At Medium the two big hats I wear are those of an Account Strategist and the Vice President of Operations (aka "VP of Ops"). As you can imagine, the requirements of each of those roles varies significantly, with multiple context switches made every day. When I make a post here, it's highly likely that topics will cut across a broad swath of issues, from information architecture to various time-tracking and project management tools.
Today, however, I want to talk about my role as VP of Ops, and in particular the fundamental paradigm that I believe makes for good operations. It's not, as one might expect, a typical "bottom-line" issue like efficiency, process, careful time-management, or sound fiscal decisions. While all of those are essential, they're meaningless without, well, meaning. And that's what I want to talk about today.
A few years back I listened to a podcast from the Stanford University Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminars. It was by Janice Fraser, a founding partner and ex-CEO of Adaptive Path, one of my favorite product & user experience design companies. The gist of her lecture was that leaders of companies must strive to "make meaning" in their companies. (Originally the idea is drawn from Guy Kawasaki's seminal start-up book The Art of the Start.) At the heart of this idea is creating an environment where people can excel, where they're driven to succeed personally and to make the company succeed because they're part of a meaningful enterprise, and not merely because they're paid well. In the long run meaning is the most powerful motivator, not high salaries, or free massages and beer (but that sure does help -- see number 3 below).
So with a goal towards making meaning, Medium has put in place a number of policies and practices to keep us on the right path and to help us create a workplace that provides meaning for all who work here. Here's just a few:
1. 10 Percent Time
Ever heard of Google's "20 percent time"? You know, the one day per week their engineers get to work on projects that aren't necessarily in their job descriptions? Well, we do the same thing, only we call it "10 percent time" and, as you might have guessed, it works out to about a half-day each week for those who apply for the program.
2. Employee Advocacy
As with most companies, every employee at Medium has an annual review. But it doesn't stop there. In their annual review every employee is given the chance to give feedback and suggestions for how they think the company could be improved and how their work lives might be made easier and more enjoyable. In addition, not only are they reviewed by their managers but they also get a chance to hear any feedback or suggestions from their peers. Finally our managers are encouraged to work as advocates for their employees. This means that we strive to put the needs and career goals of our employees ahead of the needs of the company. Sometimes this means that an employee has the opportunity to move into a different department or it might even mean that an employee decides to move on from Medium to work on a graduate degree or a job more suited to their career goals.
3. Tasty Bites and Beer-Friday
Our developers used to complain about how annoying it was to have to stop programming in the middle of the day and venture out into the sunlight to find something to eat. Well, now, thanks to an endless supply of Tasty Bites, they rarely have to leave the comfort of their desks and noise-canceling headphones.
And Beer-Friday is exactly what it sounds like. Most Friday's around 3:00 the office begins to ease into the weekend thanks to beers on the company dime. We have no official position on various rumors concerning "Bourbon-Thirty" and "Gin-Thirty."
4. Company Gatherings
Occasionally we invite the whole team out for a Chattanooga Lookouts game, or a summer cookout, or an incredible Christmas party.
5. B Corporation status
Medium (the company previously known as COPTIX) was one of the first companies in Tennessee to be certified as a B Corporation. B Corporations "are a new type of corporation which use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems." You can read more about it on the B Corp website, but essentially it formalizes many of our policies and the thoughtful approach we've always taken to running a company.
6. 80's Music Friday
Well, you can probably figure out what this is, and if not you'll certainly be hearing more about it in future blog posts. Some good friends and partners, like Chattarati and Southside Creative Group, have joined "The Church of 80's Music Friday", making for a unique & amusing shared experience. Feel free to join in: follow us on Twitter, listen to the great 80's music station at Sky.fm, and use the #80smf hash-tag in your Tweets.
