Workplace Culture Matters More Than Talent: Here’s What That Looks Like at BrandCraft

Whenever I’m out and about at different networking functions, or even just grabbing a cold one at a local bar, and I’m talking about what I do for a living, inevitably I’m asked “What would someone need to do in order to work at BrandCraft”. It comes down to workplace culture.  

Let me fill you in on a little secret, and I know that a lot of the “marketing people ” in the audience won’t like it, but what we do isn’t that hard. Obviously, there are different skill levels and people have worked very hard to become good at their craft, which I would never disparage, but at the same time, as our CEO loves to quote, “We’re not building bridges or curing cancer here”.  

At the end of the day as marketers what we do is important for the businesses that we serve, but at the same time, I firmly believe that we can teach anyone how to be a marketer. We are in the matchmaking business, matching up those with needs to the businesses that we are marketing on behalf of. At the end of the day, anyone can learn the mechanisms to drive a successful marketing campaign.  

Taking this into consideration when we have an open position at BrandCraft we obviously look for people who have been exposed to the marketing world and can jump in and help our clients as soon as possible. However, when deciding on someone to join our team their marketing experience is actually number 3 or 4 on the list of importance. Below you’ll discover what we do prioritize.  

The two things we prioritize over marketing skills that impacts our workplace culture

In almost every interview I’ve done over the last 2 years at BrandCraft I’ve said the same thing. I can teach anyone to be a marketer, but the two things that I can’t teach and what will 100% keep a candidate from joining our team are: 

• We can’t teach someone not to be lazy. 

• We can’t teach someone not to be an asshole.  

That’s it. Those are the two things that will immediately make a person unsuccessful at BrandCraft and add positively to our workplace culture. Let me explain a little more.  

Being lazy is just too much work 

I know that I said earlier in the post that what we do isn’t “rocket science” and that what we do isn’t that hard. I stand by that, however, at the same time, it can still be a lot of work. Anyone who has ever worked in a customer service or customer-facing type of role can understand how completely draining it can be to work with people all day. There have been more than one occasion where I have found myself sitting completely silent after work and firmly believing that if I have to have one more conversation I’m going to burst out in tears.  

Dealing with the consistent demands of clients can be one of the most difficult aspects of our jobs. At BrandCraft we emphasize that we are all a team and that means that we all take on the responsibility of dealing with those demands to drive the best outcome for both the client and our team. To do this, everyone on the team has to take accountability for the work that needs to be done. If everyone isn’t giving it their all then at the end of the day someone else has to pick up that slack. We’ve all been part of those group projects at one time or another where someone doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain.  

You could be one of the greatest tactical marketers in the world, but we live by our values. Accountability and Driving Results are two of our values at BrandCraft and to truly demonstrate that we live by those values, people who aren’t willing to hold up their commitment to the team through their work ethic will never last long at BrandCraft. We respect our team and the commitment to our clients too much to ever put them in a situation where they must carry another person’s water due to lack of effort.  

At the end of the day just don’t be an asshole 

We’ve all been in this situation before, where we have someone at work that honestly is just a jerk to everyone for no apparent reason. Whether it’s arrogance, insecurity, or some combination of the two they just seem to rub everyone the wrong way. It not only impacts that person’s ability to get their work done but at the same time influences everyone that they come in contact with.  

Let me say this a little louder for the people in the back, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE AN ASS TO BE GOOD AT YOUR JOB! Most of us who work at an agency will likely agree that we spend more time with people at our jobs than we do with our own family at times. The time commitment is difficult enough, but having to make that commitment and also deal with someone who’s a jerk at work is a commitment that can drive even the most committed employee to find somewhere else to spend their time.  

Now I’m not completely out of touch with reality. Do I expect everyone on our team to be the best of friends? No. Are there times when as humans we don’t handle situations to the best of our ability? Of course. But at the end of the day, those times should be the exception and not the rule.  

Foster a successful workplace culture 

I love our team at BrandCraft! I’ve been in many marketing rooms and dealt with all types of marketers and can honestly say that the group we have here is my favorite group of people I’ve worked with. This didn’t happen overnight. It took time and effort from everyone involved to create a culture of trust, respect, and accountability. The last thing that I’m willing to do is take a chance of impacting our workplace culture negatively by bringing in someone of questionable attitude regardless of their marketing acumen.  

So there you have it. Want to be a successful member of our team (or any team I would wager) it comes down to two things. Don’t be lazy and don’t be an asshole. Not saying those two things will automatically make you the greatest marketer in the world, but they should at least give you the foundation to be a contributing member of any team you join and set you up to be in the best place for success.  

If you have what it takes to join the BrandCraft team, check out our careers page for open job positions.