C.S. Lewis once said that integrity is doing what is right even when nobody is watching. We like that definition, and we like our own interpretation: Integrity means we do what we say we are going to do. 

At Reach Partners, we don't make empty promises to make our partners and ourselves feel good. We follow through. And we enjoy working with partners who do the same. We value integrity; here are some ways we do:

When we moved into our new office space (across the hall from our previous location) last summer, something felt familiar.
 
I couldn’t exactly put my finger on what or why. I had visited the space when it was inhabited by another company, but I hadn’t spent a lot of time in there. Yet, I couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something significant had taken place in the very spot where I now work.
 
And then I had my ah-ha moment: My office used to be Tony’s office. You see, Tony’s work experiences have made me pause and reflect on work life at Reach Partners.
 
Here’s why:
 
Tony was a long-term employee who worked with this other company in our building. Several years ago she requested one day off – July 10.
 
I recognize that granting vacation requests or personal days off can be complicated. But from what I understand about this business’s industry, mid-July wasn’t a busy time of the year. From what I knew about Tony, she was hard working and committed.
 
I don’t know why Tony asked for the day off, but it didn’t matter. Her boss said no. In response, Tony put in her two-weeks’ notice and left the company.
 
I’m sure denying the request for a day off wasn’t the only reason Tony left, but it certainly was the last straw for her.
 
Yes, there are rules and employee handbooks to follow. There are good reasons, as an employer, to have policies in place. There also are situations where employers and employees have to make hard choices. For example, I took off less time after my second child was born than I did when my first child arrived. Rachel once chose to fly from Minneapolis to Bismarck so she could attend a family wedding and fulfill a client obligation over the same weekend.
 
As at any company, Reach Partners always tries to balance the responsibilities of work with the responsibilities of personal life. Sometimes it’s easy; sometimes it’s not. Still, we believe our team is happier, healthier, and more productive when we trust our people to make decisions about their time.
 
Never do I want to run the kind of company that isn’t willing to consider an employee’s request for personal time. Tony’s company lost an experienced employee. I still wonder if her boss regrets his decision to deny her a day off.
 
In honor of Tony, we have observed July 10 as a Reach Partners holiday for several years.

This year, Tony’s Day Off will be held a day early because of some scheduling conflicts. That’s okay. What’s important is that we take a day off and recognize that sometimes the best policy is showing a little empathy and trust.
 
 
– Anita

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is an updated version of a post that ran July 7, 2015.

In case you hadn’t noticed, we LOVE the color purple.

Since we began, our Reach Partners identity has been represented by shades of the color. We think purple perfectly represents our values of gratitude, integrity, beauty, possibility, and empathy. Plus, it makes a powerful, but accessible statement.

Which is why we were super excited when Pantone revealed its color of the year for 2018: Ultra Violet.
Each year color experts from the Pantone Color Institute comb the world looking for the color influences that best define our times. This year, those experts chose Ultra Violet because it “communicates originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking that points us to the future.”

It joins previous Colors of the Year: Greenery, Serenity, Marsala, Tangerine Tango, and Radiant Orchid.

Fun!

A color may not seem all that important, but it evokes emotions.

What sets Ultra Violet apart from its colorful peers is that it is simultaneously rebellious and calming (or so we hear).

Enigmatic purples have long been symbolic of counterculture, unconventionality, and artistic brilliance, Pantone says.  (Think Prince, Claude Monet). The color also has been closely associated with royalty and spirituality (Think Queen Elizabeth II and meditation rooms).

Ultra Violet also symbolizes experimentation and non-conformity while it inspires connection.

Granted, those are deep messages to attach to one color. But at Reach Partners we’re thrilled to be associated with a color that seems so aptly descriptive of the work we strive to do every day.

We’re certainly no Prince or Queen Elizabeth II, but we make every effort to make sure the work we do is individualized and creative, that it opens paths of possibility for our clients. We believe in the power of connections, that together we’re stronger.

On lighter notes, we’re anticipating that there will be lots of ultra-violet-inspired items in stores this year. We suspect we’ll be adding to our décor and wardrobe.

In addition, as lifelong residents of the upper Midwest, we also have to wonder if Pantone was making predictions about our region’s purple-clad football team: the Vikings. Could it be their year?

Either way, go purple!

PHOTO CREDIT: Art by Dean Johnson, Fargo.  His work can be found online at Fargo Stuff.

I’m sure it wasn’t the only reason Tony left her position but I know it was the last straw.

Tony, a long-term employee who worked with another company in our building, requested one day off, July 10.   From what I understand of that businesses’ industry, it wasn’t a busy time of year. Whatever Tony’s reasons for the request, it didn’t matter; her boss wouldn’t allow her to take the day off. So she put in her two-weeks’ notice and left.

Sure there are rules, employee handbooks to follow and many good reasons to have policies in place. There are situations when we have to make hard choices for our time. For example, I worked much more following my second child than my first; and Rachel made the choice to fly from Minneapolis to Bismarck in order to attend a family wedding and fulfill an obligation for a client the same weekend.

Never do I want to run the kind of company that isn’t willing to consider an employee’s request for personal time. I still wonder if he regretted his decision to deny Tony a day off.  

Now, July 10 is an observed Reach Partners holiday.  We honor Tony, and ourselves, by closing the office to remember what’s truly important.

Anita

It doesn’t matter if it’s not your job, it has to be done.

• Preset salad plates in order to open doors to conference attendees on time.

• Reset pipe and drape after a map turn-around to assure all vendors fit in the space as planned.
• Teardown and set up for a major recognition banquet for 600 in 3 hours due to a scheduling mix-up.

After an event, exhausted and exhilarated, it’s fun to rehash and relive the ugly and the worst. It’s human  nature to revile stories that entail grand screws ups (someone else’s). But it’s even better to share the stories of the plucky heroine, who jumped in at the critical time of need, set aside ego or an opportunity for rest and without complaint, cheerfully donned another hat for the good of all.  A superhero for the small stuff: able to serve, move and aid.

Those opportunities to step-up don’t come along everyday but on those grisly occasions you learn who you want on your team: the intern that sees a need and fulfills, the CEO that pushes aside ego and picks up a plate, the staff member who acts to solve the problem.

It’s safe to say, I want Anita on my team.

Rachel, Reach Partners