Free Association is a boutique digital agency in Brooklyn that partners with brands to deliver world-class digital experiences. They’re human friendly and they’re in the business of delivering experiences, not things.
I sat down with Michael Piliero, Creative Director, and
posed three crucial questions about belonging.
1. Good
brands are bought, but great brands are joined. Why do you think your employees join yours?
It’s a confluence of factors. First, we’re intentionally
small, progressive and focused on human centered design. We have really low
turnover. Second, we’re are able to create great digital products that are easy
to use. I’ve had exposure to large agencies with misalignment on point of view.
And I remember the question that first disrupted my thinking: “What do you
really, really want to do?” Most people don’t have an answer to that question.
For us, it’s driven a lot of change in the organization.
2. The great workplaces of the world
have soul. What do you do to
humanize your culture?
We have very few top down processes, strict procedures or
company outings with trust falls. We keep it pretty simple. We’ve assembled an
intentionally small team of unique and talented people. We eschew the layers
and politics you see at most agencies. And we inject a lot of green tea and turmeric
juice. Instead of playing telephone with a bunch of managers, we just let the
experts directly interface with clients and run the show. That’s what clients
want, but don’t get very often.
3. Belonging
is a basic human craving. How do you
remind employees that they’ve found a home?
Natural human relationships are huge. And we let that happen
organically between owners and staff. We also put a lot of thinking into our
collective point of view and mission. That’s how we create significant positive
impact in the world. That’s how we wrangle complexity together. And while our
core clients are global corporations, we also do a lot of non-profit and
startup work too. The nature of the impact varies, but it’s always human
centered. All those factors, combined with our passion, come together to ignite
the tribe. That approach, the way it takes shape, sparks the feeling of
belonging – more than any human resources review would.
Thanks Michael!
Meet the Free Association team here.
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