A Look Back at “Building an Entrepreneurial Culture” - An Issue Exploration panel moderated by Peggy Guest, PhD
On Thurs. Oct. 1, the Issue Exploration committee hosted a panel Zoom chat with local business executives: Natalie DiNicola, PhD, Chief of Staff at Benson Hill; Kelly Pollock, Executive Director of COCA; and, Rebecca Randolph, Director of Client Development at Brinkmann Constructors. The panel explored the construct of corporate culture, “the DNA of a company,” as Ms. Randolph coined it.
A few key takeaways:
Ms. Randolph suggests honest and transparent communication. At Brinkmann, creativity is key! The goal, engage engineers, a large make-up of Brinkmann’s workforce, in new and interesting ways.
Ms. DiNicola expanded on the idea of utilizing creativity to drive culture. She recommends that creativity inform, rather than dictate, thinking. Benson Hill is a burgeoning start-up, so she’s tasked with constantly thinking on her feet.
Ms. Pollock expanded on the ways COVID-19 has transformed corporate culture. Rather than real-time employee engagements around a literal water cooler, employees are charged with connecting through other means--perhaps, around the proverbial cooler of Zoom meetings.