Last December 1st we celebrated our 10-year anniversary. Reaching a milestone like that is no small feat. It’s a moment to pause, reflect, and celebrate the journey we’ve taken together. Today, I’m honored to share some personal reflections, as I addressed our team during our celebration party.
Reflections on 10 Years
Today, I want to share some thoughts that came to mind when I was asked to say a few words at this very special event. Ten years don’t come around every day, and I think it’s worth taking a moment to look back.
When I started thinking about these 10 years, so many memories came flooding in—different kinds of memories. From client conversations to the time I got thrown into a pool. And, of course, many anecdotes that are now immortalized on Kaizen’s t-shirts, full of boldness and humor.
I also reflected on how we’ve grown—through crises, the pandemic, and challenging moments—and how we navigated those challenges together.
I won’t dive into every single memory, but I felt the need to categorize them, to see what they tell us.
Key Elements That Define Us
Through this exercise, I noticed that while our journey has been diverse, certain elements consistently stand out and define us as a company. I grouped them into four categories:
- Value Perceived by Our Clients: They choose us because they perceive something different in what we do—something that genuinely adds value.
- Value Perceived by Our Team: What do our team members take from their experience here? What do they tell a colleague when describing where they work? This can be ‘measured’ in many ways, but ultimately, it’s about that perception.
- Structure and Horizontal Approach: We constantly seek alternative ways to organize ourselves, questioning traditional methods to find what works best for us.
- Continuous Improvement: As our name suggests, there’s always a better way to do things. And when the investment is worth it, we go after those improvements.
- Our Culture: A space where respect, collaboration, and humor take center stage.
- Growth: Not just in numbers, but in quality and the impact we generate—our ability to influence clients and continue growing both inside and outside the company.
The Common Thread: Being “Different”
What ties these categories together? It’s not about being better or worse but about reflecting our priorities and how we do things.
If I think about what these categories have in common, the word that comes to mind is different. At Kaizen, we don’t strive to be different just for the sake of it—it’s our priorities and values that naturally lead us in that direction.
This difference is not better or worse, but it’s ours. It’s reflected in how we build relationships, how we think about solutions for our clients, and how we work together.
What We Want to Protect
What do we want to protect at Kaizen? We want to protect our relationships and our ability to make a positive impact.
Our relationships with clients, where trust and respect are our top priorities. And our internal relationships, where we aim to create an environment that allows us to grow as professionals and as people.
This focus on relationships is reflected in their longevity. It’s easy to measure how long a relationship lasts, and we’ve seen and measured this over the years. But longevity isn’t the only thing that matters—it’s also about the depth of those relationships and what they leave behind.
A Personal Reflection
For me, Kaizen has been so much more than a workplace. It’s been a space for learning, challenges, and personal growth. The last 10 years have transformed me not only as a professional but also as a person. And as part of this personal reflection, I invite you to ask yourselves:
-What do you take away from Kaizen?
-How do you imagine Kaizen 10 years from now?
-Where can we go together?
I’m confident that the future we build will be as unique as the journey we’ve taken so far. Thank you for being part of co-creating this story.
And as a small example of what makes us different, would it be possible to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ the Kaizen way?
