Hi There!

I hope your Tuesday is going well. Welcome back to the Ask Ash series, where I ask WatchMojo founder and CEO Ashkan Karbasfrooshan on various topics, ranging from what is going on in the news, to career advice for students and entrepreneurs.

Today, The New York Times published an article about the behind-the-scenes life of an Amazon Employee. You can find more about that article here: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-workers.html

After reading this article, I was curious about the culture at WatchMojo, and how it has changed since the pandemic began.

1) What are some ways that you have impacted the company’s culture since COVID began?

Ash’s Response:

It’s important to realize that the pandemic at once 

a) creates a huge opportunity to improve and address things you previously overlooked, 

b) presents massive risks across the entire organization (employee well-being, chain supply, security piracy)

c) allows your competitors to attack you in ways you had not foreseen and introduces brand new competitors.

In other words, you need to nurture, strengthen, innovate, adapt, or die.

Thus, I have focused on applying finesse when required, and force when needed. With regards to processes, it’s easy to break things if need be, with people, you have to be mindful that the more you ask of people, the more pressure you exert and in these times, people can break down – which is not good for anyone. So when dealing with people, you can be militant and disciplined… whereas with processes, you can be a bit more cutthroat and decisive.

More here: https://contextisking.com/2021/05/23/finesse-meets-force-the-legend-of-the-gordian-knot/

2) What are some ways that you help motivate the team?

Ash’s Response:

Not everyone needs the same things, so with some people, it’s just being there and available to listen if they have problems or suggestions, be it work related or not. It’s important to communicate and keep everyone in the loop without being over-bearing and seeming like you are being over-bearing. Sharing milestones, wins, share news of new employees and their contributions are small ways to ensure a cohesive and inclusive culture. Ultimately, it doesn’t cost you to say thank you, please and you’re welcome… but ultimately, you have to realize that it may cost more to do the same and things will take more time, so ensuring that your people have the resources they need.

Lastly, if you want to submit questions to Ash directly, you can do so by clicking the link here: https://watchmojo.com/suggest/AskMojo%20-%20WatchMojo’s%20founder%20Ash