grasshopper culture Archive

Management Tips from the Pros: AMA Recap

AMA

One of the great things about working at Grasshopper is that each member of the team is given the tools needed to be successful and to advance their skillset. In our main office we have a library (check out some of our book reviews), hold Grasshopper University (team members teach the company something they know a lot about) and employees can attend various seminars & trainings related to their field…on the company dime. We are encouraged to become better!

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a 2-day management training seminar put on by the American Management Association. Taught by Adam Vane, a leader in leadership and conflict resolution, I received some solid advice and real world tips on working with members of your team and becoming a better manager.

Overall, there were a two main things that stuck out in my head and they both revolved around communication:

Listen Listen Listen

We all “hear” what people are saying but we don’t always “listen”. As a manager you need to listen to what your employees are telling you. This is especially true if you are a small business or startup…your employees are your insight into what’s happening both inside and outside the company. You need to listen. Here are a few ways you can listen to what your team members are saying:

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Friday Flix: Grasshopper Rocks Guitar Hero

Sometimes you just need to step away from what you are doing and have some fun. You have seen us play basketball, soccer and eat (quite a few times). Now check out COO Don Schiavone and fan favorite Andy DeFilippis as they rock Guitar Hero.

Friday Flix: Grasshopper Takes the Court

Here at Grasshopper we spend our days making sure we are creating the best products for entrepreneurs and giving our customers the best service. How do we spend our evenings?

One night a week, members of the Grasshopper team participate in local coed leagues for basketball and soccer (softball come spring/summertime). While we haven’t had much success in the winning category, we have a good time and get some exercise.

Company sports are a great way to help your team members let off some steam at the end of the day and build friendships with other employees.

Check out some action from the basketball game last night:

Friday Flix: Andy Heads Into the Ocean…in January

At the recent quarterly planning meeting in Florida, Andy (who regular Friday Flix viewers are surely familiar with) decided to take a dip in the ocean…after some encouragement from co-founder David Hauser of course. A dip in frigid water is sure to get the mind going…it’s where the best planning is done. Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Friday Flix: Simpler, Smarter, Faster, Stronger

Daft-Punk + Grasshopper.com = Simpler, Smarter, Faster, Stronger

This past week we had our Q1 Meeting where executives unveiled the 2010 Grasshopper motto. Here in the office we were fortunate enough to see the dance that goes along with the song but I’m not sure that is allowed out yet. In the meantime, check out the Simpler, Smarter, Faster, Stronger video that played in the background:

Friday Flix: Failure to Success

As most of you know, our core purpose here at Grasshopper is to “Empower Entrepreneurs to Succeed.” We do this through our virtual phone system, through our blog, through conversations with our customers and through our employees.

The “Entrepreneurs Can Change the World” video has been a huge success with over 300,000 views and the feedback from entrepreneurs has been phenomenal. While new ideas are in the works from Grasshopper, we thought we would show you an inspirational video from Blue Fish TV, “Failure to Success”. Sometimes you have to fail before you can succeed. Enjoy and Happy Friday!

Friday Flix: Meet Grasshopper Customer Support

With the Rackspace 2009 FANATI® Award for Outstanding Customer Service happening, this week we have a great video from our support team on what “customer service” really means to us here at Grasshopper. Meet members of the team, see what motivates them and learn more about Grasshopper customer support.

Friday Flix: Happy Anniversary Darren & Jane

A Special Grasshopper Anniversary

One of the things that makes Grasshopper a great company is the team.  This past month two of our team members, Darren Rosebrugh and Jane He, celebrated FIVE years of working at Grasshopper!

How do we celebrate this type of occasion?  With a presentation from Siamak & David and a Grasshopper cake!

Pay for Performance: That’s How We Roll!

As an HR Coordinator, one of the reasons I left my old company to join Grasshopper was the whisper of quarterly performance reviews and incentive rewards each quarter. After having two reviews in 4.5 years and a bonus that worked like clockwork each and every quarter, I was excited to gain the type of feedback that could actually provide real time changes in how I performed. Imagine actually being rewarded for having a better performance. Talk about a shift in philosophy!

We are just now wrapping up our first year of quarterly reviews and as I started looking at the numbers, for the first time in my HR career, I can actually see growth and who stands out in each department. Believe me– it is rare that HR people can say that!

But that isn’t the only benefit for me in HR. A company as young as we are (team members’ ages not age of the company- but we are just five years old as a company) and founded by Gen Y’ers, we have found a way to ensure that the pay for performance model not only encourages all of our staff but also fits with many of our team members desires as Gen Y’ers.

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Grasshopper Goes to Zappos

jk at zappos

About five weeks ago my outlook on business changed forever.  I decided (reluctantly) to share the following picture with you for a reason.  Although I was not even close to the first person to take a picture in this chair (as you can see the walls are lined with them) and certainly not the last, I think it demonstrates an important point:

At Zappos, regardless of if you are a guest, manager, or CSR (Customer Service Rep.) they make you feel like royalty.

The first week of September two of my colleagues and I flew down to Las Vegas to experience the “Zappos Tour” and “WOW Experience” firsthand.  For those of you not familiar with what this is, Zappos will pick you up from your hotel and take you on an extravagant tour of their very big and very fun Head Quarters.

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