{"id":4117,"date":"2019-04-28T23:21:16","date_gmt":"2019-04-28T23:21:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.culturesummit.co\/?p=4117"},"modified":"2022-04-20T10:32:30","modified_gmt":"2022-04-20T14:32:30","slug":"how-we-culture-aubrey-blanche","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.culturesummit.co\/how-we-culture-aubrey-blanche\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHow We Culture\u201d With Aubrey Blanche of Atlassian"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you gearing up for the <\/span><\/i>Culture Summit<\/span><\/i><\/a>? Let us help you get in the mood by introducing you to one of this year\u2019s speakers, Aubrey Blanche, Global Head of Diversity & Belonging of Atlassian<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Name: <\/b><\/span>Aubrey Blanche<\/span><\/p>\n

Position: <\/b>Global Head of Diversity & Belonging @ Atlassian<\/span><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

What initially attracted you to the Culture space<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

I honestly didn\u2019t join this space on purpose, necessarily. I\u2019m profoundly motivated by a sense that the world should be a fair and just place, and I\u2019m flabbergasted when people just accept that it isn\u2019t. When I joined the tech industry after dropping out of my PhD, I was shocked to find that I was one of the only Latina women I could find. When I started asking around for answers, I heard myths like \u201cwe\u2019re a meritocracy\u201d or \u201cwe don\u2019t want to lower the bar,\u201d which are just excuses the industry has used for years to justify discriminatory hiring practices and toxic cultures. That really motivated me to do what I could to make the system <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>and therefore work culture and a substantial part of people’s\u2019 lives <\/span>\u2013 <\/span>better<\/span>. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

How has that attraction evolved throughout your career<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

Most days, I wake up and can\u2019t believe that I get to go to work and help people all day. But what really keeps me excited is the constant challenge <\/span>\u2013<\/span> the issues I solve are systemic and culture is constantly evolving, which means that there are always new things to learn and ways to continue improving.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you couldn\u2019t work in the Culture space, what would you be doing?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Practically, I\u2019d probably still be a researcher, perhaps still looking at the use of private military contractors in counterinsurgency. In my dream life, I\u2019d curate and own an independent bookstore that was a gathering place for the community and had a really excellent tea and snack selection<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

How do you define culture? Do you think there is or should be a universal definition<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

Culture is fundamentally how people interact and get work done<\/i>. Defining exactly what culture is, is a bit difficult, but we\u2019d likely all agree that we know how it feels. At Atlassian, we talk about the fact that our values stay the same but that our culture is constantly evolving. I think that helps us move past damaging concepts like \u201cculture fit\u201d and instead look for people who are excited to work in line with our values: with candor and directness (Open Company, No Bullshit), a sense of fun and consideration for your teammates (Play, as a team), and willingness to go the extra mile to make things better (Be the Change You Seek). We\u2019ve built these values into our interview process and our performance assessment, which helps our culture align to those values even as it\u2019s changing as we scale.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What are some common misconceptions about culture<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

The biggest misconception is that you would want to look for \u201cculture fit\u201d in a teammate. Empirically speaking, culture fit is really just a morass of unconscious bias and helps ensure that teams have low innovative potential and huge potential for groupthink. Teams are better off looking for people who align with the type of work practices you\u2019d want to encourage and add something new \u2013 a perspective or competency \u2013 that wasn\u2019t there before.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What\u2019s the best culture advice you\u2019ve ever received<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

\u201cCulture is what you repeatedly do, what gets rewarded and punished.\u201d I think this is incredibly valuable because it\u2019s easy for us to define culture by how we want<\/i> it to be or based on some abstract principles. But if you take it from that lens, we\u2019re all accountable for our actions and their impact, and it\u2019s really empowering.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you had to pick one culture-enhancing practice or \u201ctactic\u201d most companies could or should implement, what would it be<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

Delete referrals. Knowing someone is not a job qualification, and indexing on people very similar to who you already have on the team builds a homogenous, exclusive culture.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

If you could impart one universal understanding about company culture to every senior executive in the world, what would it be<\/b>?<\/h3>\n

Every choice you make about the design of people processes and business influences your culture. Do you prioritize hiring from elite schools? Then you are actually just providing opportunities for people whose parents are economically privileged. Look for geniuses or rockstars? You\u2019ll likely hire many more straight White men because fixed mindsets about talent cause us to rely more on stereotypes than objective data in evaluating candidates. Spend more on the beer than learning & development budget? That\u2019s what your values are. All of those things are choices and ones that leaders actively control. Make sure you\u2019re choosing intentionally and aligning yourself with what you truly value.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the year 2030, what is the workplace culture dialogue talking about?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I hope that we are having a serious conversation about how to build roles that give people balance and fulfillment. I\u2019d love to see companies intentionally designed for individuals\u2019 full-life wellness, and helping people learn and grow in ways that are important to them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What are you excited most for at Culture Summit this year?<\/b><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m always excited to learn what other amazing practitioners are doing in the space, to get ideas and increase my knowledge. Also, kind of hoping for some excellent book recommendations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Are you gearing up for the Culture Summit? Let us help you get in the mood by introducing you to one of this year\u2019s speakers, Aubrey Blanche, Global Head of Diversity & Belonging of Atlassian. Name: Aubrey Blanche Position: Global Head of Diversity & Belonging @ Atlassian What initially attracted you to the Culture space? 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