RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
“companies are forgetting to translate their ‘why’ to their teams.”
Learn how Alicia Henríquez, Head of People at Liveblocks, built the foundation for culture at her company.
As a teacher-turned-HR leader, Alicia Henríquez brings a unique perspective to her role as Head of People at Liveblocks, a developer tool company that unlocks collaboration in digital products. Her work has been foundational in building the company's people and culture functions from the ground up.
What are the essential ingredients for creating a workplace where employees are empowered and motivated to contribute? There are three key factors that drive motivation: mastery, autonomy, and purpose. We ask ourselves: How are our teammates reveling in their craft? How are they taking ownership of their work? Do they see their impact? We find ways to tie our mission of enabling people to work better together through digital collaboration back to what our team does daily.
Why is company culture such a valuable investment? Of course, I’m definitely biased about why company culture is so important, since at Liveblocks I was an early hire (the 9th employee, actually).
Similar to how you wouldn't build a great restaurant with a poorly maintained or stocked kitchen and without clear operating procedures, you can't grow and scale a successful company without investing early and intentionally in a strong foundation in people and culture. At Liveblocks, we call this our operating system (OS): how we bring our culture to life through our people processes, philosophies, and practices to ensure clarity, cohesion and effectiveness in what we do.
One thing I've learned is there are no good or bad organizational cultures— it's all about alignment. If your OS isn't aligned and responsive to business needs, it will limit how far and fast you can grow. You are accruing HR or People debt that will need to be fixed to get to the next stage of growth. For example, if you don't have a comprehensive onboarding process, your new hires will flounder, take longer to ramp and be unable to feel mastery and impact earlier.
After working in several people roles where I had to refactor years of HR debt, I am so lucky to get to establish a thoughtful OS at Liveblocks alongside our amazing team!
💡 HR or debt is when companies lack the basic infrastructure employees need to do their jobs, like goals, career tracks, and role clarity. It’s often the result of teams neglecting to implement HR best practices (or any practices at all).
What specific strategies do you use to build community at work? When COVID happened, all of a sudden people realized culture wasn’t just about ping pong tables and perks in the office. Organizations had to define what their cultures were and were not since you couldn't observe, overhear, or interact with people face-to-face.
Liveblocks is a fully remote company and so our operating system needs to consider how we connect and work together to build cohesion. And since operating systems need to be updated periodically (like your phone), we ask ourselves questions like: What's our strategy? How do we meet? How do we share information?
We recently asked ourselves these questions and updated our team structure to be project-based to enable flexibility to work on a variety of different projects and alongside different teammates. We also replaced our project management tool to increase visibility and where information lives.
In terms of connection, when I was a teacher, my school believed in one hundred 1% solutions. At Liveblocks we recognize that there's not just one way that we're going to make remote connection work, so we're constantly trying a bunch of different things, like regional meetups, our 'shout-outs' channel, or our annual retreat where everyone gets to come together. We even have a few folks getting together to run a marathon!
“Effective teams are built on trust. They need cohesion and clarity on where they’re going, and how.”
As the Head of People at a remote company, what are your thoughts on return-to-office mandates?
Just like how there is no good or bad culture at the end of the day, companies should be very clear, consistent, and transparent about what they are asking their teams to do, and why. Why are we bringing people back in? Or: Why do we stay remote? How is that going to serve our teammates and our business goals?
And I think that's the piece that I've found companies are forgetting, mainly in how they're communicating their “why” to their teams. Can your team explain why you're making them do that? What is the purpose? How is this going to help them and the company in the long run?
If people aren't able to answer that, then that's the problem. Liveblocks has always been remote because our founders are on different continents, our company enables digital collaboration, and we believe you can find incredible talent anywhere. That being said, we do recognize that some of us miss physical connection — which is why we have a variety of opportunities to connect in person.
We aim to always be transparent about our why.
How do you balance a supportive work environment with being so driven to achieve success?
Cohesion and clarity is key. At the end of the day, it's just about intentionality and focus and alignment and how you're communicating that to folks. The most effective teams are built on trust. They need cohesion and clarity on where they’re going, and how. And of course, remembering that we're all here to build a great product that enables other people. That’s at the heart of what I do: making sure that I'm building a people experience that also brings people together, enabling them to do great work.
Lastly, what’s your go-to pick-me-up at work?
I love savory pastries — and currently iced green tea!
Alicia’s journey from a teacher to Head of People at Liveblocks exemplifies her dedication to building intentional and adaptive company cultures. Focusing on mastery, autonomy, and purpose, she fosters motivation with the company’s mission. Alicia highlights the importance of clear communication and strategic alignment in a remote environment. Her commitment to creating a supportive and cohesive workplace is central to enabling great work and empowering staff at Liveblocks.