Pros
I haven't had this much fun at work for a while! I attribute this to a combination of leadership, trust, autonomy, mission, and people.
In one of my first conversations with our CEO Kentaro, he told me that "at Persefoni, trust is given rather than earned." At first, I wasn't sure I fully understood what he meant. Six months later, now I do.
From the moment I was hired, Kentaro demonstrated his complete trust in my ability to do my job. And once I experienced this autonomy — with all the privilege and the responsibility it carries — I was able to appreciate the logic of Kentaro's philosophy. If you put your trust in good people, they will do everything they can to avoid letting you down. And if you are hiring people you can't trust, no amount of micromanaging will overcome the mistake you have made.
By embodying this philosophy through his own actions every day, Kentaro has managed to imbue an ethos of trust and autonomy into the very DNA of the company. And because of that, Persefoni has become a magnet for talented, mission-driven people who expect the trust of their teammates and leaders and who do everything in their power to not betray that trust.
And that, ultimately, is what makes Persefoni an awesome place to work.
Cons
Persefoni is growing at an incredible pace, one that is unlike anything I'd witnessed prior to coming here. While scaling at this rate is exciting — and necessary given our mission and opportunity — it can also result in some inevitable growing pains. These can manifest as communication failures, responsibility confusion, or hiring mistakes. Nothing that can't be rectified, but they do require some time and attention to address and learn from.
