“I will only hire someone to work directly for me if I would work for that person." – Mark Zuckerberg
Merkle Employees,
Most of you joined Merkle because, after exhaustive deliberation, a caucus of your then-future colleagues invited you, and, after cautious consideration, you accepted their invitation. And it wasn't just because they were impressed with your credentials or because the job description sounded interesting to you. A very important part of the decision was everyone's answer to another, more simple question, "Will I enjoy working with this person on a daily basis?" If you're reading this, it means you all answered "Yes." This is not an insignificant detail, as most of us spend more time with one another than we do with our own families and friends.
For 25 years, one of Merkle's cultural mainstays has been a set of values and attributes that we all share. They do not change, even with the vast changes in the marketplace and in our company. They are what makes Merkle a great place to work. But our culture is not for everyone (which is one of the reasons for our intensive hiring process). And even if you joined the company through acquisition, your cultural fit remains an important part of the evaluation process. As we grow and change, sometimes it can be easy to lose sight of it, push it to the back of our minds, and even misplace that small-company mentality that keeps us nimble and connected. Take a fresh look: are you living the Merkle culture?
This week, Mark Zuckerberg spoke at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. A particular quote from the talk caught my eye, and it sparked an interesting perspective on the way we think about surrounding ourselves with people we like. When considering a candidate, maybe we also need to put some thought into whether we ourselves would work for that person.
You can read more about Zuckerberg's talk in Time and The Telegraph.
