when necessary, as Sanja firmly focuses on outcomes rather than process.
Sanja strongly believes that having this relaxed environment allows employees to feel more comfortable and work more effectively to produce significant outcomes. The movement from a stereotypical corporate culture towards a more relaxed, outcomes-based environment is growing evermore present in businesses across the globe.
Life first, then work
It is important to remember that we are humans first, not robots!
At Talent Academy, we start off the week with a "round-table", where we start with one person who shares what they did on the weekend, moving around the table until everyone has had a turn. We then address what we each need to work on that day.
Sanja points out that in our modern world she could have easily hired robots to do the work her employees do, but she wanted humans. So unlike robots, humans need to socialise and share their lives with one another - we have more to our lives than just work!
The team culture at Talent Academy translates well into our end of year Christmas celebrations. This year, we shared lunch before playing bowling and laser tag, both of which are excellent team bonding exercises despite their competitive nature! We then open the celebration to our social networks, with drinks, snacks and games, giving everyone the opportunity to meet new people and create a friendly atmosphere.
Although we operate under a chill environment, we still have strict deadlines. Sanja asked our interns how they thought they would handle a stricter environment that might be present at a future job. The key factors that arose were;
Self-management
Maintaining balance
Communication
People are more down-to-earth than you think, they are still human and need to be treated as such. By having open communication, and checking up on smaller teams, you can still maintain a positive culture even if the environment has stricter rules.
With the uncertainty of what the future of working looks like given the current pandemic, we invite you to think about how we can keep culture alive if we’re stuck at home? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
To wrap up our Team Culture episode, Sanja asked the interns to summarise working in our team in one word. Here’s what they said:
“Fun” - Carmen
“Togetherness” - Allysa
“Balanced” - Jaydn
People thrive in these environments, and when people thrive, your company thrives.
A big thanks to our interns for being part of the conversation!
Carmen Chea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carmen-chea/
Allysa Maywald: https://www.linkedin.com/in/allysa-maywald/
Jaydn Barltrop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaydn-barltrop-579b431b5/