Reza Investment Group wanted a way to visualize their values. This is the journey to make that visualization a reality.
The CEO came to me, asking to create something that inspired his coworkers. A symbol that reflected the values that the company strives for.
Interviews
While everyone at Reza Investment Group works relentlessly to uphold these values, the reason why each of them got up in the morning were all different.
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Aaron
Managing Director
Aaron has been with the company for 20 years. He is very detail oriented, warm, logical, and no nonsense. He believes that work is work. It’s not something that you enjoy.
He does his work to support his family and so he can do the things he enjoys.
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Cyrus
Vice President
As the youngest professional at the company, Cyrus exudes youthful energy and idealism. He is purposeful, passionate about personal growth, and excited to do business. He wants his work to be meaningful, fun, and something that provides him with a comfortable lifestyle.
He is in tune with himself and his health. Incredibly active, he consistently works out and does yoga. He enjoys tea, spirituality and philosophy. While the company is based out of Irvine, most of the time Cyrus is able to work from home in Los Angeles.
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Ramez
Managing Director
As a broker, Ramez is always on call. Constantly facilitating, brokering, and finding deals. When asked why he does this work, his answer was simple. Family. His family brings him a sense of pride and joy. He is there to support his family and the lifestyle that he enjoys in Orange County. An active surfer and traveler, every few months you can almost always find Ramez to be on a trip with his family in the far reaches of the globe.
Cyrus
Ideating
There were a few types of ideas.
Values-themed-swag
Routines and tangible objects which engaged the things he enjoyed in his life that reminded him of his purpose.
Active ways of engaging Cyrus, such as in choose or write values that he wants to focus on that day or having him take on activities that give him perspective.
Feedback
From all these ideas, what really resonated with Cyrus was the ability to choose the values that he was able to engage with every day. As well as the ideas that engaged with his love of tea. He also re-emphasized the transient nature of his work space, and a need to be able to carry and move around whatever tangible product that was made.
Cyrus Final Product
In this final product, Cyrus gained a coaster with the ability to choose the value of the day that he would like to focus on.
Portable, he is able to take it wherever he is, whether he’s working from home or at the office.
Ramez
Ideating
Since the core of what motivated Ramez was his family, the ideas set about trying to figure out ways that would remind him or why he does what he does. From engaging his kids, his wife in conversation about who is or what he wants to become, or reminders of the values in the context of his kids and family.
Feedback
Ramez really enjoyed the picture frames.
Ramez’s Final Product
Drawing inspiration from Ramez’s love of surfing, the final product was a palm tree with surf boards engraved with the values of the company.
Aaron
Ideating
Drawing on his inherent desire to build and create things, as well as the stoic like mentality he has, I started to brainstorm.
Feedback
As feedback, Aaron didn’t find any of the projects particularly compelling. But, now that the ideas were a bit more tangible he realized that whatever the manifestation took, he would want it to be something he engaged while during his break.
Aaron’s Final Product
The final prouct was one that found it’s place at a place Aaron visits regualrly. The water jug. While there in the office, he interacted with it just the right amount of times. Able to choose whatever values he was interested in pursuing that day.
Learnings
Taking a moment to step back and learn from the project, I would say that I didn’t spend enough time trying “to do the hard work of finding the right questions,” as the innovation group @ Google likes to say. Was the goal to inspire the CEO’s partners? Did they want to be inspired? Was the goal to engage everyone in the company’s values in a way that was organic to each person?
If I had done that the project would have been more effective.
