How Does Goalbook Foster Internal Relationships?
When our co-founder Daniel Jhin Yoo investigated what motivated teammates to work at Goalbook in the early years of the company, teammates shared they enjoyed the collaboration, interdependence, and trust they had in working with each other. In other words, teammates valued the working relationships they had here. Determined to keep the working experience different from a stereotypical, impersonal company, Daniel identified relationships as one of Goalbook’s two core values.
However, as a fully remote company, it can be difficult to establish and build relationships across the distance. Therefore, Goalbook intentionally invests time, money, and resources into fostering professional human connections — both in person and online — between teammates.
The intentionality and investment can be seen in the following distinct ways:
Company-Wide Meetings
A few times a month, the whole company meets virtually and connects with each other as a whole group and in smaller breakout groups. Each small group, made up of teammates who may not work with each other on a daily basis, is given a prompt to discuss in order to get to know one another better. Building relationships is an explicit focus of these meetings.
Culture Committees
Culture committees are groups of teammates who voluntarily participate to work together to invest in cultivating Goalbook’s culture through various practices. Every committee has a clear goal and defined scope of tasks or activities that they’re responsible for and expected to do. There are four different committees and opportunities for folks to serve.
- Universal Pod and Team Lunches
This committee organizes monthly opportunities for colleagues to connect on and across teams. Team members can pick a conversation starter or activity to do together, or they can have informal, free-flowing time to talk and make connections. Lunch is provided by Goalbook.
Customer Success team member Jon said, “Success pod lunches are fun and kept light; they’re team builders. It’s us getting to know each other.”
2. Significant Moments
Folks on this committee recognize milestones, significant moments, and help others feel seen when they’re experiencing hardships. This committee also celebrates the birthdays of teammates throughout the year.
Erin on the Customer Success team said, “The Significant Moments committee creates wonderful ways to celebrate colleagues and feel recognized. I got married soon after I started at Goalbook, and I received a wedding gift from the company. I felt recognized and seen.”
3. Internal Newsletter
Goalbook’s internal newsletter is published monthly and captures the “soul” of the people at Goalbook through sharing important milestones, life events, hobbies, and perspectives.
4. Soul of Goalbook Chat
The Soul of Goalbook Chat is an opportunity to engage in all-company learning and dialogue related to timely and important topics. Some topics over the last few years include Productive Dialogue and Conflict, Anti-Racism, and Belonging at Work.
Partnering with Sofia Voz, the Head of DEIA, the Soul of Goalbook Chat committee builds and facilitates sessions that offer shared experiences that capture and create the essence of the culture at Goalbook.
In 2024, the Soul of Goalbook Chat’s focus is on Disability Justice and Special Education, in alignment with our company’s vision and work.
“I appreciate the intentionality with relationships regarding the work that we do with the Soul of Goalbook Chats. These have been a component we can build relationships on,” said Kia, who’s been on the Customer Success team for five years.
Affinity Groups
Affinity groups started in 2023 as part of our company theme, “Community in Relationship.” During that year, race-based affinity groups provided spaces for team members who might have similar relationships to race and racism to advance Goalbook’s commitment to inclusion and anti-racist action. Goalbook offered the following race-based affinity groups: Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi American (APIDA); Latine; Multi-Racial; Middle Eastern, North African (MENA); Black/African American; Anti-Racist White.
In 2024, Goalbook is adding identity-based groups. After an employee engagement survey in the summer of 2023, Goalbook identified common experiences in data and responses from demographic categories like disability status and gender identity; as a result, Goalbook prioritized identity-based groups. These groups are LGBTQIA++, Team Members with Disabilities, and Women/Non-Binary.
Community Agreements
Community Agreements are collective agreements about how teammates want to interact with one another. They are explicitly developed and enforced by the group, not by an external authority; therefore, they needed to be created by the group.
In 2023, our team members co-created a set of community agreements that serve as a guiding resource for how Goalbook’s core values of Relationships and Growth, along with its DEIA definitions, show up at work.
Team Weeks
Two times per year (in the winter and summer), Goalbook hosts a company Team Week. We all get together in person to celebrate personal and company growth and engage in fun activities as a team. The purpose is to build and strengthen relationships within an inclusive community. Team Weeks also provide an opportunity for individual teams to build relationships in person.
Ryan on the Content team said: “At every Team Week we’ve had in person, I am always amazed after the fact by how easily I was able to connect with someone I’ve never met in person before.”
As Goalbook grows in size and complexity, it becomes increasingly difficult and important to cultivate Goalbook’s value of relationships. There are fears that with more people, interactions may be more limited, which may lead to superficial relationships that reduce each other down to production-based transactions. For these reasons, Goalbook remains determined to offer consistent opportunities for teammates to connect with each other.
Folks benefit from Goalbook’s commitment to the value of relationships, and as a result, they want to give back by showing up both for the work and for their teammates.
“For me, the number one reason that I am still here working at Goalbook is because of the core value of relationships,” said Ryan.
Read more about the Culture at Goalbook here.
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