Monthly Archives : August 2016

What does it take to succeed?

It’s a question that has the power to captivate just about anybody, whether it be a small business leader, an up-and-coming employee or an Olympic athlete.

Thankfully, we live in a time where information abounds. Small- and big-business leaders are generous with their time, in many cases, and are willing to talk with major publications, blogs and websites to share their story.

We found that while many success stories are inspiring in a rock-star kind of way, there tend to be some pretty serious lessons that underpin all the glamour of big paydays and huge buyouts.

These lessons are like the pumps, belts and tubes under the hood of a car. They don’t look particularly cool and you rarely see them, but they’re what make the vehicle go.

This month we sifted through numerous articles and posts to dig up some of these lessons.

Lesson #1: Big Decisions Require Patience, Not Haste

Growth is huge for startups. Investors want to know how many clients or downloads you have. Reporters want to know how much capital you raised in your last round. Customers want to see social media hype.

When growth is the focus, patience tends to take a back seat to innovation and release deadlines. However, when it comes to the big decisions, don’t be afraid to take a day or two to ponder decisions you don’t feel comfortable making.

Chet Kapoor, CEO of Apigee, a San Francisco-based API management company, said learning to hit the pause button on a big decision is an essential part of his business philosophy.

“Making important decisions – a defining responsibility of any leader – sometimes requires patience,” he said in a 2015 interview with Fast Company. “If I’m not comfortable with a big decision, I wait a day or two.”

During that time, he said, he gives the decision “the gift of time.” He doesn’t use the extra days to do more research, collect and analyze data or review the positives and negatives of the decision.

“Often, with a little time and patience, the decision will manifest itself clearly,” he said.

Lesson #2: Trust Your Team

When you’re used to running the show – having all the answers, solving all the problems, etc. – your initial instinct is not to let your team work out the issues your product or campaign is facing.

That philosophy may work in specific situations, but if you’re the source of all solutions and answers, you’ll quickly find that your power is limited. But having limitations isn’t a bad thing, said Yee Lee, a startup guru whose recent projects include lending startup Vouch.

His words offer a sharp sting to those of us who’ve become self-reliant.

“It is much harder, but more empowering for your team, to hold your tongue on your own ideas and keep asking questions until your team comes up with the answers themselves,” he said.

Part of trusting your team is making sure you hire trustworthy people. In a 2015 article for Business Insider, contributor Jayson DeMers talked about trustworthiness.

“The first step is to hire trustworthy people – people who are honest, open and self-motivated enough to work for the good of the company,” he said. “But beyond that, it’s your responsibility to create a culture and an atmosphere that encourages both honesty and co-dependence.”

It’s normal for us to struggle with this concept of co-dependence and honesty, but if our manager-employee interactions are viewed in the context of relationship, then “honesty” and “co-dependence” begin to make a lot of sense.

And, as many a wizened platitude attest, relationships are pretty difficult to maintain without trust.

Lesson #3: Keep Calm and Carry On

There’s a scene in the NBC classic The Office where fomenter Dwight Schrute throws a cigarette in a trash can full of paper and lighter fluid in order to test the office’s ability to respond to a fire.

Michael Scott, the hapless boss, responds by saying, “Everybody stay calm.” He repeats the phrase once more, then his tone changes and he screams, “Everybody stay the (bleep) calm!”

Minutes later, Scott abandons all hope as he yells, “Okay, we’re trapped. Everyone for himself!” Chaos ensues.

It’s a hilarious example, no doubt, but it points to the power of a leader to dictate the way his or her team responds to unexpected moments.

Lauren Asilis, president of travel company Travelwise, said part of her company’s success has come through her recognition that steady nerves lead well.

“Although you have to trust people, you must be prepared to expect any kind of negative situation and keep calm and focused on your goal,” Asilis said in an interview with Success.com.

A few months ago we talked about the differences between a more traditional office environment and the open spaces emphasized in today’s startup world.

At the end of that post, we made this observation:

“Different things work for different people. This is why the debate about whether Open Office Plans Vs. Cubicles, Which is Better?, will continue to rage on in the office world and studies will continue to show conflicting data on the subject.”

As you can see, we don’t really take sides in this debate; it’s all about what works best for your team and your vision. This is one reason why our Gallery is full of different styles of dividers, extenders and partitions that provide the stylistic and functional touches to work in just about any office.

We want to take a closer look at some of those items today to help you understand what’s possible in the space you’re designing. Choosing the right combination of products can complement the environment you want to create in your workspace and meeting rooms.

Our Gallery features four different types of panels: cubicle panel extenders, desk-mounted privacy panels, split-screen panels and desk-mounted modest panels. Today we’re going to tackle two of these categories.

Cubicle Panel Extenders

One of the things we like to emphasize is that panels reduce noise and distractions, giving employees added privacy. The end result is employees are more productive. And we all know productivity boosts morale.

Our panel extenders are a good option for offices looking to add a little extra privacy to their cubicles without the hassle of having to redo the walls on every single desk. As the name indicates, these panels are extensions to existing partitions between desks.

Adding them to each workstation is a simple task and the end result is well worth it.

But the idea of adding extra privacy to each workspace in your office may seem a little draconian to some workers who prefer a more relational and open work environment. We get that, because we’ve learned companies are living organisms that change and adapt as time and generations come and go.

So, part of our product line includes clear extenders that do an effective job of creating privacy and sound reduction while at the same time maintaining an open workplace. We think this is a great choice for companies that want to create a sense of open space while simultaneously protecting the privacy and production of their employees.

If your workforce tends to be more old-school, we’ve got plenty of solid extenders that augment the autonomy of individual workspaces. If you want a middle ground between clear and solid, our opaque extenders are an excellent choice, too.

Desk Mounted Extenders

The purpose of extenders remains the same here – to reduce sound and increase privacy. But what you’ll notice in our Gallery is that our desk extenders provide all kinds of options for open and closed office areas.

What you’ll notice is that these extenders attach directly to your desks rather than to existing partitions. This is a key distinction, because as the photos in our Gallery show, desk extenders give you a lot more open space under the desk.

This setup creates a sense of unity and interconnectedness in your office, factors that are important to employees who value an open workspace.

Desk-mounted extenders also give you two options for your desks: side mounts and rear mounts. Take a look at the photos on the left to get a sense of what we mean.

On the one hand, you’ve got desks lined up front to back, so rear-mounted extenders provide the privacy you’re looking for.

On the other hand, you can choose side-mounted extenders for desks that are lined up side-by-side. As you can see, our extenders aren’t meant to isolate but to integrate a series of side-by-side desks.

In our own research of burgeoning office trends, we’ve found that this type of setup is great for companies who have small, tight-knit departments. Employees have their own defined space, but the extenders are low enough to where they can easily collaborate with team members next to them.

Deciding Which Option is Best for Your Office

Which extender is right for you depends on your particular situation. Head over to our Contact Us page and let us know what your plans are for the future and how your furniture and extenders play a role in that. In the meantime, stop by our Gallery to get a sense of what your office could look like with our help!