Technology
Cultural vibes
How communicating Brulant’s culture helps Len Pagon attract the right talent
By Erik Cassano
Smart Business Cleveland | August 2007
When Len Pagon talks about company culture, he is talking about more
than the day-to-day atmosphere that exists at Brulant Inc., the online solutions firm of which he is president and CEO.
When Pagon talks about the Brulant culture, he is talking about what he
calls the “Brulant DNA,” the set of basic characteristics and principles that
identifies his company.
Pagon believes it is critical to communicate a company’s culture to every
prospective employee, from the initial job inquiry onward. Not only does
upfront communication of the culture give prospective hires an overview of
the type of company you are running, he says it lets you know if the person
sitting across the interview table will be a good match.
“Culture is kind of a funny thing,” Pagon says. “To some extent, it’s already
here, and what we’re trying to do is make it more explicit by telling stories to
bring it to life, giving people examples of what it means to work here.”
From the outset, Pagon says prospective employees learn that Brulant is a
growth-oriented company, and if they want to work there, they need to be open
to new ideas and new challenges, and they must possess a willingness to seize
opportunities.
“We talk about how we’re going to give you new things and challenge you,
especially if you are a fast learner,” Pagon says. “Growth also implies that
we’re not going be perfect at everything, so there are going to be lots of opportunities to be assertive and take territory, so to speak. We’re looking for people to step up and be leaders and make things happen.”
Defining the culture and accurately identifying people who fit that culture is crucial for a company that is in the midst of rapid growth, such as Brulant, which
Pagon says is hiring between five and 10 people per week.
“When you bring in lots of new people, you have to define the expectations, how
do we work here, what are we about,” he says. “As we get larger, that is an increasing human resource challenge. When we were at 100 people, everyone could get
access to me. Now that we are at 300 people, that’s a whole different challenge.”
HOW TO REACH: Brulant Inc., www.brulant.com
