As our annual meeting at Kinetix looms on the horizon, plans are in full swing to optimize the 3 days where we have all hands on deck. When you have people spread across the US, time together is important. Strong relationships and friendships have been forged from these trips and our remote peeps are given the opportunity to spend quality time with our leadership team – an opportunity that proximity limits for them otherwise. We use this time for training, to do a company-wide business review, and highlight some things that make us who we are. Whether it’s our “Secret Sauce” presentation or our “What It Means To Be a Leader” (aka Don’t Suck Ever) we take time to promote and celebrate our uniqueness and what we believe sets us apart from the other companies in our space.
One of my favorite things about our annual meeting is giving out our ‘Bleed Orange’ awards. This award celebrates the people at Kinetix that exemplify our 6 Potential Factors:
- Passion and Innovation – I saw a great quote the other day: “Working hard for something you don’t care about = Stress. Working hard for something you care about = Passion.” If you love what you do (and we want you to love what you do), you’ll naturally seek out better ways to do it.
- Get Stuff Done – Everyone has stuff on their desk that they don’t love to do. Hit it. Get it out of the way. Free yourself from that task hanging over you – the one you try to ignore. The one that keeps calling your name. I know. It’s distracting. Kill it. Trust me. It feels good.
- Figures It Out – The smart factor. You’re one step ahead and anticipate where things can go sideways. When that happens, you cross the street and take a different route or, better yet, redirect traffic. You can navigate through uncertainty and know when you should bring in someone else.
- Likeable – Not the cookie cutter, Stepford Wives creepy kind of “we are all the same” likeable. The kind where you know the person you’re working with is a stand-up dude or…is dudette the female version of that? The kind of person who you go to for the truth and when you get it, you don’t feel bad. #NotSmarmy. #ClassyHonest.
- Kick Ass Teammate – Think about it. Isn’t this what you want to be surrounded with all day? People you can count on? People who will take time to help you out, if you need it? People who are competitive and driven, but where the common goal is what unifies the team?
- Connector – Recruiting is our business after all. Sure, we connect people with jobs, but it’s more than that. It’s also about seeing what connections can help people out and working to pay it forward. This isn’t about “What’s in it for me?” – it’s more of “Who can I put you in touch with that can help?” It’s about getting to know people. (And then connecting them to other people you know.)
Close your eyes for a minute. Imagine being surrounded by people that ARE this. I’m sure you can feel the orange energy rushing over you, warming you to your very core. That’s what it’s like walking through our doors. Yes, we all glow. Bright Orange.
Our people are 90% of what makes us who we are, and who we are is pretty cool.