Just as a plant thrives with the right blend of sunlight, water and soil, professionals flourish in environments that provide the right mix of support, autonomy and challenge.
Research anchored in Self-Determination Theory provides a roadmap for understanding how environmental factors play a critical role in professional development.
At the forefront, transformational leadership — think of it as the sunlight for a proverbial plant — positively impacts self-determination and growth. Unlike transactional leadership, transformational leaders inspire, empower and connect on a deeper level.
Conversely, just as plants wither under harsh conditions, research shows that professionals falter under excessive supervision and control.
Likewise, leadership is not the only factor impacting professional development. Variety and challenges in a career are essential for growth, as is autonomy — allowing individuals to expand their roots and reach higher.
These findings set the scene for fostering professional growth, but the experiences of those from a diverse range of companies and perspectives truly illustrate what these principles look like in practice.
Professionals from ezCater, Altium, Green Thumb, Procare Solutions and Crunchyroll shared how their companies provide development opportunities and nurturing environments — and why candidates should consider joining their growing teams.
Crunchyroll is a global anime and manga platform offering comprehensive fan experiences encompassing video streaming, merchandise, events and gaming.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
One word to epitomize the team and culture is “ownership.” It’s a core aspect of Crunchyroll’s culture, empowering team members to take responsibility for feature initiatives and fostering accountability and pride in their contributions.
In developing the Apple Vision Pro native application, Crunchyroll’s culture of ownership shines. The team recognized the opportunity to create a native app for immersive anime viewing. Each team member took ownership of their roles, from UI design to video playback optimization and compatibility with Apple’s tech. This autonomy empowered them to make decisions and take pride in their work.
On launch day, Crunchyroll’s dedication to ownership was evident in the polished, feature-rich app delivered to users. This culture met anime fans’ expectations and set a high standard for quality and innovation in streaming.
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
Having been with Crunchyroll for three years, I’ve experienced significant professional growth and development during my tenure. Starting as an engineering manager and swiftly advancing to director of engineering within this relatively short time frame reflects the trust and confidence the company has placed in my abilities. Throughout this journey, I’ve witnessed remarkable evolution both personally and organizationally. I’ve honed my technical expertise and leadership skills — from spearheading cross-team initiatives to leading multiple delivery teams on Apple and Android platforms.
“I’ve honed my technical expertise and leadership skills — from spearheading cross-team initiatives to leading multiple delivery teams.”
Moreover, Crunchyroll’s commitment to fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation has provided ample opportunities for professional development, allowing me to stay alongside industry trends and emerging technologies. This journey has been immensely rewarding, and I look forward to contributing further to Crunchyroll’s success in the years to come.
Green Thumb is a national cannabis consumer packaged goods company focused on promoting well-being through its branded products and RISE retail stores.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
If I were to describe Green Thumb’s company culture in one word, it would be “energetic.” Everyone in the company has their head in the game, is eager to hear new ideas and collaborates to implement solutions that move the company and the industry forward. The atmosphere is inviting and fast-paced and fosters a strong sense of camaraderie.
“The atmosphere is inviting and fast-paced and fosters a strong sense of camaraderie.”
For instance, during cultivation expansion projects in the Ohio and Virginia markets that I’ve been involved in, challenges arose that required rapid collaboration with multiple departments at both the site and corporate levels to ensure the delivery of high-quality flower to the market. Every perspective was valued and taken into account when determining the next steps to address immediate issues, as well as considering potential secondary and tertiary challenges that may arise as we move forward.
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
Since joining GTI in August 2020, I’ve experienced significant growth in my professional career, both technically and as a leader. At Green Thumb, I’ve held roles as a quality specialist, compliance manager and operations manager for the Ohio Market. Additionally, I supported leading the Virginia market as their operations manager.
During my time at Green Thumb, I’ve deepened my understanding of state laws and regulations, implemented sustainable operations within these regulations, and led and developed teams at both salary and hourly levels to expand our markets. Collaborating with different departments within the organization has significantly broadened my knowledge of the business.
Corporate food solutions provider ezCater offers a platform that enables organizations to manage and track food spend for various needs, leveraging customer service and a comprehensive nationwide network.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
“Human.” EzCater’s culture acknowledges and supports what makes us all human; simply, our people come first. When someone has a birth, marriage or a death that touches their lives, they’re encouraged to step away and focus on that. They know their team will cover for them while they’re away. On a smaller scale, doctor appointments, daycare pick-ups and other life errands are all expected parts of our days. Everyone is given the same level of respect, trust and authority to do the job they were hired to do, and it is understood that we don’t stop having obligations, residences and families during work hours. Our time off is respected so we can do what we like and be who we like away from work.
There is generous vacation and holiday time that we are encouraged to use. I rarely receive messages of any kind on the weekend, and those few always come with a caveat not to respond until Monday. Added all up, this human treatment creates a feeling of respect. Personally, it inspires and motivates me to bring my whole self to work every day and do my best. It gives me the confidence to seek different challenges and try new things.
“This human treatment creates a feeling of respect. It inspires and motivates me to bring my whole self to work every day and do my best.”
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I’ve been with the company for just under one year, and it has been the fastest period of professional growth in my life. I’m encouraged to tackle problems wherever I see them. I was provided the opportunity to help our data science and machine learning teams take shape and dig into some challenging, high-impact problems. I get to be part of features, models and decisions that then show up in the product. I work with teammates in different parts of the organization, providing cross-functional training.
EzCater has taught me to lift my eyes and think not just about the particular technical question I’m trying to solve but also about what else it’s connected to and how it impacts the customer. It has provided an environment where I can grow into a better data scientist and leader than I was a year ago.
Procare Solutions has offered child care management software for over 30 years, streamlining administrative tasks for early childhood educators.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
If I had to describe our company culture in one word, it would be passionate. It can be cliche to say your company is passionate about what they do, but that genuinely comes through when I talk with my coworkers here at Procare Solutions. Many of the people who work here don’t just see this company as another job. We care deeply about the businesses and organizations we serve and, by extension, the families and communities they serve.
“Many of the people who work here don’t just see this company as another job.”
What’s the coolest project you’ve worked on recently, and how did it help you grow professionally?
Before I came on board, our sales team used to have an internal tool to help them calculate ROI for prospective customers, but the tool was outdated and unhelpful when I started. I worked with several different teams to provide a new calculator that could not only be used internally by our sales team but also have a public UI to capture leads and initiate the conversation on how our software could radically transform our customers’ businesses. Through that process, I was able to uncover more of the impact our company has on our customers and maximize the opportunity to learn more about the tools we use to engage and support them.
Altium is transforming electronics design across industries with its collaborative EDA/ECAD software platform, connecting design, supply chain, and manufacturing processes for over 100,000 engineers and 30,000 businesses.
Describe your company culture in one word. What made you pick that word?
Transformational. Everything we do, from the functionality of Altium Designer to process improvement to the creation of the Altium 365 cloud platform, is about transforming the PCB design industry. When COVID sent our customers home to work, we quickly launched Altium 365, allowing them to work anywhere worldwide. We stood that platform up in record time to support our customers, and in doing so, Altium was the first PCB design software to have a cloud offering.
Our competitors are still trying to catch up, and that makes what we did transformational. The leadership team at Altium dedicates all of our efforts to driving an exceptional team that wants to transform our industry. Over the past decade, we’ve become the world’s fastest-growing PCB design software. Now, for the first time, we can state that we have grown to become the No. 1 PCB design software. It still gives me chills to think about it. We are driving the evolution of the electronics industry and working diligently to make Altium synonymous with PCB design globally.
How long have you been with the company, and what professional growth or development have you seen in that time?
I have been with Altium for just over five years now. I came from a large enterprise to this fast-paced company with a growth mindset and was not disappointed. I started at Altium as the renewals manager for the United States and quickly grew that role to a global renewals position. I learned a lot about our industry and company during those first few years. I realized our industry can quickly change but is hesitant to adapt. I learned that our customers are loyal to a fault but will hold us accountable every step of the way.
“We strive to develop our people and promote them from within.”
After running the global renewals organization, I was promoted and was responsible for managing all of our customer-based account teams in our digital sales channel. Today, I own the software go-to-market platform for Altium. This team builds the foundation for our mid-market and digital sales teams. We focus on practical and efficient processes and helping our go-to-market team continue to perform at the highest level. My career blossomed at Altium, and I couldn’t have done the same at any other company. We strive to develop our people and promote them from within. It has been rewarding and, at times, exhausting, and we all love every minute of it.
