Shining a light on 9 lessons in 9 years

This October We Are Unity turns nine. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun.

To mark the occasion, we sat down with our founders Ben Bars and Nat Cagilaba to reflect back on the road travelled, the client wins, the lessons unlocked and the mindset shifts they’ve experienced along the way. 

1. Make it fun.

One of the early lessons that came up for Nat was that work can, and indeed should be enjoyable. “I realised very quickly that if you’re not enjoying it, then change it. Because if you’re not having fun no one else in your business will either” he explained. Running a successful business is a marathon, and as a leader you have a choice  - so why not consciously shape the space you want to work in.

2. Be open to people.

We Are Unity is founded on the idea that people are the biggest asset for change, meaningful contribution and realising business potential. But often business pressures mean meaningful conversations with talent only happen during a drive for a specific role. Both Ben and Nat have an innate sense of curiosity that drives them, and bring that into their approach to everyone they meet. One principle this curiosity has created is to ‘always be recruiting’, and to meet with and hear the story of talent regardless of whether it fills a current gap, or a future aspiration.  At the very least it fosters new connections and can spark new ideas.

3. Transparency is critical to culture. 

A strong culture is about transparency and openness in communications. Nat shares that there is a bullshit detector built into employees' psyche..”When you hide things, people know it.” Instead he says it’s about the right time, right balance of information and giving appropriate context to business decisions.

4. Be strategic about growth.

Know where your work is coming from, and when, so that you can make informed, commercially minded decisions about your business's future caution’s CEO Ben Bars. In expansion, don’t lose sight of the current reason your clients come calling because it will take time for the bottom line to catch up. ‘Follow the money’ according to Nat, who despite running a thriving business still starts each day with a quick glance at the financial health of the organisation. For a small business, managing the financial health on a daily basis means that risks are identified and mitigated early.

5. Own your blind spots. 

Be comfortable with what you don’t know, and hire to fill the gaps. A leader is not meant to be a one stop shop with all the skills or answers. Self awareness is key to knowing and owning where you shine, and finding others that compliment your strengths to create a bigger, brighter whole organisation.  

6. Get radical with feedback. 

An open culture depends on a willingness to give and receive constructive feedback. It acts to reinforce what’s good and shines a light on the areas for improvement for all parties. A feedback culture creates an environment where people are not afraid to fail, which is critical to innovation and creativity.

7. Know what a right fit is. 

Doing business right requires alignment. It’s easy to fall into the trap of taking any brief that comes in, but we learned very quickly that if a client isn’t ready to understand their business problem and commit to a shared vision and outcomes the relationship will carry tension and not realise it’s full potential.  Nat’s advice? “Know what a right fit is, and if it’s not right, get out”. That applies to clients, suppliers and partners along the way. 

8. Embrace change.

It’s very easy to get comfortable with success and become reliant on an established model that has worked for you. But, as we’ve all seen this past 18 months, change isn’t always a choice. So many business owners and leaders are victims of the sunk cost bias - that substantial investment into a project or idea means pursuing it even if it’s no longer the best option for the problem or possibility faced. This is where Ben’s leadership strength comes in - he is always challenging the team to do things differently and think bigger. 

9. Know who you are getting into business with. 

Choose your business partner carefully, because it really is a marriage. You need to feel comfortable having challenging conversations and facing tough moments together - not just riding the wins. Nat says the key is finding someone who doesn't mirror you, but instead someone whose differences you admire. But ensure you share the same core foundational values and vision for the business. That and someone you want to spend a whole lot of time with - lucky for us, Ben and Nat still enjoy each other's company after nine years!