Collaboration, Creativity & Care at the forefront
Pros
Handshake has been evolving since the first day I arrived 5+ years ago. There is much pride around never remaining the same both internally and externally which means never being okay with the status quo, ALWAYS listening to its stakeholders (which includes myself as an employee and our customers) and making the changes needed to propel us forward. I have always appreciated when I am asked why I am at Handshake, I often ask if I can better answer "what keeps me at Handshake?" and I have listed a few of those below: - Collaboration: many tech spaces are not known for its team-centered approach. Not only is this encouraged, but it is also one of the tenants for how you are reviewed/promoted - showing its value to all teams at all levels. Even as a manager today, it would be difficult to succeed in my role without deep cross functional collaboration - Aligned Focus Across Teams: In my previous work I would go from department to department and each would have its laundry list of goals/okrs/visions/missions etc. One of my favorite things at Handshake is that whether you are building, selling, supporting the product or the people doing those things, we are all in lock step on what our priorities are - this means that we can move as one successfully and seamlessly. - Support from Leadership: From when I started as an IC to every step along the way to my role today, I have been given clear growth guidance and been able to share a voice (even of difference) at the table. I am never afraid to ask for help and am seen as a valuable part of a growing, ever-evolving team.
Cons
- Firming up our Communication processes and SOPs: We are still what is considered a "late-stage start up" this means that many of the processes are yet to built/established or we are evaluating what those things should be as we grow, economy shifts and customers needs change. This means that last minute changes can happen as we are still developing how best we communicate that both quickly and to everyone all at once in the way everyone needs to hear/receive it. Though we have gotten better, it is clear we still have room to grow here. - Moving Too Quickly: We used to talk about moving quickly and not rushing, however, I have seen times where our quickened deadlines might mean that we were not able to be as thorough, get all the input we need or have an impact on the humans needing to do that work even more expeditiously. These are both things that are top of mind for me in ways I can control and I continue to utilize the various opportunities to share these as we grow.