Cultivating Culture with Intention

Loren Veyrheden mentors each of her engineering team members to help guide their professional development. She explained that understanding their goals “allows me to be creative in how I come up with opportunities for people.” Her team is always connected and ready to jump in when a peer needs help. And to make sure everyone has the opportunity to grow their leadership skills, Veyrheden said team members “take turns leading our Agile ceremony meetings to practice communication skills, facilitating meetings, driving decisions and leading through ambiguity.”

Understanding the importance of connections, Ross Shwarts sets up weekly one-to-ones with his direct reports. “Sometimes we talk about work; sometimes we talk about ridiculous things our kids do. This time together helps me understand what is important to them personally and professionally.” To ensure his team members feel valued and heard, they regularly spend time as a group to work through problems. And when an occasional project requires long hours to complete, it doesn’t go unnoticed. “My boss will help me close out the project, then tell me to take some time to go do something fun.”