When HR Takes Away The Nerf Guns With Steven Freidkin

2024-04-05

People like to join small organizations because they are challenging and fun. There are few rules to follow and very little red tape. As the company grows, it becomes necessary to formalize business processes. With process comes rules and before you know it… Poof someone gets shot in the eye and the Nerf guns get taken away. Some might view this as a good thing, but the high performers who built the business do not. Take away the fun and they will just go somewhere else. Guest Bio: Steven Freidkin is the Founder and CEO of Ntiva, Inc., a full-service technology firm offering managed IT services including cybersecurity, strategic consulting, cloud so...

People like to join small organizations because they are challenging and fun. There are few rules to follow and very little red tape.

As the company grows, it becomes necessary to formalize business processes. With process comes rules and before you know it… Poof someone gets shot in the eye and the Nerf guns get taken away.

Some might view this as a good thing, but the high performers who built the business do not. Take away the fun and they will just go somewhere else.

Guest Bio:

Steven Freidkin is the Founder and CEO of Ntiva, Inc., a full-service technology firm offering managed IT services including cybersecurity, strategic consulting, cloud solutions, and business process automation. Founded in 2004, Ntiva now has over 450 employees who serve over 1400 clients. 

Steven is an active member of a multitude of boards and organizations including Young Presidents Organization (YPO). He is a big believer in purpose-driven organizations and leads Ntiva with this in mind.

Problem:

Challenge?

The employee was shot in the eye
Solving the problem without taking the fun out of the workplace
Out-of-the-box ways to keep things light, fun and enjoyable
Create cultures and environments that make things fun

Why is this important to the company?

The people team is to support and keep the company fun
Rules cannot be the default-
Manage issues as exceptions
Decisions made understanding our purpose of growing people and our core values
- Care
- Ownership
- Responsiveness
- Excellence
Original mistakes are okay if made under this framework

Rick’s Nuggets

People appreciate the small things much more than work
When fun is a core value, it must be protected!

How do we solve the problem?

Existence is to grow people
Core values are the framework
Keeping the company fun
Being intentional
Being tolerate of only the outcome you want
As you scale, naturally create more structure/rules to limit liability
Limit the rock star talent because you are telling people they have to follow rules
Other ways to solve the problem
The best talent comes from company referrals 114 referrals in 2023
- Stories become things talked about and create referrals
- Retained longer

Rick’s Nuggets