If you ever wondered how CloudFactory is different from other crowdsourcing companies, take a read through the welcome letter that every new cloud worker receives.
Dear Cloud Worker:
At CloudFactory relationships are very important to us. If it were possible I would sit and share this message with each of you, so you could see how much we believe in you and what we are trying to accomplish. Today I want you hear from me about the purpose of our company and how you play an important role in this story. Many organizations write purpose or mission statements only to forget or stray from them later on. Everyday our actions and decisions are driven by our purpose to connect 1 million people in developing countries to basic computer work while raising them up as leaders to address poverty in their own communities.
That's a very big statement that we would love for you know by heart. But more importantly than knowing it, we want you to be a part of it. Visualizing what a million looks like can be hard, so imagine a 25 kg. bag of rice. There are nearly 1 million grains of rice in that bag. Yet each grain can grow an untold number of other rice grains. Its significance is not affected by the sheer number which surrounds it. Never should you feel like your position is unimportant or irrelevant in such a big goal. In fact you are one in a million and bring something that we cannot replace.
Why 1 million? There is that much talent in the developing world that is waiting for the opportunity to come along. Actually, there are millions of people that are able and willing to do this work. Many people and organizations choose to work in developing nations because of the needs or poverty they perceive. We are here because of the opportunity and talent that is available. We have chosen to put our offices and families in the countries where we are looking to hire our talent.
Make no mistake we are a business, not a N.G.O. We are an international corporation with some of the best technology and employees in the world. These jobs exist because we have customers that are looking for someone to add value, solve problems that they face. You have earned the right to be a part of CloudFactory by your performance on the tests that we have given you. Every day you need to earn the right to stay by doing excellent work. There is no technology or business structure that can replace you. Without workers that are committed to excellence in their work, we cannot attract customers that will provide the work for 999,999 other people that want to work as much as you do.
Basic computer work is what we are asking you to do. All that it requires is a good internet connection and a computer, no extra software, no previous training or education. Yet, it is not easy. You cannot turn your brain off. Remember this is a business that adds value and solves problems every day. Learning and applying common sense to the tasks you face are essential skills.
Application of these skills and a desire for excellence will determine whether or not you continue to get access to this work.
So far we have covered the first half of our purpose, connecting 1 million people in developing countries to basic computer work. Now I want to unpack what we envision for raising leaders to address poverty in their own communities. This is where we begin to walk down a path that most companies dare not travel. Yet, we believe that investing in you and challenging you to grow is not only good citizenship, it makes you better workers. It is the way forward for the developing nations where we work to fulfill their own destinies. We want excellent workers to stay as long as they can at CloudFactory but we also realize that you will be growing your skills and value working with us and may move on. It's healthy. A pool of water that has water flowing in but never has water flowing out becomes stagnant and begins to grow unpleasant things. We do not want you or CloudFactory to be like this pool of water.
Leadership at CloudFactory is broken into two components, competency and character. A leader must be knowledgeable in what they do and lead in such a way that people want to follow. If a leader turns around and no one is following they aren't a leader. If a leader looks for their followers and they are all under their feet, they are not a good leader. Leaders do excellent work and hold others up and push them farther than they thought possible.
Competency is measured regularly and is a black and white issue that our customers determine in advance. An excellent example of the level of competency needed is a mobile number. If you write down someone's mobile number and get 90% of the numbers correct, will you ever reach that person again? No. That is useless information. Remember you are paid to add value for others. No value added means you cannot be paid for that work. The quality of your work is evaluated every time you login and you will be asked to set goals to improve your quality every week.
Character is also measured. However, you determine what success looks like. Every week you will be presented with character values that make great leaders and asked what it would look like if you applied it to your life. Then you must create a plan of action to give it a try. Without application knowledge is useless.
Leaders of high competency and character that set their sights on addressing poverty will see results. When we think of poverty we are not focusing on the absence of money but the brokenness in our relationships. You could provide someone who is financially poor with a large sum of money and in a matter of time they will be in the same state they were before. The money didn't solve the problems they faced because they weren't financial in nature, but brokenness in their relationships with their health, their family, their friends or community, their thinking, God, etc. As leaders we will be challenging you to take a look at the areas in your own life and those of the community around you to see how you can mend relationships that are broken.
You have come to CloudFactory with a team of friends and will remain with a team the entire time you work with us. The best way to learn how to apply leadership skills and mend the broken relationships we face is in a small group. As a team you will be working together to improve your competency, character, and communities by holding each other accountable to those goals. Even when we want to improve ourselves, the chances of us following through in competency or character improvements is low until we have someone that will ask us if we have kept our word. No one wants to admit that they failed to do what they said they would. We will also ask you to share these lessons and experiences with your family and friends so they too can reap the benefits of character principles and restored relationships. There will be days when you will want to quit but your team, your friends will be a source of encouragement and support to help you become the leader you were born to be. We are stronger together.
When I share this vision with people, I am reminded of how crazy this mission is. Yet, the most unbelievable part of it all is that it's possible. There are many others who have gone before you and proven that when people work together, set goals, and apply time tested principles in their lives, the world around them becomes a better place. So that's my challenge to you. Accept the challenge set before you and take advantage of this opportunity to work, grow, and be a part of the transformation of the world around you. Welcome to CloudFactory!
Evan Kubicek, VP Workforce
