An organization's core values are only worth the ink they’re printed on if we don’t instill them in our day-to-day work and life. At TEDCO we are encouraged to own our work and be accountable for our actions – both to the organization and to each other.
I’ve always felt that you learn the most about a person and organization based on how they handle adversity and challenges; how they deal with mistakes and hardship. Do you face them head-on or turn away, hoping no one will notice?
We care for what we own.
Remember the first time you truly owned something? Maybe it was a bike, a toy, or an instrument. You cared for it more, didn’t you? It was yours, and that meant that it was your responsibility to care for it. No one is going to worry more about your car breaking down than you are. Because it’s yours and you need it.
The same goes for our work, and at TEDCO, our work is what we own. Each one of us takes responsibility and accountability for each task and assignment. Just like the founders we support, we run our own startup, but this one is within ourselves.
When something goes wrong, we own it. We don’t lay the mistake at anyone else’s feet, or worse, hope that someone else will clean it up. We’re transparent and clear. “This was on me, but I can fix it.” It is this culture that inspires me every day to be better and push harder.
The work we do at TEDCO is focused on growing and supporting successful startups in Maryland but also the entrepreneurial ecosystem and community as a whole. With so many moving parts at TEDCO, and various stages of growth for our companies, it’s essential for us to work together to maintain a well-oiled machine. Accountability is the glue that keeps the team together – it’s the binding agent for any organization.
How could we support the entrepreneurial ecosystem and community without setting a good example? We have to be a shining beacon of professionalism to each one of our partners, vendors, companies, and team members. And I’m proud to say we do exactly that.
Being accountable means being open and vulnerable to team members, listening and hearing their feedback not as personal attacks but as teachable moments and constructive criticism. This is how we build trust in one another. From day one, we know that we’re on the same team with the same goals.
Every single person at TEDCO is passionately accountable. We don’t know any other way to be, nor do we care to. I’m proud to work at a place like this, with people I trust, and supporting companies and founders I admire.
Cassy Haber is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications at TEDCO.