Josh Finkle

The people of which a firm is comprised of is the most important factor in my choosing a place to work. The type of people who work at a firm is a good indicator of the firm values. Ideally, a firm will hire employees whose personal values are aligned with the values of the company itself.

I tend to view myself thriving in an environment that is team oriented; a place where each member is held accountable for his/her contributions to the success of the firm in accomplishing its goals; where everyone values the continued amelioration of each individual and of the firm; where each member is willing to put in the work required to accomplish each goal. This team includes every person from the lowest employee to the highest level individual. Every aspect of a firm is a result of the people who are part of it. Work environment, level of employee content/happiness, output, growth, impact on clients; these characteristics are directly affected/created by the people who work at a firm. Naturally, I would like to work at a place where the values of its people align with my own personal values. This would "perfect fit" would benefit to all. Consequently, I would like to avoid working in a place where my values do not align with the values of the people who work there.

Because I view people as the most important factor affecting the characteristics of a firm, I cannot make a definitive decision about which type of place to work at. A great group of team oriented people with similar values as myself could exist in any part of the ecosystem from a larger corporation to a small boutique.

Based on my experiences (although they may be limited at this time) I feel that a smaller, boutique is the most likely place in the ecosystem that a group of people with aligned values would exist. I've visited a bunch of these places in San Francisco, Chicago, and Toronto and the seem to hold the values that I myself hold, including a positive/optimistic attitude, accountability, a passion for excellence, continual improvement, a team oriented attitude, and the ability to have fun.