Radical Transparency or just TMI?
An open letter on culture, client centered design, and connecting at scale.
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TODAY’S LESSON
Going viral in the 18th century
You’ve probably heard the story of Thomas Chippendale, the mid-18th century London-based cabinet maker, furniture designer and interior decorator.
Poor Thomas didn’t have much success until he shared his techniques in his book titled The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director. Without Snapchat or LinkedIn, for its time, the book went “viral.”
What’s the lesson for us? We find it awfully curious why so many service firms are reluctant to share their so called “secret sauce.”
Chippendale did so almost 300 years ago and his business and influence grew immeasurably as a result. We’re here to do the same.
CLIENT CENTERED DESIGN (ORGANIZATIONAL)
We’re quickly finding: The new normal is a client who expects a level of service that only a motivated employee can give.
But like any team, we’re constantly searching for the best ways to recruit talent, get the most out of our talent, then keep them from jumping ship.
Invariably, we come back to one thing as our secret sauce: Our Culture.
Internal efforts to cultivate our culture are on-going, and although we’re not ready for Buffer style radical transparency, we still think it’s time to openly share.
Beginning with this micro-manifesto of sorts, we’re declaring our goal to share an occasional behind-the-scenes look into how we work, what inspires us, and most importantly, how we embrace our shared values.
Our clients come from healthcare and financial services. These organizations operate in some of the most difficult industries.
As their trusted advisor and occasional partner, we, like them, fully appreciate the success of any company going through fundamental digital transformation is understanding that it’s first and foremost a people issue.
Meaning, before we enable our clients to truly enjoy the benefits of data-driven decision making, our team and its people must first be aligned to a common purpose. Our common purpose starts and ends with our culture.
CONNECTING AT SCALE
The funny thing about culture is that it’s clearly everywhere, but nowhere to be seen. So if you bump into us at one of the many workshops, meet-ups, or other learning opportunities we frequent, please stop and say hi, because if you don’t, we will.
ON THE TOWN: FOR CHARITY
Empowered by digital, compelled by passion, and enabled by data, we are eager to build meaningful, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationships with our team, clients, and the communities they serve.
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Check back for future behind the scenes looks into life at Gray Matter.
