“Fantastic work culture” with Steve Robertson CEO of Eventective

As a part of my series about about how leaders can create a “fantastic work culture”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Steve Robertson, CEO of Eventective. Steve Robertson is CEO of Eventective, the Web’s most comprehensive resource for events, meeting space and planning. More than 800,000 professional and DIY event planners visit Eventective each month to browse their more than 400,000 venues. Robertson began his career as a computer engineer after graduating from Taylor University with a B.S. in Computer Science. Since then, he has worked in multiple technology driven companies and has focused his leadership style on bridging the gap between technology and people to create a vibrant work culture.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I am in a bit of a unique position for my generation in that I am a second-generation software guy. My dad fell into a programming job the year I was born, so I grew up around computers and had the benefit of understanding what IT-related careers looked like. His greatest piece of advice to me was, “It’s all about the people.” An odd thing to say in a tech-dominated industry, but I took that to heart. After about 5–6 years as a software engineer, I began to realize that my skills could have a greater impact on people as a leader and manager than as an engineer, so that was the route that I took, and I have never regretted it.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began leading your company?

Well, it doesn’t sound that interesting, but without a doubt taking our organization through a complete pivot from one form of revenue generation to another was risky and fascinating at the same time. Our business was completely dependent on a lead model that was challenging and unpredictable, and we moved to a sales-based subscription model. It required the entire team to make significant changes, stick together, make sacrifices, and trust in each other to make it happen. Had we not made that decision and executed on it well, Eventective would most likely not exist today.

Are you working on any exciting projects now? How do you think that will help people?

Yes, we are! We are building a search tool that is unique in the industry that will allow you to search for a venue for any type of event. We have worked hard to have a comprehensive set of data around event venues, and we will soon be releasing a venue search tool that works great on mobile devices and gives casual and professional event planners a great resource to find a venue for their event. Most online resources drive you to the venues they want you to see, and our new tool will give you a comprehensive look at venues in your area based on your criteria. It will help both the event planners by enabling them to make a better venue decision while at the same time providing a great resource for event venues to connect with future customers.

Ok, lets jump to the main part of our interview. According to this study cited in Forbes, more than half of the US workforce is unhappy. Why do you think that number is so high?

The word that comes to mind primarily as an answer to this question is environment. In so many work environments, people are treated as cogs and their perception of their value to the company and those around them is low. It is management’s role to provide an environment where people are genuinely valued, trusted and listened to, and sadly that role takes a back seat to so many other things that a positive and improving culture becomes very difficult.

Based on your experience or research, how do you think an unhappy workforce will impact a) company productivity b) company profitability c) and employee health and wellbeing?

1. Try as one might, hiding unhappiness from customers and co-workers is impossible. Relationships in the workplace suffer, customer service suffers, and these are two cornerstones of productivity in the workplace.
2. I can point to a chart of sales figures that shows a significant jump in revenue just after a caustic and hyper-critical sales manager was replaced. This person’s approach resulted in a very unhappy sales team, and their productivity was immediately improved upon his replacement, and the result was a jump in revenue and profitability. Unhappy employees are simply not as productive as happy ones, and lost productivity results in lost revenue and profit.
3. In my experience, unhappy employees simply do not “care” as much as happy employees. Not only do they not care about their work as much, but they also do not care for themselves as much. Countless studies have shown how negativity and stress impact health, both in the short term and the long term.

Can you share 5 things that managers and executives should be doing to improve their company work culture? Can you give a personal story or example for each?

1 — Promote health. Simply put, healthy employees are better employees. Managers should not be OK with employees sitting at their desk all day long, including through their lunch. At Eventective, we have a corporate rate with a local gym, and the company covers half the cost. As a result, a full membership costs an employee $20 per month. I try to go just about every day as an example and take employees with me.

2 — Don’t sweat the small stuff. So often, companies implement policies that make employees feel like the company is trying to protect themselves from them. Sometimes, very small expenses can make an enormous difference in whether employees feel valued. Something as simple as a coffee run or a new keyboard or mouse that is not a cumbersome thing to make happen can brighten an employee’s day in ways that you would not have thought. At Eventective, some days just require a coffee run, and employees know they can do a coffee run anytime they want. We have an expense line in our budget for this type of thing, and we never go over it. It provides the additional benefit of employees serving each other in a meaningful way.

3 — Turn the lights on. Being the first person to show up in the morning when no one is there can be a depressing event. As a manager, being the first one to the office can have a very positive affect on culture. You can set the tone for the day in how employees are welcomed to the office. Employees have an understanding that management is there for them — when management actually is. I try to be the first one to the office every day, and often have breakfast with employees, which provides a fantastic opportunity to connect and start the day well.

4 — Never panic. Ever. Employees look to their leadership to set a general tone in the workplace. And a manager that panics will create an environment that is prone to fear and/or anxiety. As you can imagine, this can seriously hamper productivity. Eventective is an online business, and there are often things that come up that could be causes for alarm, such as drops in web traffic or phone system issues. Working through the issues diligently and methodically demonstrates that emotion will not drive the process, and it cannot be overstated what kind of an impact that has on employees and culture in general.

5 — Do hard things. Quickly. Often, there are HR-related challenges (people issues) that are at the heart of what might be stifling a great culture. As managers and executives, those challenges must be dealt with head on. They need to be identified quickly and worked through in a timely manner. “Hire slow, fire fast” is a mantra that many successful companies have adopted in successfully managing people. I have seen this done both successfully and unsuccessfully, and every time I have waited to do the necessary hard thing, I have regretted it.

It’s very nice to suggest ideas, but it seems like we have to “change the culture regarding work culture”. What can we do as a society to make a broader change in the US workforce’s work culture?

This is a tough question, but I do believe that workforce culture will only change when we examine who we put in leadership. So often, it is top performers or results-only driven people that wind up in positions of management, and their abilities as an employee advocate or leader are completely overlooked. It represents an overall societal approach that says the numbers are all that matters. If the numbers are all that matters, employees take a back seat, and I do believe that is an indication of where we are today with employee dissatisfaction and poor company culture.

How would you describe your leadership or management style? Can you give us a few examples?

My fundamental approach to management, and it is what I share with all my employees, is that if you work for me, I work for you. It is my job to make my employees successful, not the other way around. There are a number of ways this reveals itself. First, I try to make sure my employees have all the information they need to make their own decisions, instead of relying on a management decision. As often as I possibly can, I allow them to choose a path and measure the result. This kind of empowerment feeds on itself as they see and learn from the results of good and bad decisions. Second, there are many times that life throws curve balls that affect work. I do everything I can to make sure their families and personal lives take a priority and work with them to manage through these curve balls. I had an employee whose father had a stroke while on vacation in Florida. My employee needed to be out of the office for almost 2 months to work through a very difficult situation. My team and I covered for him and made sure he understood we were behind him 100% through a very difficult situation. Third, I look for any opportunity I can to do small things. They matter a great deal. Whether it is getting somebody some cough medicine or babysitting an employee’s dog, these small things are actually much larger in impact when employees understand that management cares about their lives and wants them to be successful.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There absolutely is a particular person who helped me get where I am. One of my first managers exemplified so much of what I have tried to practice. He was always the first one in the office and was completely unflappable when crisis arose. He cared deeply about his employees and never created a “do what I say” environment but worked with the team to establish direction. Not only that, but he involved me in his private life and introduced me to the amazing experience of hiking in the Northeast, something I have developed a great love for and shared with others. He was simply a genuine person who cared deeply about people in his role as a manager and leader.

How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?

I have had the immense privilege to volunteer with my family extensively at a church in our local area that reaches out to the community with a food pantry and events throughout the year. One of the highlights for me has been being able to spend time with teens in a local rehabilitation center for substance abuse. Developing relationships with young people who are very much at a crossroads in their life is especially rewarding.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Simon Sinek puts it perfectly — “Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.” This thought process has made all the difference in how I manage and lead people.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

There are a great many ideas, but I do believe if everyone took an hour every day to take care of their health, this world would change greatly. Too often the grind takes over and people do not exercise or eat properly, and the repercussions of that are long-lasting and significant, individually and in society.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We wish you continued success!