From Competition to Almost Familial

It is difficult for me to describe how the culture at HORNE has affected me without first giving you some historical context about me. I was born in New Delhi, India. I spent eight years working my way up to manager at a Fortune 500 company but then gave up my career in order to marry my husband, who lived in Houston. After we were married I got my first job in America and I have to admit it was not what I was expecting.

My supervisor was rude and demeaning, and the environment surpassed competitive—it was practically combative. In fact, my husband often told me that my work sounded worse than his deployment to Iraq. He frequently asked me to find another job, but I wouldn't. I was going to succeed despite my supervisor and my cold coworkers. I practically refused to leave until my pregnancy forced me to take some time off. After a month or two removed from that environment, I hesitantly agreed that after our son was born I would work someplace else.

In stark contrast to that company, the culture at HORNE has been almost familial. Since my first day at the firm, I have felt as if I am part of a group that prioritizes growth, support, respect and productivity. Although these concepts are hard to write about separately, since they are intertwined and productivity is more of a consequence of the first three values than an individual value, I will try to briefly describe what I mean.

Commitment to growth, on both a personal and professional level, has been a mainstay of my tenure with HORNE. It truly distinguishes this firm from other companies. In the past, I often felt that there was an indelible line between my personal and professional identities and that the two should be kept wholly isolated from one another. Work was about performing my job functions without error and everything else was a peripheral and irrelevant concern.

But the leadership at HORNE has shown me that the personal and professional facets of life are inseparable. They challenge themselves as well as others around them to become better educated in many things and not always because there is an obvious or immediate benefit to the company. They have shown me that there is confidence and pride that stems from learning, even if it's just for learning's sake. As a result of this culture, I feel I have become more self-assured, engaged and knowledgeable both within my role at HORNE and outside of it. I feel I’m not just a better team member, I’m a better wife, mother, friend and person.

In addition to valuing the growth of team members, our leadership has also cultivated an environment of mutual support and respect between all team members. As a result of this, I feel comfortable readily admitting that I don’t know everything and most others will admit the same. Because we can be honest with each other about our respective strengths and weaknesses, we are able to work collaboratively to solve problems quickly and efficiently. This free flow of knowledge allows us to be far more productive than we could be if we were in needless competition with one another.

In sum, I used the word familial to describe my office’s culture because this is the type of dynamic that one expects to see within a family. HORNE has created an environment where both organizational and individual success is a shared objective and all forms of growth and success are experienced as a collective achievement. I might say that the biggest effect HORNE's culture has had on me is that I no longer feel the drive to succeed in spite of anyone. I put the best interests of the firm and my coworkers first not because I have to, but because I want to.