Nurturing Individual Growth and Freedom at Girl Power Talk

• Work culture is the temperature or personality of a company. It’s the vibe or feeling one gets when walking virtual hallways or real ones.
• Girl Power Talk’s culture is one where inclusivity and diversity are celebrated. The focus is on leading with one’s heart, being passionate, innovative, and respectful towards others while working in a creative, positive workspace.
• Girl Power Talk fosters a work culture where creators, innovators and anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset can thrive.
• Girl Power Talk is changing the world one step at a time.

A defining component of work culture is the management style and shared belief system of the team. Some managers rule with fear, and others with kindness. This style along with other factors determine the kind of atmosphere that will be projected throughout the organization. Work culture is the temperature or personality of a company. It’s the vibe or feeling one gets when walking virtual hallways or real ones.

If the vision is to have a company that is supportive rather than just performance-driven, then you will find that the management team is more facilitative in nature rather than hierarchical. It is more of a sibling assisting and showing you how to do something and less of a mom and dad telling you what to do. This is the difference between a relaxed office where being at work is fun, from one where staff have their heads down, afraid to talk or take a break, and are expected to work 80 hours a week, including weekends, just to hold onto their job.

Balance is important to maintain stability here. If management is too relaxed, they may run into issues where staff become lackadaisical, lose respect for their leaders, and begin to procrastinate on assignments or just get lazy and don’t work to the best of their ability.

So how does one create an atmosphere where staff cares about the work they do, want to do their personal best, deliver results, are happy to come to work every day, and love what they do simultaneously?

First, I believe it’s important for a business to understand that it’s people who come to work every day, not automatons. People have feelings, problems and other issues, such as their personal health, childcare or aging parents’ responsibilities, that they are dealing with and they may not be able to turn those problems off the second they begin work. Understanding that people have good days and bad days is important. Keeping your door open to employees is the first step in the right direction. Your team must feel that their employer is approachable and truly cares about their wellbeing. Often just a slight adjustment from management, (like giving permission to work remotely) can solve or head-off a problem and allow that member to work to the best of their abilities at that time.

Secondly, when employees are brought into the big vision of the organization, they understand why the organization exists and begin to appreciate the importance of the work they do. When their personal values are in alignment with the values of the company they work for, then a workplace begins to feel like a home, or a family. The company’s dream becomes their own, and they give all that they can to make it a reality—something which is actively shared at Girl Power Talk.

I personally feel that Girl Power Talk should be the working model for all organizations. The company utilizes a supportive approach in their management style and runs as a meritocracy. Age, level of education, or typical professional experience does not factor in when it comes to advancing team members or choosing them for choice opportunities. Reward and recognition are generously given where due and the leadership truly care about everyone’s growth and advancement.

Girl Power Talk’s culture is one where inclusivity and diversity thrive. The focus is on leading with one’s heart, being passionate, innovative, and respectful towards others while working in a creative, positive workspace.

Team members at Girl Power Talk are supported, guided, and given opportunities to grow. They are encouraged to think big and pursue their passions. The whole team is a part of making the next girl, boy, or non-binary individual who is waiting for their turn to come on board feel welcome. This begins with the unique onboarding process. For the first week at Girl Power Talk, new team members receive a ton of welcoming messages and are encouraged to reach out and simply interact with the rest of the team on a personal level. As part of their orientation, they are given team videos, interviews, and meeting discussions to watch and understand what Girl Power Talk is all about. Each new team member is assigned a buddy to show them the ropes, answer all their questions, and add to that feeling of belonging to a community, a family of enterprising people.

Regular Saturday meetings for all team members contribute to developing the feeling of belonging. Often, games are played that allow for a deeper knowledge of each member. Even though most folks work remotely, they still feel very close to one another. Given the love and connection shared amongst the team, it’s hard to believe that only 20% of the team work in our main offices. At the same time, the Saturday meetings also present an opportunity for staff to understand the vision of the company, and learn what’s new about the business.

These meetings are also occasions for sharing additional education. I have attended the Public Speaking, Writing, and Financial Literacy workshops and was most impressed by the content and quality of each. Everything is well researched and presented by the incredibly talented team members.

When it comes to my personal version of an ideal work culture, I have been an entrepreneur all my life except for the five years I worked for the government. I value creative freedom and flexibility. Girl Power Talk has a work culture where creators, innovators and anyone with an entrepreneurial mindset can thrive. It is also in alignment with my personal values of social impact, gender equality, inclusivity and diversity. Having said this, this kind of work environment is not for everyone. If you are someone who needs a rigid structure, a firm hand, or to be told what to do every step of the way, then this is not an ideal work culture for you.

There are so many great things about Girl Power Talk, and they really start with co-founders, Rachita Sharma and Sameer Somal. I absolutely love who they are as individuals and what they stand for. Their vision for Girl Power Talk is inspiring and they are living examples of the fact that the people here are what make this family so special.

But perhaps the best thing is the fact that I am free to make my own hours, entrusted to mentor team members, given respect, brought into the family fold with open arms, and I honestly can’t think of a better organization to work with. Girl Power Talk has everything that I consider makes the perfect work environment: happiness, respect, innovation, creativity, fun and laughter, with social impact high on their radar of importance. We are changing the world, what’s not to love?

Girl Power Talk is a leading the way for other organizaton. The culture is a place where anyone no matter gender, race, or background can thrive as long as they have the will to learn and the passion to bring change. We understand that our employees are only human and do as much as possible to ensure that they have a safe, fun, encouraging workplace no matter where they are in the world.