How to run a winning 21st-century business

sakil01190

Did you know that during the COVID-19 crisis, we spent an average of 13 of our 17 waking hours staring at our screens (EHC)? Seriously. It makes sense if you think about it. Between working on a laptop, doing video calls, or watching Netflix (we all watched Tiger King, and wish we hadn’t...), the hours add up. That’s why my personal mission for 2021 is to be more present in the real world. To live life less through a screen, meet people, shake their hand (or bump their elbow), and have a beer with a human rather than a virtual presence.

But is this the future? Will we continue to live life Special Data through a screen? I’ve repeatedly been asked if I think this is the future of work. Are we going fully remote? Will we really never meet our colleagues, customers, suppliers, and partners in person? The simple answer here is no. The fundamental reason for that being that humans are social creatures. We always have been, and we always will be. That’s not an opinion. It’s basic psychology and 4.2 billion years of evolution.

So, what will the future of work be like? What characteristics will define a post-COVID, 21st-century company? Here are my two cents.



The bottom line: company culture
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The bottom line of what will define the “21st-century organization” comes down to company culture. Having a strong company identity bolstered by culture will form the foundation of everything we build. So, how are we implementing that at TravelPerk?

We like to operate on what we call the Founders Mentality. That means that each and every one of our people has ownership over their work. That’s it. We built our Founders Mentality on 4 core principles that we live by every day:

Focus on impact over effort

Before we start a task, we ask ourselves “does the thing I’m about to do really make an impact? For whom?” If something doesn’t add value to our strategy or customers, then why do it? It’s way more fun to work this way. Being told what to do every single day and having someone look over your shoulder all the time sucks. It’s a two-way street though —employees need to step up to the plate, but companies need to allow them to do so.
Leave status and politics out of it

A founder is driven by teamwork and motivation. If your palms aren’t sweating with rage when office politics rear their ugly heads, you’re doing something wrong. Leave that sh** outside. Don’t waste time and energy on politics, find motivation in doing something you believe in and do it as a team. Don’t accept politics. Don’t participate in it.
Don’t be afraid to experiment

Learn what your customers want and need on a daily basis. Sure, it’s great to have a plan —but NOT where it conditions you and makes you averse to change. Founders don’t work like that. They solve pain-points. They recognize that those pain-points may look one way today, and another way tomorrow. Think in small increments and remove the heaviness. Take risks. Experiment. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Move on.
Put purpose at the heart of work

This is really up to each individual. We should all do something we find purposeful, and find a place where we feel like we’re contributing. And companies, listen up—let your people find their purpose, and search for it inside your company. People—there’s no shame in searching. It’s a noble and honorable quest. A happy and balanced life requires quality human connections and purposeful work.

Company culture is also there to give people a sense of belonging. And I’m not talking about that whole “we’re a family” thing. You’re not a family. Your family is your family, and your team is your team. That being said, your people need to feel like they’re part of that team. How do you do that? It’s really not hard. Respect them for who they are—regardless of where they’re from, what language they speak, what they believe, who they’re attracted to, or who they’re voting for. Appreciate and applaud their differences, and then - crucially - give them something in common. Create traditions or rituals, focus on the common points and leave the outside world with its ugly politics and divisions far away. Culture must feel unique, and so your team must share something deep almost intuitively.