I am fortunate to work with a great group of people in a beautiful, historic home in a lovely Cincinnati suburb and I can say that I truly enjoy coming to work. And I believe that a big part of that is because We Live By These Values:

• Empowering smart, talented people
• Collaborating with and challenging each other
• Transparent communications to develop trust
• Responsiveness and accountability
• A fresh perspective and positive attitude

Or in other, words, let’s just say we aim to have good Karma.

So, here are five things that I believe contribute to our great agency culture and support our values:

1. We do our own dishes (most of the time). While this sounds rather insignificant, it really reflects that fact that we treat each other as equals and no one feels that they are “too good” to do what is needed. Everyone pitches in– from covering on client work when someone is out to jumping in on projects when another set of hands/legs/eyes—as necessary.  After all, there is no “I” in team.

2. We like to huddle. It’s true. Every Tuesday we meet as a team to talk through what kept us hopping last week, hot topics, new business prospects (and wins!) and what to keep an eye on. It’s also a great way to reconnect face-to-face with each other, give kudos as and highlight our work.

3. We also like to eat. So, we celebrate the holidays with a team lunch or dinner, we host occasional on-site lunch potlucks and we share birthday treats. Why? To build trust by fostering good relationships with one another, both professionally and personally. And nothing brings people together like good food and good company.

4. We have a new Wellness Program. Because we like to eat but because we also want to stay in shape, we recently launched a new Wellness Program. Designed to help all of us meet our personal wellness and lifestyle goals, we are identifying ways to be healthy (think: healthy recipe swaps, healthy office snacks, standing or walking meetings and maybe even some lunchtime yoga).

5. We’re funny. At least we think we are and that’s all that matters. Having a good sense of humor is key—from being able to laugh at yourself to sharing amusing stories, emails, videos, etc.—laughter truly is the best medicine.