Cultural Pioneers on the hunt for the answer
Having or developing a corporate culture is nothing new. Yet it happens more often than not that the screaming quotes on facades, walls and brochures turn out to be empty slogans. So how do you do it right and when is it really true? Anno 2024, proclaiming hot air is not done and the current generation will not fall for it.
Last September, Megawatt presented ‘Megawatt Culture’ at one of the famous WATT sessions. A session on corporate culture, core values and making concrete the common denominator “energy” as the basis of this culture. An in-depth interview on this topic followed a few weeks later. What exactly is culture and why is it so incredibly important for your organization? Simon Coolen (Creative Director) and Jitte Kleinbekman (HR Manager) tell us.
We feel a little ‘Culture Pioneers‘ by pushing so hard and diving deep into our corporate culture, Simon and Jitte say. Megawatt has grown hard in recent years at the risk of losing this cozy, friendly/familial and above all energetic Megawatt culture. Time to put this down on paper to preserve everything that makes Megawatt so beautiful and successful.
”Let’s start at the most crucial point; our culture is authentic and intrinsically driven”
‘We pronounced what was already there and started defining from there,’ Simon said. The merger of the four separate agencies into one Megawatt and the revamped and sharpened proposition was the perfect starting point. ‘Soon we found out that working from the core values (Be yourself, Exceed expectations, Adopt creativity and Team up; B.E.A.T) is only possible if the basics are right. By this base, we mean a strong body and a fit mind combined with the right work-life balance,” Simon says. It doesn’t make much sense to expect people to work from certain core values if the basics aren’t right. So we go one layer deeper.
”You can’t expect a house to stay standing on a weak foundation”
How does Megawatt provide that? Of course, like (thankfully!) more companies, they offer a wide range of fringe and tertiary benefits. As nice and progressive as they are in this, Jitte nevertheless places an important caveat here. “It’s not just about the conditions and the big picture that has to be right, it’s precisely in all the moments in between. Small check-ups and open conversations that can be about work as well as private matters. It’s an illusion to think that you don’t bring ‘home’ to work or vice versa,” Jitte said. The question we ask is; where does your optimal energy lie and how can we help you get there?
”The strength of the pack is the wolf and the strength of the wolf is the pack”
If you manage to create an organization createorganization where you have the freedom to énd the safety to be vulnerable zónd without being judged, you’ve come a long way. Is the challenge in work and process, then you can join Charley Peereboom (Managing Director, ed) rightly so. Is it in more in the priv é-sphere (how do I provide a strong body and a fit mind) then step inside to Simon Coolen (Creative Director) and for all other HR matters: you can ‘Sitwith Jitte’ (This is a working title but conceptually very strong ;-)).
“On the one hand, we are a warm and family agency but we do work at Champions League level for international brands. That can cause some friction but as long as you is sharp on content and soft on people goes together just fine,” Simon adds. Another tip from the Creative Director; see your clients as partnerships and treat them that way. If things are not going well, pick up the phone and say so! No one is perfect and where high stakes play, mistakes are inevitably made. Be vulnerable, no matter how tense. This always benefits the relationship.
Megawatt provides on-site inspiration sessions (workshops) for any company (that thinks, knows or hopes) to be ready for their personal cultural revolution. By engaging in conversation, opening up and taking a good look in the mirror, that unique key to success and connection can be found everywhere. Megawatt is strong by being vulnerable and has managed to turn something as universal as energy into a concrete handle.
Let's work together
Wij creëren maximale energie voor merken. Klaar om je merk te superchargen? Let’s meet!
