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While this year's Super Bowl ads are leaning toward thecuteness factor, the game is all about the competition. Fromsports talk radio to trash talking reporters, winning predictions, potential stars and placing betsdrive our obsession with the game. Scores, statistics, pre-game tape reviews: teams st

I am a (older) milliennial. So that means I’m adaptable, enthusiastic, entrepreneurial, a multitasker...as well as lazy, entitled, and a job hopper. I’d say some of those traits ring true to me personally. I also know some Gen Xers and Baby Boomers who have some of these tendencies too. A recent stu

Bosses get a bad rap. Let's face it, they're in tough spots - managing upwards, downwards, sideways, crossways. Needless to say, they juggle a lot. We’ve all had experiences with both bad and good bosses - those who could care less what you did on the weekend, and those who go the extra mile to advo

Many people will insist that the most important part of having a corporate recruiting team is to have a clearly defined structure, utilize metrics to drive business decisions, and to gather as much buy-in as possible throughout the organization to move initiatives forward. Most of that is absolutely

A recent Wall Street Journal blog post talked about the fight for talent at startups. The blogger, Neil Blumenthal (Co-Founder and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Warby Parker), said, “The first step toward finding the right people is to have a deep understanding of your company’s identity.” This coul

When talking to a new client, the conversation often begins with tools. "We need to better reach candidates--what tool should we use?" or "We want to strengthen our performance review process, what system should we buy?" We tend to gravitate towards execution first. After all, technology has capture

Harry Houdini. Henry Ford. John Wayne. Winston Churchill. My grandpa. What's the common bond? They were all Freemasons. From fraternities and Freemasons to the Girl Scouts or Rotary, membership really does have its privileges: belonging. We join groups, teams, clubs and even companies to feel a part

While I do adore online shopping and its convenience, I don’t think I could give up an afternoon of walking into physical retail shops – feeling the clothes, smelling the perfumes, or testing out make-up – it’s part of the experience that stimulates the senses. Part of what makes me enter into some

We've hit a new business journalism trend: when Zappos implements something new, we consider it Gospel. Reporters go wild. And suddenly there's a hot new business trend.  Such is the case with holacracy, a management technique that removes hierarchy from organizational structure to strengthen commun

Another year, a fresh perspective, a renewed chance to think about the role people play in your organization. If you're thinking about rebooting your culture in 2014, stop and pay attention to the pieces we've found this week to help jumpstart that process. Remember, culture isn't just a list of val

It’s that time of year where you reflect on what worked and what didn’t in the previous year, and you begin to think about what’s ahead of you in this next year. This is the perfect time for feedback, formally or informally. Or is it? Is there a reason we look at a new year as a clean slate? I do

Let’s face it, culture’s hot right now. From Zappos and Netflix to Hubspot and Google, founders are eager to create their own manifestos and espouse a cool culture. I’m constantly reminding clients that it takes more than a list of values to create a culture. The values have to become part of the ev

We got caught up in the holiday season last week too. But it's not too late to think about sending that last great thank you message and/or message of thanks.  So for our last weekly update of the year, we're reminding you to say thanks and check in on your employees end of year. A "how are you?" or

A few weeks ago, we talked about a better way to quit your job when you just can’t handle it, rather than making a scene or spectacle. Spectacles aside, what if the reason you leave isn’t necessarily because you can’t stand your current job? As I dig into my first few weeks at exaqueo, I can’t help

There’s nothing worse than a busy season to test the mettle of a startup. Excessive orders, customer service wrinkles, products out of stock, you name it. And when something goes wrong the problem usually lies with…you guessed it, the people. When we help clients build cultures, we talk about the im

With the end of the year approaching, you're thinking about wrapping things up or budgets for next year. What if instead, you started thinking innovation? If you've struggled this year making a name for your company in the talent market, it's time to determine what you can do differently next year t

We talk culture all day long, but there's a beginning, a place it all started. And you might be in the place. Considering the role culture plays or even trying to convince your founder or leadership team it matters. This week we've compiled some varying insights on ways to learn about culture and ge

When we started exaqueo at the end of 2011, the goal was to rethink the way we value employees. When companies wait until they get too big to create a culture and hire to that culture, disengagement ensues. We're passionate about helping startup and high-growth companies and pleased to grow our team

When it comes to "employer brand," most people either don't know the term or completely misunderstand it. Employer brand is not social recruiting or posting jobs online. And it's not slapping the consumer brand on a careers site and calling it a day.  It's what the employment experience is known for

I saw another post today touting the great culture of a company and showcasing the office space. That's great, but a cool office does not make a culture alone. A culture is a set of values and norms that define the behavior of an organization. Sure. perks and cool chairs can be an extension of that,

This week is all about gratitude for sure. Thanksgiving isn’t just a food-coma-inducing holiday. It’s a chance to think carefully about what you’re thankful for and to share that thanks. Being grateful isn’t as easy as sounds. Especially when it comes to thanking employees. Team members receive and

During my first human resources job for Arthur Andersen, I was introduced to the beauty of self-awareness. Even in the early 1990s the firm was HR-progressive, introducing a mandatory 360-degree feedback program. Back then, upward feedback was thrilling. A chance to honestly share what my boss coul

As companies scale, culture and growth go hand-in-hand. This means founders and leaders have to be more and more creative about how to ensure they continue to sustain culture so it doesn't get lost in the forest of growth. This week we share multiple examples of ways you can think about scaling the

At exaqueo, we’ve always believed that the earlier you define your culture, promote that culture –the good and the bad – and hire to it, the more effective the role talent can play in your growth. Today we’re continuing our series on companies not only passionate about culture but making the effor