“Fantastic work culture” with Todd Dunlop CEO of RingPartner

As a part of my series about about how leaders can create a “fantastic work culture”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Todd Dunlop is the Founder & CEO of RingPartner and Founder & Advisor of Victoria, BC based tech incubator, Beta Street. After graduating from Royal Roads University, Todd founded a digital marketing company, Neverblue, which he sold to a publicly traded company in 2008. He has since founded or invested in twelve companies over the last fifteen years, including Current Straw.

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

From an early age, I knew that I was going to thrive in an environment where I didn’t feel confined by any particular role. Answering to someone else’s dreams or agenda didn’t appeal to me. Thankfully, I recognized this in myself and decided that the best way for me to ensure I didn’t put myself (or other unlucky employers) in that position was to create the roles I wanted, and in turn create the work culture I wanted.

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

When we first implemented core hours at RingPartner we weren’t aware of how deeply this would impact our team members in the best ways possible. Building your own schedule means you can maximize not just your own personal time, but family time as well.

An example of this was shared by a team member early on, and stands out as a great example of the effect a flexible schedule can have on your team. This team member has a big family, and her mornings were jam-packed with getting kids ready, out the door, and shuttled for school drop-offs, leaving her with such little time that she would leave her hairbrush and toothbrush at work. Then, core hours were implemented and her morning routine went from a sprint to a walk — literally. Thanks to the flexible hours she could now leisurely walk her kids to school each morning and still have time to go home and get ready by herself. No more work toothbrush, no more stress about balancing family life and work life. Instead she was able to have quality time with her family each day and not worry about being late for work.

I love this story because it’s a perfect example of how a flexible schedule encourages people to set up their workday so that they can start each one with their best foot forward.

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

One exciting initiative we’ve been nurturing over the last year is our weekly Lunch & Learn program. Every week the team gathers for a company-sponsored lunch and a presentation. Past presentations include presentations how to take better pictures on your mobile phone, best practices for email outreach, body language, how different departments work. The only thing we ask of presenters is to leave the team with a takeaway — whether it’s a new philosophy on work ethic or mindfulness, a challenge to do something over the next 30 days, or even just a pro tip to gain a new skill, we make sure the Lunch & Learns do exactly what they implicate.

Another initiative that we have honed in on for 2019 is our new relationship with FamilySparks, an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The majority of our team is comprised of young professionals with growing families, and the resources offered by FamilySparks are relevant to our team members and their families.

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?

Life doesn’t compartmentalize itself with work in one drawer and everything else in the other — and we need to stop structuring the workforce to pretend it does. An example of how RingPartner takes this into account is through our core hours program where we have the team in the office for a core of five hours each weekday and outside of that they can build their schedule to balance their work/life commitments in the way that works best for them.

Job evolution, or lack thereof, can also contribute to an unhappy workforce. People get stressed and bored when they feel they are stuck in their role. I believe that just because you start in one area of the business doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t try other areas of the business — who knows, you may find that your top account manager is also a graphic design whiz. RingPartner often has team members in hybrid roles or projects to support growth and keep doors open for movement or change if there is a better fit elsewhere in the company. We also lean on the Clifton StrengthsFinder and KOLBE tests to help us identify where each individuals’ strengths lie and where we can help them grow.

Strict office hours and an unclear career path could both be big factors in an unhappy workforce. These situations can cause someone to feel trapped and not believe they have the flexibility in their current role to make a change.

If you’re already working with flexible hours or feel confident in the career paths laid in front of your team, it’s still important to keep a pulse on your team’s satisfaction (and no, your gut feeling on the level of happiness doesn’t count). We use a tool called 15five to get a weekly happiness rating from everyone on the team, and can use these scores to refine our company culture on an ongoing basis. Happiness and satisfaction in the workplace are things to be nurtured, so make sure to set aside time for it on an ongoing basis.

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?

An unhappy workforce will leak into every aspect of a company, when left unaddressed. Your actions affect those around you, and the same goes for attitude. If you’re not happy or feel dissatisfied, coworkers will pick up on this quickly — especially in an open office. I encourage leaders to take responsibility for getting to the core of the issue to find out how they can help resolve it. Does someone feel guilty for not being able to do school drop-off each morning? Do they feel they’re letting their department down because they have to take the morning off for an appointment? For our team, many people have small children at home or obligations outside of work that don’t always fit outside of a typical nine-to-five workday. To alleviate the pressure of feeling like they’re letting down their team or their family, we honed in a compromise: core office hours. That way everyone has core times during the day when the team knows someone will be available for meetings and sync-ups. Outside of those hours, it’s up to the individual to build their calendar. Some of our team members make use of core hours so they can pick up their kids after work, others make use of it to participate in recreational activities in the early afternoons.

In our experience, we’ve seen an correlation between the 15five employee happiness scores mentioned earlier and profit. This doesn’t mean they are exclusively connected, but when one dips the other is sure to follow. A grim outcast on one’s own future with the company certainly doesn’t set the scene for proactive decision making and problem solving, so it would be safe to assume that an unhappy workforce would also be an unproductive workforce. Unless your business model relies on your workforce being unproductive, this is sure to leave it’s mark on profit.

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?

Your company’s work culture shouldn’t be an afterthought, so it’s important to implement and reiterate the aspects of the culture that are important to the company all of the way from hiring to retaining people on your team. Here are 5 ways to do just that”

1. Flexible Hours
   There’s no true separation between work life and home life — it’s all life. When you offer people more control over their time and their schedules, you’re showing them that you trust their judgment and ability to accomplish their tasks. You don’t have to do core hours, but why hire someone you wouldn’t trust to work a non-traditional schedule or work remote if the role suited it? This ties into the next essential block in building your work culture.
2. Regular Team Sync-ups
   We have a core set of structured sync-ups that promote communication and cross-department support. For example, every day we meet at 10:07 a.m., and use this time as a core communication tool. Each week we gather for a team lunch and learn, which serves as a core learning tool. We also host quarterly meetings, where we share core updates about the company’s progress. Choose a cadence, stick with it, and soon it will be an integral part of your work culture.
3. Referrals = Gold
   When someone on the team is willing to vouch for someone else, we take notice. A referral means that our team member is confident that the person is right for both the job and the culture. Many of our team members have come to us by way of referral or recommendation, and our strong culture is a result of that.
4. Know Your Candidates
   We’ve found that strengths assessments are a key part of a successful hiring process. Yes, even for referrals, and no, this is not a “find out which animal you are” quiz. Results from renowned strengths assessments like CliftonStrengths and KOLBE help us understand the candidate and ensure that we get them in the right role to succeed. Plus, when used consistently it makes it easy to see how different teams can work better together and where strengths can best be used.
5. Don’t Force It
   Sometimes it just doesn’t work out as we had all hoped, and this often becomes clear within the first couple of weeks. While it may be tempting to hold on a little longer and hope for a change, rarely does this magical change occur. When we hire someone who is clearly not the right fit despite our best efforts to vet them and make sure we’re a match during the interview process, we take responsibility for it. We even have a “pay to go” offer that we extend to all new hires at the end of their first two weeks in case they don’t feel like it’s a fit even if we do.

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?

Simply put, build in better flexibility for people to manage their responsibilities outside of work. Everyone has them, and by not taking the full picture into account when you build a workforce you are essentially asking people to rank their jobs as the number one priority or responsibility, and to fit everything else in around it. This can create a lot of stress and tension. When you create a flexible environment with outcome-driven teamwork as the goal rather than a set quantity of hours that must met, you give everyone the opportunity to bring their best self to work, back home, out with friends, and onward.

One thing to note is that we hear all the time that millenials want more flexibility, but don’t get tricked into thinking this is purely generational. All generations have responsibilities in and out of the workplace, so flexibility in the workforce isn’t a perk exclusive to millenials.

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

I want people to get their hands dirty and be involved in projects on more than just a surface level. In the tech industry we are often testing new ideas and building solutions, and part of the process includes failure. It’s important to build a work culture that encourages trying new things and taking the reins on new projects to see them come to fruition. I see my leadership style as a kick-start for ideas and getting things going, and then I move into a role where someone else can take the lead and I can support their project as a resource rather than key point person. This provides opportunities for other people to grow and challenge themselves, and gives me the space I need to oversee the company and fulfil my responsibilities as CEO.

I encourage leaders in my company to do the same: enable innovation, facilitate forward movement, and support the initiatives in the role of a resource rather than point person.

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?

While I can’t pinpoint one specific person who has helped me, I have participated in several entrepreneurial groups that have been valuable to my journey. Every business owner or entrepreneur comes across challenges that feel unique to their situation or industry, and I’ve found it has always been helpful to ask someone else for their insights because they probably have similar issues now or have overcome similar issues in the past. From talent acquisition to people management, bootstrapping to simply figuring out a business name, cross-industry knowledge sharing continues to be an amazing source for inspiration and problem solving.

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

Everything I do circles back to what I’m passionate about: connecting people with opportunities. I get energized when I can identify a new opportunity in the market, and even more so when I can work with people to help them identify the opportunities they want to pursue. The self-actualization and self-realization in those moments are incredibly gratifying for everyone involved.

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

Fail forward.

In every company I’ve founded or been involved in, I know that failure is an inevitable part of the journey. The key is to learn from those experiences and keep moving forward, and not get dragged down when things don’t go as planned. Brian Scudamore’s book, WTF?! (Willing to Fail), is a great read for anyone interested in starting their own business, and showcases how failures can ultimately power your success along the way.

I believe this is true in all aspects of life, and it is something we encourage daily at RingPartner; failing forward is part of the company’s core values.

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. :-)

I’d love for everyone to channel their entrepreneurial spirit more often. Everyone has it — the desire to make something better or easier or more fun or less stressful, but few people actually act on those ideas. If more people put their wild ideas into action we’d have a huge amount of innovation happening all around us all of the time. Wouldn’t that be incredible?

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