Putting the Team First

In our blog a few weeks ago, we discussed what it meant to be a Trusted Advisor to our clients, and talked about our customer-first culture. Sometimes, the client that we need to put first is an internal client. Our team is really good about jumping at the chance to help each other out. In this blog, we’ll be sharing some stories of how our team lives our value of Team First.

With a dispersed organization in which individuals are often required to work on jobs independently, it can be difficult to feel like you’re on a team. A team is a group where people know you, make you feel comfortable asking questions, and build relationships that help you be willing to go the extra mile for a coworker. Hats off to the individuals in these stories who live our Team First value on a daily basis and who create the culture of a team. It takes the whole team to accomplish our goals.

Solving Problems Together

One recent example of our team pulling together to solve a problem has to do with what we’ve learned about camera calibrations. At least six people came together to research, test, implement new procedures, and execute calibration of drones. No one assigned them this task. It is not technically part of their day jobs. They were seeing some issues, so they investigated the problem and brought others in to collaborate on solving the problem. This is sounding like innovation, and it was. But the highlight here isn’t about the problem we solved. It is about people in three different states working together to solve a critical issue.

Each member of the group that helped us solve this problem worked tirelessly to get to the bottom of the issue to find a solution. They each brought their unique knowledge, skill sets, and relationships to the team so that we could figure it out.

This is just one example of the team working together to come up with a solution. Whether it is something like this, or something more routine, like when a field tech calls his team leader to get help fixing his equipment or a processor calls a field tech to get some background info on a job, the members of the Firmatek team are willing to jump in and support their colleagues at any time.

How do you get there?

Seeing examples on a daily basis of the team helping one another out begs the question how we got here.

First, we have some great people. We use Pairin as part of our hiring and coaching process. Our organization’s culture qualities, as defined by the people we have in the company, include caregiver, people developer, and lover of humanity. Our people like helping each other. It’s why it’s so natural for them to put the needs of their colleagues and our clients before their own.

Secondly, while it’s hard, we make efforts to get the group together virtually on a frequent basis. It’s surprising how much a quick video chat can do to help you remember who is making the request on the other end. It allows us to chat and build connection, even if we are far away. One of our managers actually leaves his video room open most of the day so that his team can pop into his “office” whenever they have a question or just need a quick break to chat.

Finally, our annual meetings and a couple of other in person meetings and events go a long way to bringing the team together. Faces and voices behind a computer screen become people who are bowling pros, history buffs, and foodies. When we get to know one another, it is easier to ask for and to give help.

Continuing to Build a Culture of  Team First

As we continue to grow and spread out across the country, we will continue to develop new ways to live our value of Team First. It takes time and effort to build a good team, but most importantly, we have to get to know our employees. We find employees that exemplify our company values daily. And by identifying each employee’s skill set and strengths, we can continue to foster team development, build relationships, and work together to create a team first environment.