Some companies may say they care about their employees and community, but very few places take that sentiment quite so seriously as Xactly.
C.A.R.E. — customer focus, accountability, respect and excellence in everything they do. That’s the guiding acronym Xactly has built its culture on. And you don’t have to dig too deep to see it in action. Initiatives like the XactlyOne Philanthropic Foundation or the company’s annual C.A.R.E. Week are proof positive of how important that mentality really is for the company.
To learn more, we caught up with Chief Financial Officer Elizabeth Salomon, who sits out of Xactly’s Denver office, and she filled us in about how, by championing core values and striving for vibrancy in their culture, Xactly seeks to stand out among the rest.
What values does Xactly embrace as a company? What do those values look like in action?
Our core values, what we call C.A.R.E., guide our behaviors every day: customer focus, accountability, respect and excellence in everything we do. These values help us retain a strong cultural identity and are key to our success.
We are focused on our core values and work diligently to create a company culture that aligns our behaviors — friendliness, executive open-door policies, approachability, community efforts and strong executive participation — to the company’s values. Our executive team has a strong presence at all of our volunteer events, as recently as getting a pie in the face to raise money for Movember.
Is there a particular team or event at Xactly that exemplifies your values and culture?
The customer success team acts in a way that’s directly aligned to our core values, working with an intention that every customer succeeds. As we near the end of each quarter, this team comes into the office wearing matching orange Converse (our company color) as a symbolic gesture that represents all of our efforts to close — and our willingness to go above and beyond for our customers.
We also have C.A.R.E Week, an annual, international and company-wide initiative that fosters Xactly Corporation’s core values, enhances company culture and gives back to the communities that surround our organization. During C.A.R.E. Week, all of our offices around the world participate in activities each day that exemplify our values, most notably giving back to our community. As a company, Xactly regularly contributes to betterment through fundraising and volunteering efforts on a global scale.
How would you describe Xactly’s culture? What’s an obstacle you faced while seeking to maintain that culture?
Xactly has a rubber band ball that is an important symbol of our workplace culture. New employees who join Xactly add their rubber band to the ball, which symbolizes that when we work together and utilize our different backgrounds, skills and attributes, we are capable of far more than we are individually. It also reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously: If one of us left for Tahiti tomorrow, what we’ve built together will remain intact.
We have tripled the size of our Denver office in just over a year. Originally, it was primarily a sales office but now has employees from all areas of the company. The challenge has been to maintain the uniqueness of our amazing culture as we grow with so many new employees — I’m happy to say we are doing that. Our energy has gone through the roof, and our culture is one of the many reasons our employees are voting us one of the top places to work in Colorado.
The challenge has been to maintain the uniqueness of our amazing culture as we grow with so many new employees — I’m happy to say we are doing that.”
What does a vibrant culture look like to you?
A vibrant culture is full of life and energy. We focus on hiring a diverse workforce and recognizing the value of diverse viewpoints. Our model of hiring entry-level and experienced individuals equals a fresh mentor-mentee relationship full of collaboration and energy. We have built our offices to foster a vibrant environment, and I love feeling it as I walk around our office.
Speaking of your work environment, Xactly has a new office. What inspired the design?
Our new space is amazing. We designed the space to reflect who we are: a growing, modern technology company in Denver. We have an open floor plan that allows us to feel the energy of our employees. The design also has many spaces for collaboration, private meetings and, of course, to socialize, share ideas and celebrate. We also have the latest technology that allows us to collaborate well with employees around the world.
