Last week, Startup Institute hosted its TalentExpo at Centro’s offices in River North. Prior to the student presentations, in which our graduates pitched themselves to a crowd full of startup and tech companies, John Boyce, Centro’s SVP of Talent and Development, gave a brief keynote speech. In his talk, John focused on the importance of culture and the elements that help Centro climb to the top of the charts year after year (four years in a row to be exact!) when it comes to employee satisfaction. So, how does Centro do it?
John explained that keeping employees happy year over year is all about “creating an environment with motivation and engagement.” He then dug into some of the conditions needed to create an environment for motivation. Here is Centro’s secret sauce to award-winning culture:
1. Meaningful Work: Is your company looking to achieve a BIG goal? Creating a sense of meaning through a larger vision is crucial in developing culture. Day-to-day tasks become the stepping stones for something much larger.
2. Choice / Autonomy: Do your employees have ownership over their work? Employees that own the projects they work on and that are empowered to make their own choices are more motivated in their work (and happier too!).
3. Collaboration: Does your team work together effectively? When every individual feels like they can contribute their own ideas, it instills a sense of ownership and increases engagement. Collaboration is key when you’re a small team with a BIG goal.
4. Growth / Development: Are you encouraging growth and professional development in your organization? Providing a trajectory for constant growth and improvement not only helps build the business, but by constantly providing a new challenge, it also helps retain your best talent.
How does your company develop and foster culture?
If you're interested in learning more about careers at Centro, check out all of their open positions. For more info on how to transition into a career at a startup, email us at [email protected]!
