Jason Wick is our Director, Product Development and talks about bringing his outside passions into the workplace and how many others who work within Peaksware do the same.
How does Peaksware encourage team members to bring or engage with their passions at work?
As the director of product development for MakeMusic, one thing I love about our work environment is how integrated musical activities are. We’re a music software and publishing company, so many of our employees naturally have musical backgrounds. We have a small music practice studio space and a quarterly open-mic event where anyone can perform, and it’s beautiful to see how people can tap into these passions at work.
Tell us about a time when you’ve engaged with or shared a passion of yours in the workplace. What was special or unique about this experience for you?
One of my passions is studying leadership. I love reading books and talking to people about it, and I even have a podcast called Leadership Voyage. I’m honestly fortunate to be able to share this passion on a weekly basis. As a director in our organization and a manager of 11 people, I always leverage my continued learning from this hobby. I love that my senior leadership looks at this activity as an enhancement that makes me better in my career and at work rather than something that competes against my job.
How does creating space for team members to share and engage with their passions help build culture and team camaraderie?
Ultimately, I think encouraging team members to share their passions is foundational because we bring our whole selves to work. There’s been a lot of talk in recent years about what we should or shouldn’t talk about at work — or on LinkedIn, for that matter — and the fact we all should embrace is that you are your entire self at home, at work and wherever you are.
We want people to be who they truly are, and the more authentically they present themselves, the more vulnerable they can be with their teammates. This base-level understanding of each other is the foundation upon which we can build a strong culture.
Original article written by Hilary George-Parkin, click here for the entire article.
