Culture Thought Leadership Wrk, Growth, & Kilimanjaro Eden Chan Dec 15, 2022 6 mins read Blog Thought Leadership Wrk, Growth, & Kilimanjaro Adversity is the stimulus for growth. I learn best when people challenge me to be my best. In the spirit of challenge, I’m going to Africa in June to climb Kilimanjaro. I become a better version of myself through conversations that challenge me to be my best, and there’s no shortage of those conversations at Wrk. My determination to climb Kilimanjaro freed up space in my mind so I could put my personal growth first. This challenge came after completing my five-month internship as an Automation Designer, where I was creating bots, independently deployable units of code that run the Wrk Actions on the platform. I learned how the Engineering, Sales, and Marketing team operates, how leaders make decisions, and how businesses scale. I have autonomy in what I do, I love working with my team, and I’m empowered to succeed in my personal life and career by the leadership team. That’s why I’m returning part-time until I’m back from Kilimanjaro (January to June) as an Automation Designer—this time, I’m working on partnership and solution design to align with my interest in technical product management. Here are three high-leverage practices that have worked at Wrk to prioritize my career and personal growth. Prioritizing relationships Success revolves around relationships, and relationships revolve around authenticity. The team at Wrk values authenticity and supports my personal and career growth. My team lead, Nick, regularly schedules time to give actionable advice and support to help me achieve my goals. Nick’s mentorship helped me align my interests in technical product management and my skillset as an Automation Designer with Wrk’s business priorities. I experimented with API solution providers and started getting involved in evaluating partnerships and solutions design with Bassem, the Head of Wrk Action Product & Partnerships. Aligning passion with a career is rare and extremely valuable. This alignment wouldn’t have happened if my team at Wrk did not prioritize authenticity in their relationships. Product-led growth PLG is when user acquisition, expansion, conversion, and retention are all driven primarily by the product itself. PLG aligns teams across the company—from Engineering to Sales and Marketing—around the product as the business’s largest sustainable source of growth. Wrk embraces product-led growth, where the product is the Wrk Platform. User Acquisition I was convinced of Wrk’s strong engineering culture after badgering Aaron Verones, an Engineering Team Lead on LinkedIn, for six months before officially joining the team. He explained how Wrk harnesses the power of Machine, Platform, Crowd, emerging trends of automation, platforms that scale, and the wisdom of the crowd to impact businesses, economies, and societies profoundly. I chose Wrk despite competing offers because of the extreme growth opportunity I saw in the product, team, and leadership that makes up the company. User Expansion As an Automation Designer, my primary job function was designing bots that ran the Wrk Actions on the platform. I’m interested in technical product management and wanted to align that interest and my technical skillset with the business priorities. Despite the fact that my team leader, Nick, was a new father, he made time to mentor me through one-on-one meetings in order to assist me in aligning my interests and skill set with the business priorities. User Conversion My team really cared about my career success by giving me freedom at work. My team treated me as a full-time employee immediately, and that made me feel valued by my team. The leadership team helped me try out new roles in the company by connecting me with other departments. User Retention Matt, our VP of Automation Solutions, personalized a plan for me to continue working part-time as an Automation Designer. This role came with a focus on partnerships and solution design, which aligns with my interest in technical product management. Because of the flexibility at Wrk, I can keep working with my team even after I go back to school. I can also return full-time next summer after my journey to climb Kilimanjaro. Aaron acquired, Nick expanded, Bassem converted, and Matt retained me as an intern. Wrk embraces product-led growth, where the product is the Wrk Platform. If the internship was the product, I was the user, and I’m happy with how the product worked for me. Personal and professional growth Rest & Recovery are essential for human flourishing, and Wrk embraces this.My team makes the most of the remote-first culture. They travel, pursue their hobbies, and make time for their family and friends. They can make the most of their day by tailoring their schedule to what works best for them. I’m able to show up at my best, knowing how grateful I am to have autonomy in what I do. I also love working with my team and feel empowered to succeed at Wrk. TL;DR My past five months at Wrk as an Automation Designer have been phenomenal. I feel fulfilled in my work, relationships, and career development.I have freedom. At Wrk I also love working with my team. And I feel like I have the tools I need to succeed in all aspects of my life. My team at Wrk embraces the idea that personal and career success revolves around authentic relationships. By putting my relationships first, the Wrk team has helped me customize my internship. This trust ensured that I made the right decision. ( 👍🏻ᐛ )👍🏻 Want to learn more about the humans behind the Wrk Platform? Check out these blogs! Share This Article Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email