Assist Scout’s CEO and co-founder Nick Francis has a really constant behavior on the subject of wrapping up the work week. Most Fridays, wherever he’s on this planet (and, because the chief of a globally distributed crew, that basically could possibly be anyplace), Nick ends the day by hitting ship on a “Friday Observe.”
Despatched by way of e mail to your entire Assist Scout crew, Friday Notes are simple messages meant to present staff a clearer view into what’s occurring within the CEO’s thoughts and the way he’s fascinated by the state of the corporate. The notes are sometimes written with context from broader enterprise themes or framed by private experiences. Connecting with Assist Scout crew members all around the world has turn out to be a ritual that Nick has discovered very important to each his personal development as a frontrunner and to the tradition of the corporate.
Initially impressed by a dialog with ExactTarget founder Scott Dorsey, who constructed a legendary tradition and wrote comparable private notes to his personal crew, Nick has been writing weekly messages himself since 2019. Whereas the subjects (and topic traces) have diverse fairly extensively over the just about two years and roughly 140 messages — from “Stress is a Privilege” to “Rowboats, Speedboats, and Ships” to “New Yr, New Workflow” — Nick’s aim has stayed the identical: Pushing himself to enhance his management and connecting immediately and meaningfully with the crew.
Learn on to listen to from Nick and from Assist Scout’s director of communications, Sara Cohen, concerning the position that these intentional weekly communications play for Nick and the corporate as an entire.
Writing catalyzes readability — and connects neighborhood
When Nick started sending out Friday Notes in 2019, he was already within the behavior of recurrently writing. For the reason that firm’s early days, he has written to make clear his ideas round particular practices and processes — round hiring, tradition, and product-market match, for instance — and to drive his personal management growth. He writes notes for his personal reference all through the day to maintain a file of conversations and concepts; drafts shareholder updates; and, recurrently processes quite a lot of firm and private insights on the web page.
In a Friday Observe on the subject of writing that he despatched out to the crew in 2021, Nick shared that he spends 20-30% of his time writing creatively. That’s a giant block of the CEO’s calendar, and the dedication displays his perception within the worth of this apply. “Subsequent to hiring, writing is sort of presumably crucial factor a frontrunner can do to maneuver the needle of their group,” he mentioned. “Writing helps us establish alerts within the noise and catalyzes readability of thought.”
If you write about one thing, it’s a must to see the entire subject — to grasp all of the context — to be able to discern which blades of grass are value noting. This strategy of speaking with readability, growing a shared understanding, and performing collectively creates super leverage in a enterprise.
Excerpt from Friday Observe: “Writing Catalyzes Readability”
Friday Notes present a chance to share these alerts and associated ideas — concerning the firm, the broader enterprise panorama, and, generally, what’s taking place extra extensively on this planet because it pertains to the enterprise — with the crew. For Nick, it’s an mental train {and professional} growth instrument. For the crew, it’s a window into the present state of his considering and the place the enterprise is headed. “The train makes me a greater CEO, and it helps keep a reference to everybody on the crew by providing a great understanding of my values and the way I make selections.”
I usually take into consideration artwork and science as a spectrum in enterprise. We’re made to imagine that constructing a enterprise is way more science than it’s — learn these weblog posts, comply with this playbook, implement these methods and you will be profitable. However the longer you spend constructing a enterprise, the extra you understand that it is method additional down the artwork facet of the spectrum.
Excerpt from Friday Observe: “Artwork and Science”
Whereas Nick has been planning and drafting the Friday Notes himself since 2019, he has lately begun working with Sara, who was employed as director of communications in 2022, to hone the content material and amplify the influence of those weekly messages.
Ideally, Sara famous, there’s quite a lot of alternative to construct neighborhood and improve tradition by means of this common, genuine inner communication from the CEO. “Friday Notes can provide staff perception into what’s on Nick’s thoughts, which is very beneficial given the breadth of conversations he has in every week, internally and externally. They will additionally foster understanding and reference to him as an individual, past his duties as CEO.”
For a crew to do its greatest work, crew members need to domesticate an atmosphere during which the very best concepts win. No concepts ought to win based mostly on org hierarchy, seniority, or space of experience alone. Concepts ought to win just because they create the very best outcomes for purchasers and the enterprise.
Friday Observe excerpt: “Funding Memos”
In Sara’s view, one of many keys to making sure Friday Notes meet these objectives is to additionally perceive what these weekly messages are not. No person needs a Friday afternoon message from the CEO that may necessitate work-related motion or get within the weeds about enterprise or monetary updates, new insurance policies, or strategic modifications. The purpose is to supply meals for thought, alternative for reflection, and a second of neighborhood.
Scaling connection and tradition
Whereas Nick’s apply of sending Friday Notes has been constant over the previous couple of years, the variety of inboxes his messages attain has grown significantly. In February 2023, greater than 150 Assist Scout staff are on the inner mailing record.
Because the variety of staff at Assist Scout will increase, sustaining the self-discipline of the weekly ship solely turns into extra vital. “As the corporate grows, you will need to create scalable (1-to-many) alternatives for individuals to get to know the corporate’s leaders higher,” Sara mentioned.
As chief of a distant firm, she added, Nick’s common communication is much more important than if the crew have been colocated. “On distributed groups, leaders with out common alternatives for visibility can seem as disembodied voices popping as much as share good or dangerous information, with nothing in-between,” she mentioned. “Friday Notes are a technique for workers to get to know extra about Nick, particularly if they do not work with him regularly.”
If I had one want for Assist Scout and our tradition, it will be for this to be a spot the place artistic work (which occurs on each crew) is cared for and appreciated. A lot in order that our clients really feel it — it is an expertise they do not get anyplace else. That feeling is healthier than any function we will construct.
Friday Observe excerpt: “Inventive Work”
Nick agreed, reflecting on the position of the messages to each join of us and maintain an necessary file of the expansion and evolution of the remote-first enterprise. “In a colocated atmosphere, quite a lot of info travels by way of osmosis — transferring by means of hallways, round lunch tables, and between convention rooms — however distant corporations haven’t any of that,” he mentioned. “Friday Notes are one strategy to globally share info and, importantly, tone and intention, with your entire crew.” And, he added, “if info is not recorded or written down, it disappears. If you wish to construct a fantastic distant tradition, you be taught to write down all the pieces down.”
Writing issues down helps you course of what’s in your mind and talk higher with others. If I am distracted by one thing mentally, I write it out, after which it disappears so I can deal with what’s in entrance of me. I do know I can come again to it later if I must. It appears like a magic trick.
Friday Observe excerpt: “Work-life Concord”
In the end, Nick hopes that Friday Notes will proceed to offer profit at Assist Scout — each by clarifying his considering and creating neighborhood throughout time zones and roles. “Once we write out our considering clearly, it will possibly essentially influence the enterprise as a result of everybody’s perpetually on the identical web page. That is my aim, and the Friday observe is among the methods we try to attain it.”