If Texas Were a Company, I’d Want to Work There

I write this note as a daughter and a sister. I’m not going to lie - the past week has been fucking awful. The main floor of my parents’ home of over 30 years is destroyed. Their cars, clothes, furniture, pictures - all ruined. And while I know it is just “things”, they were things that will cost money (lots of it, especially with no flood insurance) to replace, and they were things that brought with them many, many happy memories - little, priceless treasures for our family.  But, I come from a family of fighters, and Harvey is not going to kick their butt. And, thankfully, my family is not alone. They have been showered (no pun intended) with amazing support, and we are only one of so many affected families. The stories are countless. What is most striking to me is that I haven’t visited Kingwood, the community where my parents and sister live, for 10 years, and I haven’t lived there in 25 years (that’s right, a quarter of a century), but nonetheless, old friends and STRANGERS are offering help. They have provided everything from manpower to take down the walls and clean through sewage (that’s right, poo) to hospitality in opening up their homes for a warm, dry bed. 

I also write this note as a professional, particularly as someone who works in HR and Ops and thinks about people and culture ALL the time. Harvey was bad, but the people of Texas are badasses. Firsthand, through my family's experiences, but also through social media, I have heard the conversations and seen the pictures of people coming together to help. Yes, they are giving financially, but more importantly, they are also giving their time, blood, sweat, and tears. They have risked their lives to rescue neighbors and strangers alike. They have torn down walls, pulled out debris, made warm meals, cleaned laundry, lent cars - I mean the list is long and deep. And this is just the “common” people; I’m not talking about organizations whose job it is to provide disaster relief. Texas came together as a community to support their fellow Texans, regardless of background, race, etc., and it has been awesome to experience and watch from Toronto.

If Texas were a company, I’d want to work there. Putting the operations aspect aside, I’ll only comment that watching people mobilize and get donations, supplies, and volunteers together at record levels and at a rapid pace is impressive. But, what has most inspired me is the heart and spirit of Texans. In the past, I’ve defined a company’s culture as how a group of people work together, how they treat each other, and lastly, how they have fun together. And there is so much to learn from Team Texas’ culture. I’d want to be a part of a team where the values that underpinned culture included selflessness, generosity, hard work and grit. I want to be part of a team that when the going gets tough, they rally together, no ego, no BS - they just do whatever it takes to succeed (in this case, overcome the devastation of Harvey). In Texas, everyone is doing their part - finding that “thing” they can do to contribute towards the broader goal of rebuilding their community. I’d want to be part of a team that treats each other with kindness. Everyone is a neighbor or a friend. There are no strangers or barriers. It’s about helping each other as much as possible and whenever possible. They are never done giving a helping hand. People are assuming the best in each other as well - and that’s a beautiful thing.  Lastly, I want to be part of a team that can find the silver lining and persevere and even makes light of a tough situation. Facebook will show you, in spite of the challenges, people are having fun rebuilding. In fact, check out some of the pictures below of how they’re poking fun of their special situation.

There are many lessons from Harvey, like - get flood insurance. But for me, the biggest lesson so far is about the people of Texas.  We should all aspire to have that level of unity, purpose, and fortitude. I’m not sure if it’s the history children are given about their Texas roots (I endured a full year of Texas (only) history), or if it’s the branding - who hasn’t seen the slogan “Don’t Mess with Texas” when driving through the state? But, there’s something there and I hope to replicate it and bring it to my team.

Team Texas - you have demonstrated how truly awesome your people, your essence, your “culture” is this week, and I’m so proud to be a Texan too. Thank you for having my family’s back. I’ve got yours for life. #Houstonstrong #texasstrong #dontmesswithtexas

Photo Credit: Facebook