An insider’s look into Sourcefabric
It's the New Year. To kick-off 2016, we asked our Head of Support, Josh, to share with us what makes Sourcefabric a special place to work. This is the first in a series of posts peeking into the world of Sourcefabric. So, here is Josh, and his insider's look into Sourcefabric!
Working for Sourcefabric has been the best job I’ve ever had, hands down. I truly believe that it’s going to be the best job I’ll ever have and I can’t ever see myself leaving to work for someone else. A bold statement, I know, but it’s true nonetheless.
I started my time at Sourcefabric doing sales and support and eventually moved into my role as head of support. Tech support wasn’t something I was particularly passionate about, but I am passionate about working here and I’d like to share some things that Sourcefabric does that I think other organisations might be able to learn from.
1. Hire people passionate about your mission
As I mentioned earlier, tech support is not one of my biggest passions, however, I am passionate about doing my part to make Sourcefabric a successful organisation. We provide open source tools for independent media, thus creating an intersection between global civil rights and technology. These are two things I care deeply about. It’s what I talked about in my interview, and whenever we interview new candidates, we ask why they’re interested in Sourcefabric. It’s one of the most important questions in the interview and I don’t know anyone here who isn’t proud of the work we do.
When we hire people who are invested not just in their job, but in the work we do as a company, we’re building a team. Everyone here is invested in our success as a company and not just on an individual level.
2. Hire impressive personalities, teach the impressive skillset
I’ve been part of several different interview processes internally and every time we’ve made a hire, we always hire for personality. While a minimum skillset is certainly required, we know we have the tools to train people up for positions, rather than trying to find someone with the most impressive skillset and trying to force them into a corporate culture they’ll feel out of place in. Not only does this help create teams that easily work together, it also makes everyone more invested in meetings and makes coming to the office easier. I’m incredibly lucky to get to work with people I consider my friends.
3. Let people do their job, give them the tools they need to do it the best way for them
At every other job I’ve ever had, I’ve always felt that the management staff was there to make sure I did my job. At Sourcefabric, a manager's responsibility to their staff is to make sure their team has the tools to succeed and make sure they’re happy doing it.
The last job I had before Sourcefabric was working for a Fortune 20 company in the US. A lot of my time was spent explaining to people exactly what I was doing and being told what the best way to do my job was. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been told what’s expected of me, and unless I ask how I accomplish my task, I’m left to do my job in any way I see fit. I had a recent performance review with one of our founders. The majority of the conversation took place around what he could do to help me succeed, and what other help I needed to move the ball forward.
The takeaway here is to hire amazing people, let them know what you need done and get out of their way. Be there to support them if they struggle and you’ll have people who take ownership of their job and work hard on their projects.
4. Provide your staff with the means to give feedback about the company. Empower them to be agents of change
During my second week of working for Sourcefabric, I suggested a change in one of our hosting packages during a meeting with our CFO and Managing Director. They listened to me, asked about my rationale, told me it made sense and we made the change. I know that sounds like common sense, but in my experience at other organisations, feedback to upper management has been considered unwelcome.
Since that experience, it has always been clear to me that if I think we’re making bad decisions, or see something I don’t agree with, I should talk about it and bring it to light. I’ve passed that mentality along to my team and they’ve made suggestions that have radically changed the way our support team works. Each of these suggestions and contributions has made us stronger and more responsive. Make sure you’re asking your staff what could be done better, or how they think processes could be improved.
5. Let people express themselves
Sourcefabric lets you wear whatever you want to work, no one here cares how you’re dressed, just that your work is getting done well and that you’re happy doing it. Obviously things change when you have to meet clients, or attend a conference, but by and large you’re free to express yourself how you want.
Additionally, this is the first place I’ve ever worked where unique hobbies are celebrated. During our annual meeting outside of Prague, we had a session where people were given 5 minutes to talk about things they thought were neat. One of our founders talked a bit about Google cardboard, someone else showed off a car diagnostic tool they created and later in the night our head of communications invited us to watch a documentary she had made.
Giving people an environment where they’re free to express themselves lets your staff get to know each other better. For me this has brought me close to a lot of the people I work with, and I’m lucky enough to say I have friends all over the world, primarily from the opportunity to work at Sourcefabric.
Your culture as an organisation says a great deal about what you value. At Sourcefabric, we’re committed to providing tools for individuals to express themselves freely, you can see that mirrored in our corporate culture and the unique environment it has created.
Want to join this fabulous organisation? Check out our jobs page to see if there is a post right for you. If you don’t see what you’re looking for, feel free to send us an email!
This is the first in a series of posts. Stay tuned, more coming soon!