Guest Bio

Sabrina White is the Head of People at Text-Em-All, a purpose-driven tech company that prioritizes people over profit and greatness over growth. With over 15 years of experience in people and customer experience across various industries, Sabrina is dedicated to cultivating strong, high-performing teams through trust, transparency, and accountability.

Summary

In this episode of Motto® x Friends, Sabrina shares insights into the intentional and structured culture at Text-Em-All, emphasizing the importance of fostering connection, embracing healthy conflict, and ensuring that every team member feels empowered to contribute. The discussion explores how organizations can build a values-driven culture, create psychological safety, and maintain high standards of teamwork and collaboration. With a strong focus on trust and transparency, the conversation highlights how companies—both in-person and remote—can implement strategies to strengthen their teams, encourage open communication, and promote shared success.

Unlocking the power of shared excellence
How Text-Em-All “does culture”
Unleashing the power of culture to make strong, high-functioning teams
Rallying around behaviors and best practices to make yourself a great teammate
Harnessing the “we” mindset to maximize your personal impact
Achieving excellence by embracing accountability

Key Takeaways

The Importance of Culture:

Culture is not just a buzzword; it’s about how a team works together to achieve a positive impact.
Text-Em-All strives to be a 100-year-old software company by focusing on values over quick financial gains.
Their manifesto serves as a guiding tool, helping the company stay true to its core values.

Trust and Teamwork:

Trust is fundamental to teamwork; teams cannot thrive without it.
Assumption of positive intent can transform workplace relationships.
Transparency is key: Employees are encouraged to act as business owners and understand company finances and goals.

Healthy Team Behaviors:

Teams that function well don’t hold back—they engage in open dialogue and debate.
Constructive conflict is encouraged; diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making.
Employees should separate themselves from their ideas to prevent emotional attachment from stifling collaboration.

Feedback and Accountability:

The company fosters a culture where feedback is welcomed and expected from everyone.
Recognition is built into the culture through peer-led acknowledgments and rituals like the “foam finger” (a fun, accountability-based recognition tool).
Healthy teams focus on shared success, not just individual accomplishments.

Managing Conflict and Different Communication Styles:

Teams should recognize individual conflict styles (compete, avoid, accommodate) and adjust accordingly.
Leadership should be intentional about ensuring all voices are heard, particularly from quieter team members.
DISC assessments and conflict norms are used to facilitate better communication.

Remote Team Engagement Strategies:

Written communication requires extra effort to assume positive intent.
Strategies like “Roundtable Talks” (small group discussions with structured questions) help build stronger connections.
Virtual stand-ups and open collaboration spaces (like keeping a Zoom room open) facilitate real-time team interaction.

Commitment and Actionable Follow-Ups:

Teams should end meetings with clear action items and accountability measures.
Using structured commitment tools like “thumbs up, sideways, down” ensures alignment.
Defining roles clearly prevents miscommunication and inefficiencies.

Action Items

✅ Explore implementing Roundtable Talks or similar structured social interactions.
✅ Try the “What Are We Holding Back?” question in meetings.
✅ Experiment with thumbs up/down/sideways commitment voting for decision alignment.
✅ Improve workload visibility to prevent burnout.
✅ Foster an environment where feedback is welcomed and normalized.

Downloadable Files

RAR-Free-Chapter.pdf

1.2mb

Unlocking the power of shared excellence with Sabrina White