The bear necessities

Maxine Clark hears the same question from employees who’ve
just been hired as she hears from those who have been with
Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. since the company was founded 10
years ago.

“How are we going to keep the company like this?”
Since its inception, Build-A-Bear has grown to more than 275
stores in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and
Ireland, along with franchise stores in Europe, Asia and
Australia.

Revenue for fiscal 2006 totaled $437 million as kids both young
and old flocked to their local Build-A-Bear store to create a cuddly stuffed animal of their own, with the help of the bright and
cheery sales staff for which the company is known.

Clark, Build-A-Bear’s founder, chairman and CEO, credits the
company’s success to its sharp focus on culture.

“I think everybody comes to work every day to make a contribution, no matter where they go to work,” Clark says. “For the
most part, 99.9 percent come to make a difference every day.
They want to be rewarded for their contribution. They want to be
noticed. They don’t want to be anonymous. Our job as leaders is
how do we make that happen every day? How do we make that
come alive and transfer into results for the company and growth
for the people individually?”

Developing a culture that meets these standards begins with
the leader. But maintaining such a culture as the company grows
and changes is a responsibility Clark says must be shared by
each and every one of her 5,500 employees.

“The company is the people, not me,” Clark says. “It’s up to
every single individual in the company because they interact
with other people that are part of our company. I can’t interact
with everyone every day. … Everybody that works in our company and works in your company is part of that company’s
brand. How do you make sure that they feel responsible about
that and that they realize they work for a company that has certain values, even when they are in their daily life?”

It can start with something as simple as saying, “Hello.”
“You’re automatically a mentor when you’re the boss or somebody that people look up to, and you have to take that seriously,”
Clark says. “If I walk down the hall and I’m not saying, ‘Hi Susie;
Hi Mary.’ … People notice that I didn’t say hello to them. They
may not say hello to me first. But that’s my job. It goes with the
territory. And I like that job. Sometimes, you’re the cheerleader.
Sometimes, you’re the disciplinarian. Sometimes, you’re just the
greeter. Sometimes, you’re the hardest-working person in the
building. Most often, that’s not me. You have a lot of roles as a
leader, and those roles tell the company every day who you are
and what you believe in.”

Here’s how Clark has conquered the challenges of culture to
take Build-A-Bear to new levels of success.