Inside Illumio Values: Run to Challenges

Wondering what it’s really like to work at Illumio? This series, written by employees, drills down into Illumio’s core values. Hear from Aly Schaefer, People Operations Manager, about how we ‘run to challenges’ and how rewarding growth mindsets and persistence leads to organizational resilience.

It is easy to look at a firefighter running back into the burning building and think, “wow, they really exemplify the value of running to challenges.” It is true, that is a great, rather literal, example of running to challenges, but inside the leading Zero Trust Segmentation company, running to challenges looks more like resiliency.

In reality, the energy it takes to see something that is not working and take ownership to resolve it is the corporate equivalent of a burning building. It is the act of investing your energy in something that is not going to be easy, especially if it does not fall neatly within the bounds of your job description or personal expectations.

At Illumio, we reward and recognize team members who embody and embrace a growth mindset. Individuals who are committed to cultivating the self-efficacy to challenge themselves, rather than to have a list of easy wins. This is not to say that we do not celebrate victories and distinguish those individuals who accomplish their specific goals—we are, after all, a company working together to serve our customers’ daily requirements.

However, we acknowledge that there are certain values that propel us further as a team. When we collectively run to challenges, we overcome the natural tendency to conform to a culture that only rewards easy successes without considering whether they accelerate us toward our larger objectives. At Illumio, driven by our values, our focus moves away from those who can secure the next handclap, and onto those who can do the next seemingly impossible thing.

Our Slack channels are full of accolades for Illumineers, recognizing others for their capacity to run to challenges. A few of my recent favorites are…

“You know that box that says, "In case of emergency, break glass?" whenever I break that glass I usually find John. I’ve known John for a few years now and he's remained the same:  total team player, crazy smart yet so unassuming. I always enjoy the opportunity to work with John and he always comes through in the clutch.”

“Really grateful for Sue’s leadership this week during a unique crunch. Master of rallying resources and building camaraderie while she’s at it. So grateful for her expertise and guidance.”

These recognitions are just a few examples of how Illumio lives out our value of ‘running to challenges’—rewarding growth mindsets and persistence rather than conformity. If you believe that you, too, would thrive in a culture built on a foundation of organizational resilience, check out our current career opportunities.