What Is Culture?

Danielle Bauer joined MOBI in 2009 as in intern and is now Tangoe's Vice President of Global Solutions, where she indirectly leads a team of about 500 employees. Danielle and I recorded on March 20, 2020 - just one week after Bob and the rest of the executive team made the decision that all of our employees (who can fulfill their duties remotely) work from home for the remainder of March. In this episode, we talk about how COVID-19 has affected Danielle personally, as well as her team.

Ailsa Stewart works in our Abingdon, England office and is an Operations Manager for Mobile Solutions. She's been with Tangoe more than six years and is also a member of the culture committee. We recorded on March 24, 2020, and we had scheduled this interview well before the coronavirus had overtaken our lives. We both decided to record anyway, so I put my typical what is culture podcast questions aside, and we talked about how the global pandemic has affected her world, her country, her work. In many ways, this is a conversation that I think we should all be having with our colleagues right now.

This is a trying time for so many of us around the world, and it’s possible that you may find yourself feeling anxious, angry, scared, or disconnected. In the season four premiere, I bring back my friends and colleagues Sarah Curtis and Kirk Webb to offer up ways and ideas for how to take care of ourselves both mentally and physically during these challenging times, while many of us find ourselves somewhat isolated during the coronavirus outbreak. Disclaimer: We are not doctors. This episode is not a substitute for professional care or treatment from a mental health professional, and if you are experiencing severe anxiety or panic, we encourage you to reach out to your physician. Additionally, you can find online resources that accompany this episode at whatisculturepodcast.com.

This special episode is for those currently working from home, as we all embrace the new normal and do our best to stay healthy throughout the coronavirus situation. Join Tangoe’s Amy Densmore, Director of Service Excellence & Tara Rodriguez, Senior Business Analyst (both long-time remote employees), as we share six best practices on how to make the most of working from home.

The season three finale features Billy Boughey, a nationally recognized host and speaker who’s led events for Delta, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, FIFA and more. Billy’s also the Founder & President of the Atlanta-based company Elevate Experiences, a brand experience agency specializing in events and leadership. Plus—and the key reason I’ve brought him onto the show—just a few months ago, Billy released his brand-new book titled, Culture Reconstructed, a “start-where-you-are” guide to building a culture of impact, which I really enjoyed reading. In this episode, we talk about what it was like to have his baseball career cut short at the age of 24, we talk about when Billy had the chance to freestyle rap on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, we talk about why he wrote his book, and we also talk about the importance of leaders having a, “Fourth-quarter approach to life.”

If I'm going to do a podcast about workplace culture, I should probably interview an employee from HubSpot - the winner of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work in 2020 (in the category of large U.S. employers). This episode features Kelsey Balimtas, HubSpot's Customer Success Enablement Manager and someone I once worked closely with before joining Tangoe in 2018. We cover many areas in this episode: We talk about what HubSpot is doing and has done to foster a positive workplace, including some of their philosophies and internal training initiatives. We talk about the trend of unlimited PTO (paid time off); we even cover Kelsey’s African safari trip. In addition, Kelsey shares an interesting story of when she had to diffuse a situation with an angry customer (and I swear it wasn’t me). A lot to learn here.

Sarah Argenal, MA, CPC is a speaker, writer, and facilitator on a mission to eradicate the burnout epidemic that’s crushing working professionals, specifically working parents. Being overwhelmed by your responsibilities at work is not uncommon, and the topic has come up more than once on this podcast. Still, as Sarah and I cover in this episode, there’s a difference between being super-busy and being burnt out. In our frank yet thoughtful conversation, Sarah discusses what a burnout culture is, some societal contributions to it, how to identify it, and what employees and organizations can do to help defeat it.

Tanner Steel is the Director of Client Experience at Lessonly, a cloud-based learning management system (LMS), and one of Tangoe’s vendors. Interestingly enough, Tanner is also a former MOBI employee (2013-2017) and a follower of the podcast. In this candid episode, Tanner and I discuss fatherhood, his passion for culture, his experience at MOBI, and why he ultimately left the organization to join Lessonly.

On January 7, 2020, Bob invited me to Tangoe's Leadership Kickoff Meeting at the Hilton Parsippany in New Jersey, where nearly 40 leaders were in attendance, representing every department. The goal of the meeting was to launch the new year with a clear, collective direction, ensuring that all leaders and all departments were aligned with Tangoe’s 2020 objectives. In this episode, eight members of Tangoe's leadership team answer three simple questions: (1) What is one word to describe an element of our culture you would keep? (2) What is one word to describe an element of our culture you would add? (3) What is one word to describe an element of our culture we could, perhaps, do without?

This episode is a compilation of the last ten interviews, which were aired from October 2019 to January 2020. Compilations are great because it’s way for you to get the essence of the last ten guests by listening to one short episode. Plus, these shows are perfect for new listeners. So if you are enjoying the show and want to share it with someone – this a great one to send their way.

Mike “C-Roc” Ciorrocco is an entrepreneur, motivational speaker, mortgage & real estate expert, and host of the new podcast, "What Are You Made Of?" In this episode, you’ll learn how Mike and his three best friends focused on culture to help build one of the most profitable divisions within their organization, Nations Lending. You’ll also hear the four focus areas Mike used and continues to use in order to help develop, nurture, and maintain a healthy and productive culture. Plus, you'll hear about the power of storytelling, including a pivotal moment in Mike's childhood that helped spark his new podcast and the entire 'what are you made of' movement.

If you’re familiar with this podcast, then you know that most of the guests have been employees of Tangoe, the global Enterprise Technology Management company that I work for. But looking ahead, I will feature guests from several other organizations, professions, and industries, all with their own unique perspectives and contributions. This week, I’m happy to share my conversation with Nicole Jansen, keynote speaker, founder of Discover the Edge, host of the podcast Leaders of Transformation, and co-author of the book, "Power Up, Super Women." Although Nicole and I cover many topics in our conversation, the importance of vulnerability and the positive impact it can have on culture, both inside and outside of work, stuck out the most to me, hence the title of this episode.

In this special episode, the tables get turned on the host, Rocco Lungariello, as he gets interviewed by Tangoe's Mike Iong, a past guest on the podcast (featured in S3-E4). Learn about how Rocco is handling the complexities of fatherhood, hear about his past corporate experiences, as well as how he uses his background in poetry and creative writing to help him produce this podcast. This is part one of the interview; part two will be released at a later date.

Brett Bonner, Tangoe's Director of Product Ops, talks about the culture shock that he experienced as Tangoe merged with Asentinel back in 2017. We talk about the journey and the progression of his career, including a management approach that has helped him lead a team of highly-engaged individuals. Very candidly, we also talk about the strides Tangoe has made in the last year in terms of culture, while recounting the past, as a reference point, to highlight how far we’ve progressed. Additionally, Brett and I discuss Tangoe Learn, a new website that will deliver interactive and on-demand training content to our Tangoe users. We talk about how when it rolls out in January 2020, it’s expected to be a “game changer” for our customers and for our industry. There’s a lot to learn here.

What’s interesting about Audra is that she’s the first employee I interviewed from our Indianapolis, Indiana office, who isn’t a former Mobian. She joined the company in April 2019, four months after the acquisition of MOBI, and has always been a Tangoeroo… I found that very interesting, especially with regards to her perception of our culture. As a Product Marketing Manager, Audra says she’s passionate about helping Tangoe tell its story, while also providing the tools and the content that can allow our sales team to be successful in their role. You’ll also hear her discuss some of the key differences between traditional marketing and product marketing.

Kirk Webb, Tangoe’s Solutions Architect Director, helps our internal teams solve problems with technology, specifically by leveraging business applications. Currently, Kirk and his team is working on implementing a customer billing automation solution that can be fastened to our finance tool, NetSuite. We cover a lot in this episode: We talk about his new puppy, Ozzie. We talk about the Tangoe of the past, we talk about the Asentinel merger, we talk about the MOBI acquisition, we talk about our culture committees, and we talk about how Kirk, a once self-described skeptic, is now happily engaging in Tangoe’s office activities.

Katie Nehrenz, Tangoe's Director of Operational Enablement, who works from our Indianapolis office, discusses the Learning Management System, Lessonly, and the reasons why it's such a valuable internal resource. We also cover parenthood, including the challenges that come with raising a four-year-old son; and of course, we talk about the culture in the Indianapolis office, including how Katie feels we have and are handling the Tangoe/MOBI integration. Katie joined MOBI in 2013, and began as an Account Specialist, and has since served as a Service Delivery Manager and a Client Services Manager before advancing to her current position.

This week, the spotlight falls upon Mike Iong (pronounced Young), Tangoe’s Director of the Corporate Program Management Office. We cover many topics & areas in this episode, including Mike’s love for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, his relationship with his family, an incredible story of how he met his wife, the influence of his Chinese ancestry, his direct involvement with the Tangoe-MOBI integration team, as well as the current culture and vibe inside of Tangoe’s Parsippany, New Jersey office. Also, there’s an interesting twist at the end of the episode, where Mike pulls a switcheroo, and he becomes the interviewer, and Rocco becomes the interviewee.

This week we head to Australia for a compelling conversation with Deb Hughes, Tangoe’s Regional Vice President/Director of Service Delivery for the APAC region. Deb is very knowledgeable about the Technology Expense Management industry and is also a wise and insightful person with a unique and interesting tale of her journey with Tangoe. In this episode, you'll also learn that Deb is a world traveler, a huge Star Wars and ABBA fan, and somewhat of a celebrity, having appeared on three television quiz shows this year, including The Chase.

This week, we travel to Bangalore, India, which is roughly 8,000 miles (or about 13,000 kilometers) from New York City, for an honest and inspiring conversation with Aarti Sharma, a Service Delivery Manager, who works from Tangoe’s Bangalore office. We cover many topics, including the struggles that come with working a night shift, the culture of the Bangalore office, and even her role as a Zumba instructor. Aarti also highlights and reminds us that as a Service Delivery Manager, part of her role, or actually part of her purpose, is to help protect Tangoe’s identity.  A profound and courageous statement.