Ideasicle Podcast

Sally Thornton, Founder of Forshay and Expert on Better Working - Episode #31

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Today we rethink work, and the act of working. Creativity is hard work. We all know that. But maybe there are things we're doing and cultural conventions companies are following that, if looked at differently, might not only yield better work, but happier creative people.

SHOW NOTES:

  • Sally begins by giving us an overview of her company, Forshay, a very modern recruitment company. You'll see why the psychology of working is important to her.
  • Then we turn her sights to creativity. 
  • Sally debunks the myth that more work is better. It's not necessarily true. Even if you think working all hours makes you look better politically.
  • She describes the "ideal worker" as described by many unenlightened companies - and those are people with no lives who can devote themselves to the job. And then contrasts that convention with what makes for creativity. And it's not this so-called "ideal worker." 
  • Did you know that Ford established the 40-hour work week because Henry found that any more than that, productivity dropped off. Similarly, and more modernly, software companies that add software developers to a project hoping it'll get done more quickly are often disappointed that productivity decreases.
  • She describes a fascinating concept called "predictable time off" and how it can help increase team productivity.
  • GAP piloted a new way of working in response to losing their best people - they loved their jobs too much. So they tried an experiment - a results oriented workplace.
  • Autonomy, mastery, and purpose, are what workers really want. Companies, take note.
  • Sally gives us some tips - workers and the bosses - that can help us all be more creative. Like work more than 60 hours in a week and you'll start acting drunk (reference, the anchors covering the presidential election, Diane Sawyer), or the 90 minute rule, or the weakness of multi-tasking vs multiplyers, and many more. 
  • And, get this, the legal industry, by which the ad business built its compensation model (hours), might be the one paving the way to a new, value-based compensation model.

    • BIO:

    Sally Thornton is the Founder + Chief Curator for a company called Forshay. Forshay is a new talent company that uses an on-demand model, providing ‘just enough’ structure to support their best work, or through direct-hire opportunities. Sally has extensive experience addressing the unique talent needs of the Bay Area’s most remarkable companies, having worked with iconic leaders such as Genentech and Levi Strauss, rapid-growth start ups including ngmoco:) and Sonos, and radically creative companies like Method Home and IDEO. As a thought leader on work and talent, Sally has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, KQED radio, Forbes, NBC11 News, ABC7 News, Entrepreneur.com, ABC’s View From the Bay, and BNET.com.

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    Ideasicle PodcastBy Will Burns