Written by Lauren King, Matt Levy, and Justin Bell.
At Credera, our fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30. The month of September is a flurry of activity including end-of-year reviews, the Management Team retreat, open benefits enrollment, and budget approvals… all of this on top of existing client and team responsibilities. If we are honest, these last few weeks can be somewhat exhausting.
As we wrap up this year it’s a great time to pause and reflect on where we have been and where we are going. It is important to assess the previous year, take personal inventories, and evaluate our personal and collective goals. Each of us would do well to consider our dreams, clarify our ambitions, and lay out new plans.
It’s also important to remind ourselves of what we value the most and renew our collective commitment.
Clearly, one of the areas important to each of us is having a thriving and healthy company culture. We’ve learned that being a healthy company and having a great culture is not a destination; it’s an ongoing pursuit. As we have said before, we are far from a perfect company. So, as Credera closes one fiscal year and begins the next, we want to think carefully about how healthy culture happens and what we need to do to continue to grow and get better as a firm.
PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, HOW WILL WE DO THIS?
As we share our specific experiences with one another through the blog and social media, we will reflect on what we’ve learned from others, take action instead of promoting theory, and provide specific examples on what we’ve seen work. From people and purpose to growth and communication, we’re “open-sourcing” the Credera day-to-day practices in a series called Life at Credera.
We will group characteristics that form Life at Credera into six areas:
- Leadership
- Growth
- Communication
- Talent & Character
- Friendships & Fun
- Higher Purpose
WHY PUBLICLY SHARE THIS PURSUIT?
We believe writing it down will cause us to think through the characteristics of our culture and clarify our thoughts. To do this with integrity requires us to reevaluate current practices and see where we are lacking. Being willing to hear feedback, evaluate it, and take action toward change is an important part of growth.
Sharing holds us accountable to our commitment. Talking about something is easy, taking action is much more difficult. By sharing Life at Credera, we are opening ourselves up to be examined. We want to be men and women of action and integrity, not just words. As we see opportunities for growth, let’s discuss them and encourage one another to keep growing. This happens at an individual level and at the firm level.
We hope this series is a helpful resource on building and continually pursuing a great culture. And we hope the results are encouraging to our company, employees, clients, and friends.
Come join the journey of Life at Credera!
