In the best tech organizations, employees rarely say no to a challenge or claim that a new task is impossible. Instead they use their ingenuity to make it work. How can you inspire this attitude in your own team?
Erik Gustafson, CTO of Xamin, explains how he has helped build an IT culture where doing whatever it takes to get the job done is simply part of the DNA.
The Enterprisers Project (TEP): Tell us a little bit about Xamin's IT culture.
Gustafson: It's similar to a bunch of buddies who get together and network their computers to set up a gaming gathering in their garage. Let me give you a little history. When I was first introduced to computers, my buddies and I would get together every so often and network our computers together so that we could play video games head to head. This was before online gaming and, as you can imagine, setting up a full network with 10 or 12 PCs in a couple of hours presented challenges. But because we had a strong desire to make it work, everyone brought whatever parts they had to make it work. It was a hobby for us, a passion, and so everyone's mentality was to do whatever it takes. Make it work.
That is my inspiration for our culture and something I always wanted to recreate. Xamin's culture is just like that, everyone just does what it takes but does so because it's in our DNA. We are a group of like-minded individuals who share a common hobby instead of just a job.
This is vital to having a successful company culture because the people are not focused on the days or the hours, but on producing top-end results. This leads to a culture where not just one or two people take ownership of success — everyone has an ownership mentality. In my opinion this is what makes us unique.
TEP: Are there some people who don't fit in well with a culture like that?
Gustafson: Not everyone is a fit and we have to be very selective when hiring a new person. For example, with the job-focused mentality we do not require our team to sit in front of their desks from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. As long as they are completing the job to the satisfactions of our standards and the clients, they are free to do their work at any time.
Many people work better under a required set of hours, but these types of people are not a fit for our culture. However, those that do fit, truly love our culture and embrace the way we work. This leads to happier people and happier people typically produce higher results.
At Xamin, team members want to protect this way of life and so will typically go above and beyond to produce outstanding results. In return, they are able to manage their own schedules and do things that a typical 9-to-5 employee would have to take time off for, such as picking their kids up from school, doctor visits, or any other activity that is usually handled Monday through Friday.
TEP: We frequently hear that finding and hiring top talent, especially those with technical skills, is getting more and more challenging. How do you meet that challenge? How do you compete against larger, more well-known employers?
Gustafson: We face the same challenges that everyone else does, finding that right pipeline for technical talent. However, word about our culture and how we do business seems to be spreading, so we are having more and more talent seeking us out. In competing against larger employers, it's important for us to properly convey to a prospective hire our culture and our vision for the future. This has proven effective in the past and in some of our recent hires, when we were competing directly against those larger employers.
TEP: How do you make sure that the people you hire will be good for Xamin's culture, and that it will be good for them?
Gustafson: To be honest, we ask a lot of questions and do multiple interviews. Prospective candidates will most likely interview with teams of people in other divisions of our company as well as the group they might work with. This helps us to get a well-rounded perspective on candidates and an unbiased view of their qualifications. An ideal candidate for us is someone who has a passion for technology and instead of looking for a job, is looking for a group of like-minded individuals who share that passion and a common goal.
TEP: Once you do hire someone who's a great fit, how do you make sure to retain that person?
Gustafson: If they're a great fit, retaining them has not been an issue as they typically feel they haven't just found a job, but also a second family.
Erik Gustafson is President and Chief Technology Officer of Xamin, Inc. In his role, he is responsible for providing a long-term technology vision that supports and is aligned with the company’s strategies and goals, business plans, operating requirements and overall efficiencies.
