We met (virtually!) with our CEO, Al Leung, to discuss his thoughts on Employee Ownership at Technomics. We discussed what kind of employee is effective in an Employee Owned company and how Employee Ownership has contributed to the success of Technomics.
WHAT KIND OF EMPLOYEE THRIVES IN AN EMPLOYEE OWNED COMPANY?
Someone who is capable of thinking and acting like an owner.
WHAT SPECIFIC EMPLOYEE OWNER QUALITIES DO YOU LOOK FOR WHEN MAKING A NEW HIRE?
When Al does an interview, he tends to look for 4 traits.
1. “Hard” Skills
Does this person have the analytical, technical and quantitative skills to be successful at Technomics? Since almost all of our work is analytical in nature, this is critically important.
2. “Soft” Skills
Is this person capable of interacting and communicating effectively with our clients and their colleagues?
These “hard” and “soft skills” are standard requirements, but at a company that is 100% employee owned and one that prides itself for holding itself and its Employee Owners accountable to an exceptionally high standard, our new hires need to demonstrate that they will be able to think and act like an owner. Al values people who have ambition and patience in their repertoire.
3. Ambition
Does this person have ambition? Are they capable of thinking long term like an Employee Owner would? Can they solve complex problems for our clients and not just meet, but also exceed expectations? Can they act like an Employee Owner and never settle for just “good enough”? Will they be innovative, creative, step out of their comfort zone, and put in the requisite time and effort?
4. Patience
Can this person exercise patience? Al acknowledges that while he is probably more ambitious, forward leaning, and perhaps more aggressive than most other executives, he still fully understands that some things take time.
Will this person get bored after working on a project for 6 or 9 months? Or can they realize the untapped potential and make the most out of every opportunity for the sake of personal growth and delivering greater impact to the client?
HOW HAS EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP CONTRIBUTED TO THE SUCCESS OF TECHNOMICS, ESPECIALLY IN THE COVID ERA WHEN EMPLOYEES ARE WORKING REMOTELY?
Employee Ownership has made Technomics successful because we feel a greater sense of ownership over our products, clients, and the performance of our company. Even during COVID, which has had many of us working from home and away from our colleagues since March, Employee Ownership has kept us focused on the greater good of the clients and Technomics.
In our current mode of operation, we have utilized tools like Webex and have established “COVID Connections,” a virtual forum, as ways to continue to work together and maintain our relationships with one another. As another example of how we deal with challenges, this holiday season will unfortunately be the first since 2000 when we will not have our usual grand holiday party with our Employee Owners and their significant others. But Al promises a nice surprise!
Al says he is grateful that our Employee Owners are able to work well remotely and that Technomics is able to continue to hire new talent. It’s too early to tell how COVID will impact the company in the long term, but for now our Employee Owners are continuing to work smart and deliver value to their clients, colleagues, and company.
