July 14, 2016

For anyone who’s ever tried to hire for senior talent in Vancouver, in nearly any creative or technical trade, you’ll know competition is tough. So Esther, our senior account executive, took to LinkedIn to tell the world what she valued about her fellow Yuluites. It’s not so much about being exceptional at all these things at once, but that these are qualities we value and practice every day in our work.

Company vision matters, but above that, the people you work with are the most inspiring mission, so we wanted to tell you a bit about the team culture at Yulu. These aren’t on the job description, but here’s four things that are important to us, and in turn, of any senior account manager or leadership position we hire for. Through that, you’ll learn about our approach to work and how we might support or complement your strengths.

1) An intellectual tour de force

I’m on Team BIT – that’s business, impact and technology, after the types of clients we work with. We keep abreast of major grassroots movements, new acts and bills, global financial events and who closed a Series A. Piecing the news together across sectors is what helped us issues hijack North Carolina’s “bathroom bill” with B Corps, for instance.

If you have a head for both the cultural industries and the complex web that is the world’s means of production, you’ll be intellectually challenged here every day, while also feeling like the work you’re doing is meaningful and something to write home about. Social innovation, social impact, social change: we’re a team of storytellers who all happen to be passionate about these areas.

2) Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence and empathy are completely underrated as leadership skill sets, and it’s what keeps a company culture healthy. Both our directors, Clare and Melissa, possess this in spades. Melissa’s one principle: start with why. If you want something done, give people a reason to do it. Simple as that.

Clare’s principle: say it in a positive way. Not to be confused with sugarcoating, this means taking a “Yes, if…” attitude, rather than a “No, because…” attitude. Example: With a full plate, you’ve just been given one more task. Rather than saying, “No, because I’m busy” say, “Yes, I can, if we can first re-prioritize.” This helps people work with you, not put them against you. It doesn’t come naturally to most, but I mindfully practice this every single day.

We also have a “no-swamping” policy. From the printer running out of ink to a difficult time with a client, we just get past it in the most effective way, whether that’s simply providing a listening ear or sitting to map out solutions.

3) A collective mindset

Yulu is a “we” agency. Keeping this ship afloat is a team effort. Successes are shared, and shortcomings are collectively addressed.

Learning to see the root cause of a mistake without shifting blame (or over-accepting responsibility for it) is the most productive way to move on to the next task better than before. I learned it here first, and has absolutely done wonders for my other interpersonal relationships.

What I’m saying is, working at Yulu has made me a better person. Really.

4) Big dreams

Big dreams shape our future and the clients we work with. Some reading this might have been working in-house at one company and are looking for a breath of fresh air. Others might simply want to join an agency with international leadership and an eye to US and the rest of the world.

Our agency’s collective goal is to put a name to our practice of telling stories and spreading information for positive impact. In the next year, we’ll be building out this name “Impact Relations” along with its best practices and case studies to share with other creative and communications agencies.

There’s always room at the Yulu table for more dreams, though. We’d love to hear yours! I know it’s unconventional to hear from someone you’d be managing as a first touchpoint to a company you’d consider working for. But that might tell you a little about how we do things around here. Whatever it takes to get the job done, and a place that values voices.

Interested?

Cover letters or CVs go to Jenna via grow@yulupr.com. To get in touch with me personally, drop me a note at esther@yulupr.com.