this is the first of a four email series that I am sending to our company this month...
Dear Colleagues:
We have all heard comments comparing our relationships at work to a “family”. I hear people call their colleagues “my work family”, and I have also heard a handful of comments this year that some feel like we are “more corporate today and less like a family than we used to be”.
I understand that we are talking about the “sentiment” of “being close” and “having each other’s back”. I realize that probably no one is saying “family” literally. I also respect that we all think and value family differently, so I am only speaking here from my own interpretation of the words and how I believe they may impact our dynamic at work. Words and thoughts matter, and for me, neither literally nor figuratively do I think about us and our company as a family. Hang on… hear me out ;-) I think we are much more than that!
This message is not about convincing you that we are not like a family… because we can make great arguments to some important and meaningful similarities between the two.
This message is more about helping us, as a company, to be better aligned in the understanding that we are most powerful as a team… a team with a purpose!
It’s a matter of DELIBERATE CHOICE
The comparison that works for me, is to think of our company as a “team”, moreso than a “family”. We CHOOSE to be a part of EMG every day. We CHOOSE the people that get to join the company. We CHOOSE the performance and engagement levels required to stay on as a part of the team.
The fact that we mutually CHOOSE to be together, to me is of paramount importance to our relationship. It creates a mutual accountability that should be healthy and constructive. We want and need to earn each other’s trust and show value to each other to ensure that we continue to choose to be on the same team. That is good stuff. And, a different dynamic from a “family”.
A High Performing Team REACTS, GROWS & TRANSFORMS
A family has a very defined structure and, typically, roles that transpire over long periods of time. On a great team, you have a role to play, and you can deliberately learn and move into different roles based on the market, business and individual desire. We can grow a team quickly and deliberately. We can morph into a different kind of team over time, if it is in our best interest and we choose to do so.
A High Performing Team HAS A CLEAR OBJECTIVE & AN APPROACH… It should have a purpose.
A high performing team has a clear objective to win and executes to an explicit game plan. A great team has a purpose.
A great company is a high performing team that is working to achieve an objective bigger and bolder than that which we could achieve on our own. As a company we are all critically interdependent on each other for our collective success. We are a team with the objective of adding value to our clients AND our employees in an ever expanding & profitable way to ensure our existence & prosperity. We will make decisions in the best interest of the company and team, and those decisions must satisfy our plan of providing gerater value to our clients. And, we will make mistakes along the way. And, we need to hear from you when we do. We won’t always make you happy, butwe will always be considering your feedback, and will be acting in our collective best interest. We want your feedback because we know you care, we respect you and want you to continue to CHOOSE EMG every day!
As a company, our primary bond is that of team mates. Our primary bond is our deliberate decision to work (and “play”) together to achieve our goals in a way that is consistent with our team values. (We will be sharing our values with everyone again at our December Town Hall).
As a team, a secondary bond we form is that of friendship. It doesn’t happen always, and certainly not with everyone – but it is one of the things that makes work more meaningful and fun. Team mates that share individual values and interests often become friends… great friends. And, it’s one of the best parts of being part of the team.
I love my family, as I know you do yours. I love my friends differently, and in some cases possibly more (if there is a way or need to compare). We choose our friends and we share and enjoy more effortlessly with them. And, some of my friends are also my family.
Ultimately, “work” to me is not just a “choice”. It’s a critically important part of my purpose, of who I am. Where I work & how I engage with my team is the choice I make. I wake up every day for the possibility and the opportunity to add value to the world around me and to become a better version of myself. I want to grow and provide better for my family as I am sure you do. Work / EMG, for me, is a very significant part of how I do that, and I hope, for you as well.
We are a great team and a great company. Mind you, I didn’t say “perfect”. We all know that there are many ways that our team and every person in it, can and needs to grow and improve (starting with yours truly). But, I see how very deeply and sincerely people care. I see how hard people work. And I am continually humbled and inspired by you and all of the team at EMG.
While, I may not compare us to a “family”, I care sincerely about EMG, about what we are trying to achieve together, what we are working to bring to life. I care about this team and about every person in it. Your success is my success. We are interdependently intertwined and you are respected colleagues, and we have all developed dear and life-long friends along the way. I look forward to getting to know more and more of you, and as a company of 500+ people, that is both tricky and exciting. I am here and very interested in hearing what you think and I encourage you to reach out with whatever you deem appropriate, or just to say hello.
Call us a “family”, if that analogy works for you. We are a company, and in my opinion, a great & imperfect one ;-) We are a high performing TEAM, playing to WIN. We are growing together every day, learning better what roles each of us is playing and what opportunities we are creating for our clients and for each other. We are working together to overcome the challenges that we face that stand between where we are and where we want to be, and many of those challenges we create for ourselves.
I CHOOSE to be at EMG, as do you. We make a formidable team – one that we can and will continue to improve upon. As your team mate, I am committed to doing my part to develop and execute a strategy that brings real value and opportunity for you & for our clients…
And, while it may not be obvious to everyone in every moment, we are a team in the process of doing just that…
We will talk more about our purpose and strategy next week.
Most Gratefully (and in harmony),
Nestor Benavides