Strong, positive culture is not something new at Smiley Technologies. We’ve always cared deeply about our people, and how we support them is inseparable from how we build the company. We’ve known for years, through anecdotal stories and comments, that our people all felt this. Our team has long described Smiley as a “nice” place to work. People care about one another, and even our customers noticed it. But as the company grew, especially in recent years, I began to recognize that good intentions and a naturally caring environment were no longer enough on their own.

When you’re small, as the leader, if you lead with care, the culture of caring comes through to everybody on a daily basis. But as you get bigger, the team interacts with you less and the conversations are less centralized. I realized I could no longer count on things remaining the same and staying strong without some intentional effort. So I started to wonder, how do we ensure this remains clear to the entire organization?