What makes Crossover unique from different companies you have worked for?
I work for Crossover’s client Trilogy, which is extremely unique. I belong to the Service Import team, which conducts due diligence and import analysis. We assess how every service in a company we are acquiring will fit within our factory model. And that is really where the analogy of Trilogy breaks with other companies out there. We thoroughly (and quickly) integrate new acquisitions into our model. Other companies will often adapt their models to every unique instance, resulting in unique processes for every single customer. But at Trilogy, we have an extremely high standard and we align all of our companies and services to that standard. We want to maintain one extremely robust quality bar, and we never compromise. This is ultimately great for our customers because we deliver standardized, high-quality services.
What is an example of a recent project you have worked on that you thought was particularly interesting?
We recently acquired a massive company with about fifteen different products. When you acquire such a large company, the services can be extremely complex and challenging. Standardizing the services within this company has been especially challenging because it’s almost paradoxical; their products are built to do customized work. In other words, their products are the platforms for creating customizations, but we are working to standardize their services, which feels like a paradoxical challenge. It is worth figuring out, because we can take this company to another level of productivity and profitability. We apply Lean Methodology to identify the ideal processes, then we get services mapped over to those processes with minimal waste.
What have you found that is most different about Crossover’s culture compared to other professional environments?
Leadership is applied - not just spoken about - in a special way. Even our most senior leaders have a very hands-on approach; they review, question, and comment on the lowest levels of details in different documents. This is the essence of a practice that we diligently follow at Crossover called “Gemba Walks” - as a leader, you go to the place where the work is happening, and you review each part of the workflow with the people who do the actual work. From a career standpoint, I have experienced growth in my own thinking by observing our leaders applying this practice.
Is there anything you would say to people thinking about joining Crossover?
A couple things. First, the selection process for roles at Crossover is extremely challenging. It’s worth it. The pay at Crossover is far superior to the pay other similar employers are offering in local markets, and the work is far more interesting as well.
Secondly, Crossover is very clear about what they expect of people who work here, including expectations around webcam shots. All companies that respect their employees take productivity seriously. Crossover does it fairly, and - more importantly - they have always been upfront about how they track productivity. Crossover does it to ensure that people are being productive, but they inform everyone of policies before implementing them. This creates a really positive culture of transparency and accountability, and it actually provides a lot of learning opportunities for everyone. I have learned so much about my own efficiency, focus, and way of working. Now I have data to systematically improve my own way of working.
