As a Co-Founder of Cadence Communications & Research, I am incredibly proud of the culture built from the ground up. When Sugata Biswas and I started this agency, we knew we wanted to do things differently. We chose to create a company that wasn’t just focused on profit margins and winning new business but was also deeply committed to the well-being of our employees, our clients, and the world at large. In short, we wanted to practice what has become known as conscious capitalism.
If you aren’t familiar with the term, conscious capitalism is a business philosophy emphasizing the importance of creating value for all stakeholders involved in a company’s operations. This includes not just shareholders but also employees, customers, suppliers, and the broader community. At Cadence, we believe that this approach is not only a more valuable way to participate in society but also good for business.
One of the ways we put conscious capitalism into practice is by prioritizing the well-being of our employees. We believe that a happy, healthy, and engaged workforce is essential as a founding principle. We invest in programs and initiatives that support our team members both personally and professionally. This includes things like flexible work arrangements, good benefits, and opportunities for growth and development.
From the beginning of the company, we have had a coaching program in place. While coaching was initially set up to develop the company’s leadership, we expanded it to provide all staff levels access at various times in the past couple of years. I often tell our team members, “use it for what you need.” If it is a personal issue you want to talk about, that is just as important in the coaching process. Your life is not a segmented set of activities, so what’s happening in your personal life affects your work and vice versa.
But our commitment to conscious capitalism goes beyond just our internal operations. We are also responsible to be good corporate citizens and to use our skills and resources to make a positive impact in the world. This means partnering with socially responsible clients and organizations, supporting causes that align with our values, and minimizing our environmental impact. We discuss how we can do simple things like use more sustainable products, reduce paper usage and shipping, and combine travel to reduce our carbon impact.
Every member of our team is passionate about doing work that directly helps improve patients’ lives. While we are not on the frontline of healthcare, we know what we do helps our customers make better decisions to aid patients.
Of course, this is only possible with a strong company culture. We’ve worked hard to create a collaborative and collegial environment where everyone feels valued and respected. We emphasize open communication, transparency, and a shared commitment to excellence. And we always keep sight of the fact that we are in the service of our clients and that our success is directly tied to theirs.
At the end of the day, we believe that building an incredible company culture is about more than just making a profit. It’s about creating a community of like-minded individuals who are committed to doing good in the world and who are passionate about their work. By putting conscious capitalism into practice, we believe we can achieve great things for our clients and also make a difference. And that, to us, is the true measure of success.