Written by Ideas Collide
For almost 20 years, Ideas Collide has been dedicated to crafting creative marketing solutions to brands’ most unique challenges. Growing from just a handful of employees to a full-service marketing agency with two offices (Scottsdale and Portland) and team members located around the country, the constant through all this change has been Ideas Collide’s commitment to its culture.
Routinely named among the “Top Companies to Work for in Arizona” and recently nominated for “Exceptional Workplace” in the Greater Phoenix Chamber’s IMPACT Awards, Ideas Collide’s culture is a point of pride for the agency. It’s not just a buzzword, either; through an assortment of mindful benefits and a focus on recognition, the agency has consciously fostered an inclusive and positive work environment where team members affect it as much as they benefit from it.
As Matthew Clyde, Ideas Collide’s president and founder, recently explained when asked how to build a winning culture on the A-Z Biz Link podcast, the key is “investing in your values, who you are, your services, and even reinventing those services amid change.”
The result is a workforce that belongs to and contributes to the culture of Ideas Collide, bringing to the table a combination of high-performance excellence and a growth mindset as it works to fulfill the agency’s purpose.
Learn + Love + Live
LEARN
At Ideas Collide, there is an understanding that learning happens both professionally and personally.
- The agency is dedicated to supporting lifelong learning and offers ample professional development opportunities, including training and mentorship programs. Team members are fervently encouraged to explore their career interests, even if that means extending beyond their current job description. Some team members have even utilized this opportunity to build new teams and services within the agency. A growth mindset is advocated for every role, and leadership consistently seeks out ways to support the growth of the agency as a whole; for example, iPads were recently purchased for the entire organization so everyone could explore how these tools could positively impact creativity, as well as productivity. Still, no matter how far you go, it’s important to remember where you’ve been – upon completion of their first 90 days, each team member is presented with their favorite childhood toy (no matter how obscure) and encouraged to keep it at the office to never lose their sense of ‘play’.
- From a personal perspective, Ideas Collide understands that each of us has much to learn about the people, cultures, and opportunities for inclusion around us. Through its DEIB and IC Gives initiatives, team members can contribute as individuals while inspiring change in their communities. Ideas Collide offers paid discovery and volunteering time for all team members, encouraging them to take an hour each week for self-development and volunteering. Team members are also provided with a stipend for wellness and discovery. The agency continually seeks out positive causes and underserved communities that can be supported through charitable activities and services, as well as encouraging partners and the community to join in the efforts.
LOVE
Ideas Collide isn’t an agency with a creative team; leadership firmly believes every one of its team members is creative, from a graphic design intern to the receptionist. As such, a collaborative environment is one of the hallmarks of the agency, and team members are encouraged to find exciting ways to connect and create together. One example is the IC Streaming trailer, where team members can set aside time to create podcasts or work collaboratively in a thoughtfully designed and curated space.
This buzzing environment of ideas and imagination can be exhilarating and ever-moving. Still, Ideas Collide appreciates that the times when it can be hard to pause and recognize our achievements can be the times when it’s needed the most.
- Since day one, team members have been encouraged to take time whenever it’s relevant—no need to wait till the end of a project or even the end of the day—to call out colleagues who went above and beyond. While this was once accomplished through agency-wide emails, today Ideas Collide uses Recognize, an app that allows team members to send appreciation and track all the love—even earning prizes and perks for being an outstanding contributor to the agency.
- Upon completion of every agency-wide meeting, team members share “brags” to thank and recognize each other for their incredible work. These brags can be for projects, like meeting a tight deadline, or personal impacts, like being there for a coworker during a challenging time. Brags are done in a round-robin style, allowing the entire agency to share the team’s love.
LIVE
Work-life balance isn’t just a phrase at Ideas Collide. It’s the understanding that team members are people first.
- Ideas Collide offers flexible schedules and empowers its team to choose how they best get their jobs done while balancing personal needs. With team members located all over the country, there is an appreciation that time zones (and life commitments) differ, and the team is more productive and efficient through the opportunity to optimize their own schedules. “IC demonstrates trust in team members in a way that overwhelmingly lends to greater collaboration, connection to the world, and profound commitment to one another and the work.” Nichole Abbott, Director, Talent + People Development
- The agency is also family-friendly, whether that family involves humans or furry friends. Ideas Collide has considerable maternity and paternity benefits, in addition to being a pet-friendly office and offering pet insurance to its team.
See Where You Fit In Ideas Collide
Through the advocacy for and practice of curiosity, recognition, and empathy, Ideas Collide has cultivated a culture that fosters the courage to innovate, the vision to drive results and the passion to deliver beautifully designed marketing solutions. If you’re ready to see how you can contribute to this award-winning culture and boldly shape the future of marketing, consider a career at Ideas Collide today.