Episode 1: Creating A Culture That Sparkles with Rachel Mielke

Fast-growthEntrepreneurshipCompany Culture

May 3

Have you ever wondered what happens to those businesses you see on Dragon’s Den or Shark Tank? Well, today’s guest is one of those who has skyrocketed in growth, building a strong international reputation. Rachel Mielke, Hillberg & Berk's fearless leader is my guest today on The CultureING Podcast. Starting a jewellery empire from a prairie city in Canada of only 230k people is no small feat. From 2 commissioned pieces for Queen Elizabeth II and being featured on the red carpet at the Oscars, while becoming a staple jewellery brand for ladies all around the world. On this episode, we get the inside scoop on how Rachel built this wonderful organization, but more specifically, how she built a thriving company culture amidst the rapidly impressive growth! I’m just so impressed at Rachel’s character, helping women find their confidence and flourish, from the inside out.

Some questions Tynan asks:

• What was the moment when you realized company culture had to be top of mind?

• How do you know if people can rise to the challenge of being brave at work?

• How do deal with letting someone go?

• What does it look like for executives and leaders to invest in culture and keep a temperature check on their organizations?

• What other companies’ cultures have influenced the Hillberg & Berk culture?

In this episode, you will learn:

• How to get to the heart of people in an interview.

• What it looks like to effectively stay up-to-date on the culture of your organization.

• How to make the decision to create a centralized HQ versus having multiple locations… and how to incorporate remote workers too!

• The importance of marrying points from your employee surveys with those from 1-to-1 conversations to understand the pain points in your organization that you need to address swiftly.

• The complicated task of integrating remote workers into your culture and setting them up for success.

• How it's important to take the best practices and culture inspiration from other companies with a grain of salt and distinctly create your own unique culture.