“Devote yourself to an idea. Go make it happen. Struggle on it. Overcome your fears. Smile. Don’t forget, this is your dream.” -Unknown
One thing I have noticed since starting at Common Good is the meticulous approach to planning everyone employs. When a new project is undertaken a detailed plan is drawn up detailing exactly what is going to be done, when it will be done by, who will be working on what and so on. We created some calendars, printed them off large and put them on the wall in order to help us have a visual guide of the work being completed over the next few months. From this to check-ins, in which we each share what work we are completing that day/week, every step is taken to ensure that projects are planned, tracked and completed on time, every time, by the right people.
This approach to planning coupled with the small team is a powerful combination and again fits into the ethos here of open and clear communication at all times to facilitate complete collaboration between everyone.
Passion is another big factor here, these guys are passionate about what they do. All being avid readers, there is an extensive library of books lined up along the back wall, each and every one of which has been read, taken in and learnt from to further educate the team and feed into the collective wealth of knowledge. Insights and intellect are constantly being stripped from any source at any time and shared around the office ready to be utilised at the appropriate time on the appropriate project. This passion and the fact that everyone is doing what they love for a living means that work and personal life carry over into each other and become a collaboration of constant growth and knowledge progression.
Working here I have began to realise just how many things go into running a business, even a small and growing one like this, that I would never have expected. From day to day things like finding the best printing solutions and cleaners, to new planning and idea generation techniques that I have never come across before, to shipping international packages, winning new business, employee payment processes and so on, I never understood until now just how much goes into running a company like this and I am really enjoying learning about all the processes needed. To say that the business has been operating with a small team proves how a well matched, varied and skilled team of individuals who are dedicated and passionate about what they do can really create a huge impact on any industry.