Each month we celebrate our culture heroes. Culture heroes are given the ethos award by their peers during our fortnightly team meeting. Then here on the blog, we give them a shoutout and ask them a few questions about what it’s like working remotely for In Marketing We Trust.
Today we are celebrating two team members, Andrei and El for their dependability and their ability to “Get Shit Done”.
Our Values
Andrei Inso
Andrei was awarded for his dependability in the workplace.
“Andrei Inso always managed to respond to the team’s request for support. Andrei is always active and responsive no matter what tasks are asked of him, he will jump and work towards a solution without needing extra directions.”
Any tips for keeping yourself focused and delivering great results while working from home?
It is easy to get lost between work and home activities and the balance needed to deliver great results gets skewed in the process. I personally take a few minutes before my shift begins to enjoy a cup of coffee, read a few pages from my book, and get ready for work. This “Hero’s Journey,” is what allows me to shed off my home persona and get myself into focus mode. Conversely, I do the same “on my way home,” improving the quality of my personal time.
Could you briefly describe your main tasks and responsibilities?
As an Operations Executive, I provide support to the head of operations, Martin Dunk. We ensure that all systems and processes are in place and adhere to the high standards by which they operate. We discover improvements and potential efficiency gains, enabling our fantastic team members to continue to provide the high quality of service that In Marketing We Trust has been giving.
How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?
Since there are many moving parts to my role, I try to be as organised as possible. Following the Air Corps test pilots in Atul Gawande’s “The Checklist Manifesto,” I create checklists for myself too. Every weekday I list down my tasks, categorise them and evaluate which ones to do when. I make sure I have enough room to adapt to changes and accommodate urgent requests too.
Why do you like working at In Marketing We Trust?
First, In Marketing We Trust operates across the globe remotely, even before it was necessary. Second, it’s empowering to be surrounded by experts in digital marketing, operations, data analysis, and many more. Finally, The support and understanding extended to the staff are immense.
El Phan
El was awarded for Getting Shit Done.
“Great job El Phan on getting shit done and finding and recruiting a really good SEO candidate for the Korean market, a market where talent is hard to find. El is always a proactive professional who always thinks of better ways of doing things and is always happy to lend a hand even if it’s not inside her scope of work.”
What is your best advice for getting stuff done (to the point of being recognised for this superpower)?
My best advice for Getting stuff done is to know what you need to do and to take extreme ownership of it. For example, I’m doing Recruitment & Talent Acquisition; instead of waiting for the line manager to give feedback whenever they have it (after the interview), I need to chase them to make sure I can deliver the process in the time frame promised to the candidates. Another example is following up with a hired candidate (now my colleague) on their job, most people think recruitment stops when they are onboarded, but for me, it only stops when they leave the company. There are lots of those little things, and you’ll notice if you pay attention and own the work you’re doing.
Any tips for keeping yourself focused and delivering great results while working from home?
These days I find myself getting distracted easily, so I often use the “work with me” videos on youtube. That is a 4-5 hours long video with sound (rain, snow, people chatting, etc.), it starts with an Intro (wishing you a good day and introducing the view of that video), a 45 mins focus music, then a 5 min break, the loop continues (without the intro) for 4–5 hours, the alarm is set for each section, I like it because it reminds me to take a small break.
Things that have helped me over the years have been:
- Making sure you are still interacting with your colleagues daily
- Meetings aren’t just straight into a fixed agenda without any human element
- Take time out to pet your animals
Could you briefly describe your main tasks and responsibilities?
I’m the Talent Acquisition Specialist and my main tasks can be divided into 2 parts:
- Recruitment: when I have a request from the team, I will use our preferred channels to approach candidates and post the jobs on different job boards.
- Talent Acquisition: creating a branding strategy for a longer-term approach (1-2 years)
How do you manage to juggle so many responsibilities and deadlines?
I don’t have many as I see it…But I think the key to handling different roles at the same time is to have an excellent Recruitment System that allows you to automate 50-70% of the process.
Why do you like working at In Marketing We Trust?
I’ve been in a few companies/agencies before, and while they claim they offer a non-political environment, In Marketing We Trust is the first place I experienced it. People just want to do their job and be really good at it, no dramas, no bullshit. I tell everyone about the flexibility of In Marketing We Trust and how I love it. I can genuinely design my workday by my will; it depends indeed on my capability, not the hours other people put on their seats (that you have to follow), and of course the people! What I love the most about In Marketing We Trust because people are soooo knowledgeable yet very humble. You can learn a lot from the team.
