Philip Black’s Post

I love surprises. Last week, I was in Dublin with our ever-growing Brightbeam team to celebrate Christmas and the end of our first year. Unfortunately, not everyone was able to make it. We now have people in the US, Canada, Germany, Romania, Dubai, and the UK, as well as the core team in Ireland. It wasn't possible to get everyone together this year. We were determined to celebrate with those who could make it. Paul and I wanted to meet for a quick catch-up before the festivities. We hadn't been in the same room for a few weeks. We went to the restaurant in our hotel to find a quiet spot to chat. We noticed two people to our right looking at us as we walked through the doors. It made us look at them, and that's when the surprise hit us. Do you know when you see someone you're not expecting to see? They are not where you thought they were. One of the people was Paul's old colleague, Sinead (in the photo), and friend to all who had recently joined Brightbeam. She was laughing hard at our faces because we looked so puzzled. The other was such a surprise to us… it was Marli! I hadn't seen Marli for six years. We worked together for a decade before, and she recently joined the Brightbeam team, but she told us she couldn't travel. She is based in Romania and has just moved her family to the city, so it wasn't convenient to travel. Sinead and Marli had cooked up a surprise for us all. Even though we see her daily, Paul had never met Marli in person. We are so used to doing everything online that it's never been a problem in building strong relationships., But there's something special about being in the same room. We were both in shock!  About an hour later, Brian showed up. His face was priceless, and we now knew why Sinead laughed so hard. Being together was the highlight of the celebration. Services businesses are full of people, and it's super important to think about the experience of working with colleagues. Hybrid and remote companies need to think hard about the culture and how to support a sense of belonging. Belonging is created by the many small signals that tell people they are safe, valuable, and have a part to play in the future. This is one of Marli's superpowers. She is often the first person people meet when joining Brightbeam and usually becomes a friend from the very first moment. She does lots of small things to let people know they're part of a supportive team. I know many people reading this post will have fond memories of Marli. She leaves such an indelible, positive mark on every person she interacts with. She goes out of her way to be helpful… to everyone. Company culture can be soured by bad apples, but it can also be sweetened by the good ones that bring warmth and kindness to every relationship. And Marli is definitely one of the good ones.