Kathleen Pai is Chief People Officer at N-able. She leads the global people strategy and oversees all HR business operations.
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After N-able spun off from SolarWinds MSP, I had the unique opportunity to help build a workplace culture that's focused on people and anchored by core values. One of my first actions was establishing our values as a new company: N-rich Lives, N-spire Others and N-joy the Journey. I wanted to be intentional about mapping out the defining moments of our N-ablite life cycle and defining how our values would support each step. With these values in place, we’ve been working toward our ultimate goal of creating a culture where our people can envision themselves working and growing indefinitely.
While there is always more to do, I want to share a few key ideas I’ve championed at N-able that will hopefully help you on your culture journey, too.
1. Be laser-focused on your people.
As a human resources professional, remember to make it your charter and purpose to serve your people. Sometimes that means taking 20 extra steps to do what’s best for them, which equates to doing what’s best for the business as well. Focus on finding your unique way to ensure open lines of communication across all levels and various formats. This could include anything from conducting employee engagement surveys to peer-to-peer recognition programs. Then, actively listen, understand and share feedback to take action and truly become an organization that puts your people at the center of everything you do.
2. Create a sense of belonging.
One of the most important and meaningful things you can do for your company is champion diversity, equality and belonging. Start by building Communities of Interest focused on awareness, action and community outreach. Something special happens when people from all walks of life come together to share experiences and work toward a common goal. They're free to show up as their authentic selves, and the result is a positive and uplifting work environment that leads to more trust, empowerment and engagement.
3. Prioritize learning and development.
Leverage the value of mentorship. I’ve been fortunate to have great mentors throughout my career. Building these relationships and opportunities for learning is something you can instill in your company. People should have the freedom to unlock potential and bring out the best in others, so don’t be afraid to go beyond traditional modules or classroom-setting trainings to inspire a growth mindset and a holistic learning journey.
Whether you focus on enriching career paths, providing educational opportunities or motivating high performance, be sure to connect frequently and provide consistent feedback around career development opportunities.
4. Be patient during the process.
Building a world-class culture doesn’t happen overnight. It takes careful planning and a lot of conversations with your people to ensure alignment. Everything you say and do influences the overall employee experience and reflects how the culture will take shape in the long run.
Invest the time in writing your communications in service to the people because what you say and how you say it is extremely important. When rolling out a new process or initiative, remember that it may take time for people to adapt. That's why it's crucial that your leadership team is on the same page. Then you can use consistent, uniform words and behaviors to increase awareness, acceptance and eventually advocacy.
5. Hire and retain 'Culture N-hancers.'
At N-able, we like to say we strive to hire and retain “Culture N-hancers.” To us, that means people who align with our company values and mission and will work to enhance and drive the company and culture forward. So I suggest taking the time to uncover and define for your company the kind of talent that will continually help drive your success.
Don’t forget that attracting, nurturing and retaining employees who build your culture is an ongoing responsibility. You'll need to focus on both the candidate and employee experiences—from ensuring a great value proposition like wellness benefits and volunteer days to creating a culture of recognition that celebrates people in alignment with your core values.
I hope these concepts and ideas can help you create your own world-class culture where people feel a sense of belonging and see a long-term career. By keeping candidates and employees passionately invested and engaged throughout their journey at your company, they’ll help your culture thrive. This can be your biggest differentiator as you build a promising future for your company and for the people who make it all possible.
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