<a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/think.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-8549" alt="culture" src="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/think-225x300.jpeg" width="225" height="300" /></a>

As anyone on our team will tell you, there’s never a dull moment at eGroup – a common saying at eGroup is that “even when there is nothing scheduled, you will always have plenty to do.” True words.

The action at eGroup is fast, ever-changing, and full of fun challenges. Time literally flies each and every day. I can’t think of a healthier, more engaging workplace. Some folks define the work/life balance as equal time at home or office, we define it as zero transition between the two – when you love what you do so much that harmony exists and you never see the move from one context to the other.

Recently, I had the opportunity to spend a good deal of time with someone I respect immensely. We had a great conversation but I could tell something was on his mind. Ultimately, after the obvious topics were covered he looked at me and said, “Mike, after 15 years how do you find the energy to come into work and do what you do every day at the level you do it at?”

This gave me a pause because I had to really consider what that “harmonious” and energizing thread is that provides such congruency between my home and work life – I don’t necessarily see them as two distinct things – just different outlets of the same energy.

So, thinking about this for a few minutes and after thinking of the myriad ways this “energy” comes out at eGroup and through our quarterly meetings (we get the ENTIRE eGroup team together for each quarterly meeting – an aspect of our culture since the early days of our existence and providing a completely transparent review of everything going on at eGroup – and also a great opportunity for us to review and reflect on both what we did well and what we should do differently) I simply said “because I like making things better” – and that’s it – we like to make things better.

For me, this embodies several core characteristics of the culture at eGroup, as well sets up the proverbial “head fake” that keeps outsiders guessing what truly makes us tick beyond what they see as our actions.
<h2><b>Key Characteristics</b></h2>
I learned long ago, both directly and indirectly, through my time as the son of a fighter pilot (think Great Santini - *really*), and through my own experiences at The Citadel, and through my experiences as a husband and a father, that the keys to making things better are in everyone’s hands and can be achieved by adhering to several specific attributes – those are:
<h3><i>Be Humble</i></h3>
Obvious enough, though you’d be surprised how many people miss this. Humility defined is the low estimation of one’s sense of importance. This is vital to the process of continuous improvement because it ensures that no matter how good things are, you’re not done yet – you can always make them better.

Humility is the antidote to complacency and the catalyst for innovation. Humility kick-starts the process every time.

One of our clients has a phrase on the desk of every customer service representative that says, “Treat every customer as if you are about to lose them,” – sage advice – and borne from humility.
<h3><i>Ask Questions</i></h3>
Key to improvement, asking questions allows for the assessment of field position and progress, divining an understanding of how you’re doing, or what you could do differently.

As part of our flawless execution service delivery model, eGroupers peel off all the rank and conduct valuable debrief sessions for all actions to ensure we’re capturing vital information that makes what we do that much better. We constantly question what we’re doing, and how to make it better. We immediately put any answers into motion.
<h3><i>Avoid Assumptions</i></h3>
Tactically, keeping an open mind – or more to the point – “go with what you know” – helps keep you on track. Since we recruit people for passion and attitude, rarely do we deal with assumptive behavior, but it helps to revisit this in everything we do to ensure that we’re operating with a clear mind.

Strategically, the one assumption we do allow ourselves to make is with our clients in mind. That is, our clients engage us to deliver something that is “Faster, Better, or Cheaper” – and every time we engage, we assume we can. Since we’re in the technology services field, we always have faster, better, and less expensive options each time we revisit a situation – we believe we can always make things better – no matter what.
<h3><i>Seek Wisdom</i></h3>
We employ a 30-minute rule on just about everything. That is, everyone at any level is always given 30 minutes (and it is expected that you spend at least 30 minutes - as we like people to learn to fish, not just give them fish, as the saying goes) to work through challenges.

30 minutes gives a talented person time to learn something new within a reasonable period of time, with the expectation that they will reach out for new ideas afterwards.

It’s this aspect of who we are that appeals immensely to resourceful and creative people. Beyond being techies, we see ourselves as craftsmen, and engage speakers at our quarterly meetings that allow us to see how other industries do it (Thanks <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yfyw2fdaABQ">Dave Dawson!</a>)

Rather than consulting the manual for the answer, our team members are given the freedom and latitude to innovate in every action they perform for a reasonable period of time. This ability to improve the process dynamically has yielded fantastic results – yet, if you hit a roadblock, you now have the force multiplier of the team at your disposal.

After 30 minutes, we fully support and request that anyone “stuck” utilize our extended team for assistance. This community of committed team members and expertise is a potent response to the trickiest of situations, since it allows any member of the team to seek wisdom from any other, and we actively promote the action of roping in expertise from any angle – team member, manufacturer, industry expert, etc.
<h2><b>The “head fake”</b></h2>
At the end of the day, it’s about corporate purpose – and what we’re really after with our mindset is to find those people who fit with our belief in building a culture that is based less on <em>quantitative measurements</em> (how many people, how much revenue, blah, blah, blah) but based on <em>qualitative measurements</em> (what did our customer think of our last service engagement, did we sell them the “right” solution for their needs, how do I feel my career performance is to date, do I feel great about what I’m doing for them, am I making an impact for the positive?)

This aspect of eGroup has been with us our entire time – and it’s a key cultural differentiator for us.

Are we debt free? Yes.

Did we grow at a realistic and sustainable 30-40% YoY for the last 10 years? Yes.

Are we accomplishing our objectives of brand establishment, staff development, and sales expansion? Yes.

But aside from all of that, what we <b>really</b> want to make better are the folks on our team.

Aside from delivering a <a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/what-we-do/" target="_blank">valuable and innovative set of services</a>, eGroup builds technology services leaders out of our people – with a tendency to focus heavily on the leadership aspect.

These leaders – whether they’ve stayed or moved on – have accomplished great things. They embody confidence, competence, and deliver results in all walks of life.

Our people are our greatest product – and we do everything we can to support them by empowering them to make themselves better. The result is nothing short of magical.

<strong>That’s the head fake.</strong>

If you’re passionate about improvement – whether for yourself, for your career, for an aspect of the industry that you think needs attention, give us a shout – <a href="http://egroup.jasonmangone.com/about/careers/" target="_blank">we’re always looking for people who share our culture</a> and would be glad to have you on the journey.