Character

Truly humbled, friends. We've received wonderful feedback from you all on the article written by our team and it's had me reflecting further about how we've gotten here, to have a group of people who love coming into the studio daily. To have family at work. And seeing how the post has resonated with so many of you, I've realized how important it is that we invest in people, not numbers, not hands. The people we surround ourselves with is essential. So let's flesh this out a bit.

It's taken awhile, like all the best things do, to get to this place where we feel so strongly about each person's role on our team. Along the way, we, too, have sadly let people go. We're grateful that it hasn't been often, but with each experience, I've been able to pinpoint that the ones who were not a good long-term fit were a misaligned character fit. Character makes up for what your resume lacks. For us, it speaks loudly against the "workplace efficiency" articles that urge you to quickly snip those who aren't financially sound to maintain. We're playing the long game and deliberately investing in those whose actions speak louder than the words typed on an 8.5x11 sheet.

Because we're in an open studio environment and have been since the beginning, everyone is in everything. Private conversations are harder to have, there's absolutely no hiding. And it's been amazing to see how inspiring this can be, to witness the small moments of generosity, the genuine mutual respect for those who have a completely different story than yours. To see that your way may not always be the best way. So now, when we hire, I always look for these three things, how they manifest in that initial conversation even when not readily attainable from the resume: humility, kindness, and commitment. When we strive for humility, we're eager to learn, to quickly correct mistakes (because we'll all make them). When we strive for kindness, we're attentive to those around us, ready to extend ourselves whenever needed. When we strive for commitment, especially in a world inundated by promises of the next big thing, we see that the thing right in front of us can be the best thing if our hearts are inclined towards it. We recognize that we've been entrusted to one another to do work well, to value why we're here, to promise to show up at our best and stay even when we feel our worst.

We've just made our last hire for some time (welcome, Haley!), but if you think you'd be a great fit in whatever capacity at Our Heiday, I'd encourage you to send along your resume. We discovered in the interview with our junior designer that she had applied for a completely different position a year ago just to get her resume in our system and that spoke volumes. 

here's to the good ones,
pat