On the heels of sharing its unique process for hiring a new company president, and wanting to better understand what it means to ‘be purple’, we caught up with Tracy Curry, Chief People Officer with two-time Elev8 GovCon honoree Fearless to better understand the components of culture that make up this team’s purple secret sauce to success.
A Non-Traditional View of HR
Coming from a more traditional view of human resources, Tracy was attracted to Fearless by its clear position on culture and core values, the way they are openly communicated and come to life inside, and outside the organization. “It was very clear to me from the beginning that Fearless was intentional about wanting to impact people, including the people who work for the organization, and giving space for authenticity. The articulation of diversity within the organization was clear and it was evident this was a place where you could go and be yourself.”
Fearless has a longstanding 50/50 goal and commitment to diverse hiring and inclusion practices. By the end of 2024, the company strives to have a team made up of 50% women and 50% minorities.
Having the opportunity to support an organization that was truly focused on creating the right experience for its people was a big draw and something she had not seen done in such a meaningful, genuine way in many places.
Leaders Setting the Pace
Built by an executive team that is focused on strength building, finding and leveraging its team’s strengths in the right way, the company is built on the knowledge that people are the heart and soul of a company. A quick look at the Fearless LinkedIn page and all of the videos, comments and discussions with its team make this clear.
“Fearless understands that work can’t just be about making the thing, it has to be about doing something that truly makes the lives of people better, and our leaders really do operate from that lens. We are creating the circumstances where our team members are making an impact through their work at Fearless.”
It is worth noting the Ya Herd podcast on LinkedIn and YouTube is the brainchild of employees. It’s unscripted, and gives people the chance to share, in their own voices, what is important to them. “It isn’t just about who Fearless is and why do you love it kinds of things, it is about who these people are as individuals.”
Organic Purple Sauce
From a potential employee’s very first interview, the company’s culture code is introduced and then reinforced across the hiring process and employee journey. The ‘purple sauce’ defines how this team works together, and the values and beliefs they hold each other to. “We try to be very intentional about sharing why culture is important, to get people to really reflect on that during the interview process to make sure it all aligns with the workplace they envision themselves in.”
The ideals of creating belonging, making an impact and avoiding being a title centric organization, creates an open space for idea sharing and collaboration. “Some organizations talk about culture as the icing on the cake but Fearless sees it as the cake, the foundation for everything. We even have a playbook on how companies can build a people-driven culture. It’s important to share what we’ve learned over the years.”
Components of Culture
Culture at Fearless comes down to a few simple ideals:
- Taking Initiative: Being a leader is not about a role or title, it is about bringing your unique perspective and skillsets to the task at hand. It is about contributing, and working to make things better whether it is related to a project, the work environment, or an aspect of culture.
- Creating Belonging: The Fearless environment is just that and allows everyone to come into the workplace as their authentic self. Structurally that has included safe spaces for the team to connect and know each other as people, to have each other’s backs as teammates, but also as individuals. Sponsoring Come in to Connect days, the company is intentional about making space for people to connect when it is not just about the work.
- Open Dialogue: Inviting people to help create, there are authentic voices raised by different populations, from different views, rather than a group of executives trying to decide what everything should look or feel like. “That open dialogue and the chance to make an impact is something that plays out at Fearless in a way that is different from any other organization I have known, in a way that allows team members to contribute to creating our future.”
Leveraging feedback
Whether it is a policy or a benefit change, feedback, the intent of designing with the help of the team, is a clear focus. Using surveys and direct conversation, opinions matter and are weighed before decisions are made. “With everything we do we want to empower each other to improve, to understand how we can make an impact for our customers, but also for each other. When we bring people on board, they may have more knowledge or different perspectives on a space, or a particular customer or experience, and that new insight can only make us better.”
Encouraging Voices
Something that has been a multiplier for Fearless is its ability to actively encourage and create space for people to speak up, to say something when they see something or know something is an issue. That includes leaders pushing people to speak up, but also teams pushing each other to share their ideas and opinions. “It tends to happen organically, but I think it’s because people have a sense of safety with each other and it’s not necessarily leader driven. Leadership has put in the work and created a workplace where people feel comfortable to voice their feelings.”
Even with the addition this Fall of Alka Bhave as the company’s new President, Tracy says it came down to a non-traditional process that intentionally sought feedback and weigh in from across the company about who that next leader should be.
Diversity in Action, not Intent
Unlike many companies who may set goals around diversity, Fearless is nearing nearly 50% women and a fully diverse cultural view simply by seeking people whose goals and intent align. “The mark of success has to be not just the ability to bring people into our space, but really giving them a place where they can have connected work in a meaningful and authentic way so they stay. This country is a melting pot and as we’re building out technology that will be used by government and citizens, we want to build things in a way that reflects that diversity.”
Taking Care
Fearless prioritizes personal and professional growth. They strive to create space for people to develop in their fields and career. Fearless team members recently traveled to Austin, Tx for AfroTech, the largest Black tech conference in the United States. Every year, employees speak at regional and national conferences to share and learn.
Selective about its Work
Just as it is deliberate about its culture, hiring, and giving back, so too is Fearless deliberate about the kinds of work it will pursue. All potential work is checked against Fearless’ Ethics Checklist. Any contract must be in line with at least one of the checklists’ eight values, and cannot be in conflict with anything in on the “what we won’t do” list.
“Our first arching theme is that our work has to improve human life, and to help government improve its processes so it can better serve citizens. Another area we focus on is mobilizing social justice initiatives through work with partners like the NFL.”
Ambitious Goals seek Like Minded Partners
Fearless has set an ambitious goal for itself – to grow to $1B in revenue, have a presence in 10 countries, and affect 100 million lives by 2030. To achieve this, the company actively seeks partners who are aligned in their people people-centric goals and want to improve lives.
Want to be more like Fearless? Transparent in who it is and what is important to this team, they share a few of their playbooks, based on their years of tinkering and fine-tuning processes. Check them out here.
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