Building a Cross Team Culture
At Akamai, we all contribute to our diverse, inclusive, and engaged culture. One in which we each have a voice and are empowered to have a meaningful impact on our business and its direction. It's by fostering this culture across teams that we're able to achieve the company's guiding principles. For all of us, it means putting our clients, employees and communities front and center in our daily work.
With the recent relaunch of the Brand Ambassador Program, our colleagues now have the opportunity to better understand the role we have in shaping Akamai's story. For my part, I'll be looking at ways I can empower others to participate more, to understand our brand and to share their ideas and experiences.
Our Brand Ambassadors allow us to communicate with our audience in a unique and effective way. Helping us to attract the best talent. And allowing us to progress.Programs like this are important because continuing to build a culture we can be proud of is something that takes active work. I believe that focusing on three key areas is what will help us build the kind of environment we need to succeed:
Innovation: We often think of innovation in products, but at Akamai we are allowing for innovative, creative thinking that permeates all departments and employee levels. This is an ethos that can reach way beyond our tech capabilities. It means needing to anticipate the next trends and customer needs, think strategically, disrupt the status quo and deliver results to our customers.
Inclusion: I want ALL employees, no matter their role or experience, to feel valued, respected, and engaged at Akamai. We must foster an environment in which we are able to attract diverse employees, foster diverse viewpoints and motivate all to contribute to their highest potential. The more diverse and inclusive our team is, the better prepared we'll be at facing shifts in our business.
I am excited that we are all participating in the Grow Initiative. This initiative strives to have us all think differently--to think in a growth mindset--not resigning ourselves to the status quo but rather to consider the art of the possible. We don't want to lock ourselves into what we haven't done so therefore can't do. Rather, we want to imagine what we might achieve that we just haven't done yet.
Experimentation: Fostering a culture that empowers people to make decisions and take risks is imperative. In delivering a good portion of the internet globally across our breadth of services, how can we be otherwise when our customers expect 100% reliability? So, in some areas such as tech, this is required. But in so many more instances, experimentation is a mandate to ensure that we continue to lead in our markets rather than allow our competitors to leapfrog us. Such experimentation may include process improvements, product development and technology investments, and other areas limited only by our imaginations and willingness to try them.
Everyone has an important role to play, outside of their immediate job to shape the future of life at Akamai and that is why the Brand Ambassador program exists for our employees.
Best,
Rick
