Marianne Coppock, CEO of The Stelter Company, joins the blog today to discuss the changing world of work and how we are showing up for each other and our clients in this new landscape.
Since I started working for The Stelter Company, I’ve had to onboard a little differently than in my previous roles.
You see, I started in 2020—in the middle of a pandemic. First I led the Customer Satisfaction and Strategy teams then became CEO in July 2022. My entire career at Stelter has been primarily virtual. Looking back, I realize: What an interesting challenge to tackle!
I’ve spent the majority of my first 18 months as CEO diving deep into our operations, learning where and why we are successful in helping our clients achieve their missions—all while navigating this new world of work.
In the process, I became fascinated with the subject of how we adapt to the new norms of workplace culture. After more than 20 years in leadership, I have found that we seem to spend a lot of energy trying to figure out WHERE people show up for work. But to me, it’s more important HOW they show up to work.
If we all show up the same way, with a shared vision and a desire to get better every day, we will have a much greater chance of following through for our clients. This is when I decided The Stelter Company needed a shared set of beliefs and a commitment to HOW we show up for each other and our clients every day.
All of our team members openly discussed and debated the desirable attributes of team behavior and agreed to support each other’s growth and success in maintaining those behaviors. Our team charter has become our contract—each employee affirmed their commitment by signing their name.
A group of Stelter staff unveil the Team Charter to the company. Staff make it official by signing their name.
I was introduced to the team charter idea by the book Competing in the NEW World of Work. In it, authors Keith Ferrazzi, Kian Gohar and Noel Weyrich say research has found that organizations that adopted a social contract like this one found a 79% increase in candor, a 75% increase in development, a 46% increase in collaboration and a 44% increase in accountability.
Indeed, at Stelter, focusing our time and energy on the HOW we show up to work instead of WHERE has transformed our engagement levels and ultimately our work product. The charter also has become the foundation for how we make decisions big and small.
The Stelter Company moved into its current building at New York Avenue in Urbandale, Iowa, in 1997. Both Nathan and Jeremy Stelter cut their teeth during this time, helping their uncle and father run a thriving business.
But as the world of work changed, it became evident the building was too big for us. We placed it on the market in 2021. As we enter 2024, it is a bittersweet time. The offices where many Stelter employees blossomed in their careers and forged lasting friendships will transfer to a new owner. The memories of employee experiences and lives changed through our work will remain with us forever.
“We’ve always been a company proud of ‘practicing what we preach’ and that’s evident in the pride we take in building connections with our clients and their work (as they practice the same by building connections with their donors). The industry, along with our business, has changed quite a bit in recent years and this change has allowed us to pause and think differently about how we connect with each other, how we engage with our work and how we celebrate success together. The future is very bright!”
– Nathan Stelter, President, The Stelter Company
As we transition to a new home, The Stelter Company is following our charter principles into the future. So much has changed about our company since 1997, and we are excited about continuing the legacy that the Stelter family has spent six decades building. In fact, the new working environment has allowed us to extend our talent pool across the country and continue to add incredible new Subject Matter Experts to meet our clients’ needs and goals.
Stelter staff gather together on Zoom for their annual meeting in January 2024.
Lately, Nathan, Jeremy and I have spent time Practicing Gratitude for all we have accomplished and for the amazing team of employees and clients we are blessed to have. We are also Pursuing Growth and Learning, embracing the reality of constant change and an opportunity to grow and thrive. Most importantly, though, we are Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other as we move ahead, all the while remembering that we are Uniting for a Purpose.
What we do helps change lives for the better. We unite behind our clients’ missions and strive to improve customer service every day. After all, it’s not about WHERE we show up to work, it’s about HOW we show up for each other.