We want you to have a team atmosphere that feels intentional and effective. We’ve asked a few Fishhookers to unpack some of our processes and experiences so that you can use them to help maximize your team culture, unity, project management and resources.
Here at Fishhook it is important to us to be intentional … intentional with our team, our space, our time and our work. A lot of thought has been put into our relationships and our processes because we want to utilize what we have to its highest potential. Our goal is to maximize our culture, unity, project management and resources in order to have a fun and effective atmosphere that benefits both our team and our clients.
We also want you to have a team atmosphere that feels intentional and effective. With this in mind, we’ve asked a few Fishhookers to unpack some of our processes and experiences so that you can use them to help maximize your team culture, unity, project management and resources.
PART 1: Maximizing Your Team Culture - (the fun/buffoonery)
Fishhook Expert: Evan McBroom - Creative Director
Team leader. Buffoonist. 14-year corporate agency guy. Husband. Dad. Traveler. Cruise director. Obedient. Astonished.
What do you love most about building team culture?
I love shaping a culture that brings people to life in their work. I get to see people show up to work with a spring in their step. When culture is strong, when systems are in place to support it and when team members experience culture consistency week after week, they come to find an excitement and a peace about coming to work. They "show up" and everyone wins!
Outline 3 ways Fishhook works to build team culture.
- WE EAT TOGETHER EVERY WEEK: Monday is team lunch and meeting day. During lunch we pray together, break bread or pizza or something together, we recap weekends (so we know what's going on in our lives beyond work) and we check in to see who's under-challenged, over-challenged and appropriately challenged. (We call this our 1-5 workload drill).
- WE CELEBRATE WORK/HOME BALANCE: I've never liked the phrase work/life balance, because that conveys that work is bad and life is good. Instead, I prefer work/home balance, because I hope work is an awesome part of your life, not the contrast to it. We spend time sharing the details of life beyond our work - to hear about the whole person. These conversations are rarely rushed.
- WORK AND TEAM PLAYFULNESS ARE SEAMLESS: It's hard to tell where the work begins and the team playfulness (or buffoonery) ends. Sit in on almost any meeting (planning, brainstorming, discovery) and you'll likely hear laughter. We believe that the best, most creative work, happens when moods are light and laughter is plenty.
Which of these 3 do you feel is most important and why?
EATING TOGETHER: It's often said around the Fishhook World Headquarters, "One of our favorite qualities of Jesus is that He was eating with people all the time." There is something about the meal time that brings relationships to life, opens lines of communications, puts people at ease … all allowing culture to blossom and knit a team together.
How does building team culture affect the team's ability to build unity?
Simply, we're in this together because we all know what is valued, how the culture is in line with those values and how that supports the mission. So ultimately, culture propels mission.
How does building team culture affect the team's ability to maximize their project management?
This fits right into the statement above - culture propels mission. Our culture says "I won't drop a ball and I know you won't either, but if you do, I've got you covered and I'm counting on you to cover me.” In recent months, only by the grace of God and an incredibly strong culture has Fishhook survived under the pressure of a significant increase in workload. Candidly, our current organization and processes no longer adequately support our workload and we're diligently addressing this. A team with a weaker culture would not likely still be intact, but we are and we're developing new processes - both to manage the project load and support the culture.
How does building team culture affect the team's ability to maximize their resources?
Everyone can make many decisions because we all share the culture. Not sure what to do in a situation, consult your understanding of the culture. Often it will inform your decision. Quicker decisions. Better decisions.
