BC Business
High-School-Confidential_5.jpg
We asked employees at B.C.’s top 10 companies a simple question: If your organization were a high-school archetype, which would it be? The Jock Cactus Restaurants Ltd.
• We are the jock because we are seen by others as the de facto leader. Others may attempt to copy our style, innovations, etc., but people will continue to see Cactus Club as the cool one. We are the model for comparison across the industry. • Cactus is popular, strong and good at everything. People are often jealous of the jock because everything looks like it comes easy to him/her, but really the jock works hard to be on top.
• Our company would be the jock because we are a team driven to win using our passion, integrity and expertise. • We’d be the jock because emotions can ebb and flow depending on how we are doing in the “game.” When we are winning, we all walk with a bit of a swagger. When we are losing or not doing as well, we practice harder and make sure everyone is pulling in the same direction. We always cheer together when we win. All we need now are team jackets.
• Our company would be the brain because everyone is encouraged to continually learn new techniques and best practices and stay atop the latest trends and industry knowledge. • We work with the Internet and everyone here is extremely smart, but a trendy smart. We are always up on new trends, like social media, and are considered “geeks” because of the knowledge we have – but we’re proud of it. Whoever said “geeks will take over the world” was right.
• Our company would be the brain because we are inventing and developing new medical devices and procedures. Every day we are doing things that have never been done. The company and its employees have the vision and the “smarts” to create devices that will improve people’s lives in the future. • Well over half of our employees would admit that they were “the brain” in high school. Lunch-table conversations frequently revolve around math, materials, control systems, algorithms, mechanical systems and physics. Yes, we’re living the dream!
• Our company would be a rebel because we are always trying to improve things in our contract, things that make our job easier and easier for our client. • We are hired to think outside the box and be far more creative in the delivery of service. The rebel is never mainstream, nor are we in our methods of getting the job done for clients. It is better to beg for forgiveness than to stall out and make everyone wait because it wasn’t mainstream thinking.
• Strangeloop is the rebel. We do things in unconventional ways because we see value that others have missed. We smile in the middle of chaos because it works well for us: we’re small, we’re dynamic, and we can take advantage of things that others cannot due to their size. • Our company would be the rebel because we are taking on one of the greatest challenges and winning. Only the rebel has enough attitude and perseverance to take on the impossible and make it happen anyway.
• Our company would be the cheerleader because the focus is always on the positive. We are such a positively tuned bunch of individuals. In an ever-changing marketplace, we are focusing on solutions, not problems. • We are a support office for our members (i.e., stores) and as such are required to provide them with encouragement along with the tools they need to prosper. We celebrate their victories, big and small, and share them with everyone.
• Our company would be a cheerleader because we promote teamwork, are enthusiastic and supportive, and let each other know when somebody has done a good job. • We are always out and about in the community, if not cheering for a specific event then cheering for our members and their successes. We let everyone in town know that we are here for the community.
• Our company would be an artist because we’re constantly evolving and changing creatively, based on our culture and the inspiration of all employees. • I think we’d be the artist because we are youthful, innovative and unrestricted, to a certain level. As an artist, you are a free spirit with a blank canvas, able to create and make your job the best it can be. Basically, if you don’t like your job here, it’s your own fault because we are all allowed to make our own job what it is.
• Our company would be an artist because it focuses on innovation while making sure everyone’s personal well-being remains a priority. It is an art to balance life, work and fun. My company does it well and strongly encourages it. • We would be the artist because we are always focused on innovative solutions to real-world business problems. We are smart and cerebral, and we value beauty!
See how you stack up against your peers by registering for the 2011 Best Companies competition at www.bestcompanies.ca. There’s no cost to participate. You will be asked to provide details of your company’s HR practices and to administer a survey soliciting feedback from your employees. In addition to seeing how your workplace ranks alongside those of your peers, you will receive a report from our partners at MindField Group, who will crunch the numbers to summarize the results of your employee survey.