An Office Examined.

Balancing the demands of our personal and professional lives in the world of tech is an act of adaptation. It’s a tightrope walk, especially when footing adverse leadership styles and organizations — think New York Times celeb and Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos to self-proclaimed tie-loather and serial entrepreneur, Richard Branson of Virgin. Both very different leaders and very different companies. As employees and owners, how do we know which way to bend?

Needless to say, this week’s Amazon controversy has us re-examining our own work / life balance, leadership style, and company culture as a growing web development and digital marketing agency. Imparting what we’ve learned in the past 12-plus years, we’ve created a rundown of what helps our mixed team of developers, designers, project managers, marketers, and owner, Bob Roman walk the line.

1. Create a Workplace Where You’d Actually Like to Work.

Beard, but no moustache, footwear decrees with a three-toe-max, police states encouraging secret feedback from coworkers — rise above this ridiculousness. Organizations that are successful understand that when they create balanced, accommodating work environments that cultivate support for the company’s goals and its workers — everyone wins. Open the lines of communication and begin to rethink policies that hinder work / life equilibrium, and alas, begin to unravel the secret to workplace utopia.

2. Collaboration: The Cheese to Our Macaroni.

Back-end development without front-end is like Kraft noodles without the cheese: both fine products on their own, however undeniably better when combined. Break down departmental walls and foster growth and development between colleagues by making collaboration the norm. FIREANT STUDIO believes collaboration is what makes us thrive. Working together, we are stronger, faster, and more adept to adverse projects and clients. And because we’ve created a workplace where people actually like to work, our team members subscribe to this imperative mantra and team up to knock out deadlines and projects as one.

3. No Training Wheels Here.

Micromanaging is the worst; any employee who’s ever been micromanaged will tell you this. Our very adult, incredibly capable team of web developers, designers, makers and doers all agree that behind FIREANT’s success is the permission to be ourselves and to take the lead on projects. It is an environment that encourages free thinking, questions the status quo, and excites change. Because of it, we are better at our jobs, we brainstorm more inventive ideas, and most importantly, we push the boundaries of our organization beyond par and towards greatness.

Innovation is not born of stifled conditions.

THE TAKEAWAY: If you’re looking to turn an industry on its head, room for personal and professional growth is essential. The tightrope is difficult to master; acknowledge this, gift employees with an environment that inspires their best work and watch as they begin to master that walk.