Creating Purpose-driven Work — Why we’re Croomo
We’re often asked, “What does Croomo mean?”
The story is simple: As a crew we have the mojo and momentum to produce more than any of us in isolation. It’s a funny word to look at, yet we translate it into meaningful and purposeful work. Our crew has the capacity, skill and autonomy to do this.
By valuing people over processes and empowering teams to make their own decisions, we’ve unlocked an energy that’s unlike any other business I’ve worked in.
Most people I know are envious of our company culture, however it’s not always apparent how many years of exploration, experimenting and failure has formed the crew you see today.
We’re a tight bunch. There’s a real sense of camaraderie and close friendships among the crew, which can come with its own strengths and challenges as teams collaborate to produce amazing learning content. There’s efficiency gained in communication, a willingness to share workloads and to have each others’ backs when the pressure is on. A team in their flow can be quite a magical thing to witness and a proud moment for any team leader.
It’s not always roses, though. We have our own wicked problems to solve as well as those for our clients. By our very nature, we aim for the stars and set high expectations on each other. This can cause a delicate balancing act on a team or individual’s morale. There have been times where we’ve pushed ourselves to the brink of collapse and it is as a team that we manage to bring it back on track and achieve success; albeit a little bruised.
I’d be foolish to suggest that we have a winning formula for any team’s work. People are complicated beings and any team leader must understand that every person works, communicates and behaves in different ways. Rather than shaping our teams with management-driven procedures and processes, we prefer to hold a few guiding principles that keep us on an even-keel. Above all of these values there is one entirely important thing a unified team craves:
Purpose.
For those that are savvy with the science of motivation or behavioural economics, there’s nothing new we can offer in this space. There’s a wealth of books and TED-talks out there to relish in these insights. Dan Pink’s ‘Drive’ is a great starting point.
For our crew, a clear purpose is integral in every level of work we engage with. If we’re not producing learning content that can ultimately change someone’s behaviour, we would be like any other eLearning company. This is what sets us apart.
Our development sprints are filled with experiments and breakthroughs; the road ahead isn’t always clearly mapped out for us. If it were, everyone would be following it. To keep each other in check along the way, there are a few common questions we regularly ask ourselves:
What is the intent of this experience? Can this approach contribute to changing attitudes? Can we test or measure the outcomes?
That last one is crucial.
I’ve said it many times before: our best work is created by many hands. Our crew lifts together to produce learning content that could make a difference in someone’s life — it’s a simple yet incredibly valuable purpose for each of us. It enables us to break convention, challenge our methods and align each other to run the race together — not in isolation. It’s this purpose that reminds us why we do what we do and bonds us closer as people.
This is why we Croomo.
