It’s no secret that the technology sector is among the most competitive when it comes to product development, but it’s just as competitive (if not more so) when it comes to recruitment efforts. To attract and retain top talent, corporate culture is the game changer. When we get it right, people are at their best personally and professionally, and everyone wins.
Learning from Experience
I’m passionate about creating great cultures in part because I know firsthand the difference culture can make. When my daughter Danielle was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, I was with Cisco Systems. Under the leadership of its then-CEO John Chambers, we nurtured a culture of care where I could bring Danielle to work with me to give her the attention she needed. We were all family, and every single employee mattered on a human level.
I’m so grateful for the 14 years I spent with Cisco, and am applying the lessons learned there here at Sprinklr. I’m partnering with Sprinklr founder and CEO Ragy Thomas, who is committed to creating and nurturing a great culture. Ragy’s leadership, and the support of the entire executive team, is a big reason I was attracted to Sprinklr. We’re working hard to reach, engage, and listen to our people — our family — and our customers, and to grow the company with happier people in the process.
Culture: It’s What We Do When No One is Looking
The roadmap to getting culture right starts by defining what matters. At Sprinklr, we spent many months meeting with and listening to leaders around the world to put together The Sprinklr Way, our cultural roadmap for working, living, and being.
Getting culture right is crucial across all levels of business. When we’re happy, we’re at our best. We’re more engaged; we have better emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and physical health, and we have that can-do positive attitude.
Do you ever wonder why companies like Cisco, LinkedIn, and SAS thrive year after year and are perennial favorites on Best Places to Work lists? It’s not necessarily about their great products (although they are pretty great!). Rather, these companies are intentional about their cultures. Their leaders defined their values from the beginning. They create extraordinary experiences for their people, their customers, and their partners.
The Sprinklr Way
In a people-first culture, everyone matters. Culture is at the center of our evolution, and our values reinforce learning from failure, humility, accountability, persistence, and genuine caring. We acknowledge our strengths and our areas for improvement, and constantly strive to be better.
Every employee, including our leaders, are asked to rate their happiness on a scale of one to 10, and provide three recommendations to improve their happiness. This attention to care has enhanced trust, fostered new and productive conversations, and served as a catalyst to raise the bar of what we can achieve as individuals and as a company.
Why Building Trust is a No Brainer
Getting culture is a no brainer, but that doesn’t make it any easier to accomplish. We’re all human, and with that comes individual experiences, prejudices, varying degrees of trust, and personal agendas. But at Sprinklr, we’re aiming high and we’re trying to get there; all of us together as a family. We’re obsessed with customer happiness, and taking pride in who we are, what we build, and what we do. This is how you build an extraordinary life and career. This is why culture matters.
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