Family is not a good metaphor for a high talent density workforce, we want employees to feel committed, inter-connected and part of a greater whole but we don't want people to see their jobs as a lifetime arrangement. A job should be something you do for that magical period of time when you are the best person for that job, and that job is the best position for you. Once you stop learning or stop excelling, that's the moment for you to pass that spot onto someone better fitted for it and to move on to a better role for you.
We are not a group of individuals looking out for ourselves.
We think of numi as a professional sports team, whilst this metaphor of team for the company doesn't sound profound, and the metaphor of family is tired and overused, we work as a pro sports team in many ways.
Like a pro sports team, our players have great relationships, we are really close, we support one another, we celebrate together, console one another and know each others' plays so well that we can move as one without speaking. But we are not a family.
The coach swaps and trades players in and out throughout the year in order to make sure they always have the best players in every position.
At numi we want each Manager to run each department like the best professional team, working to create strong feelings of commitment, cohesion and comradery, while continually making tough decisions to ensure the best player is manning each post. A professional sports team is a good metaphor for high talent density because athletes on professional teams demand excellence, counting on the Manager to make sure every position is filled by the best person at any given time, trained to win, expecting to receive candid and continuous feedback about how to up their game from the coach and from one another. 'No effort' isn't enough, recognising that if they put in a B performance despite an A for the effort they will be thanked and respectfully swapped out for another player.
On a high performing team, collaboration and trust work well because all the members are exceptionally skilled, both at what they do and at working well with others. For an individual to be deemed excellent, she can't just be amazing at the game, she has to be selfless and put the team before her own ego, she has to know when to pass the ball, how to help her teammates thrive, and recognise that the only way to win is for the team to win together.
This is exactly the type of culture we are going for at numi, this is why we say at numi, we are a team, not a family.
If we are going to be a championship team, then we want the best performer possible in every position. The old notion is that an employer has to do something wrong or be inadequate to lose their job. But in a pro or Olympic sports team, the players understand the coaches role is to upgrade if necessary to move from good to great. Team members are playing to stay on the team every game, for people who value job security over winning championships, numi is not the right choice and we try to be clear and non-judgemental about that. But for those who value being on winning teams, our culture provides a great opportunity, like any team successfully competing at the highest level, we form deep relationships and care about each other.