There's a lot of competition for the best talent around Washington, D.C. and Dominique Taylor has to stay nimble in attracting the best of them to EverFi. Charged with keeping employees happy, Taylor has risen to the post of senior vice president of talent and culture since joining the company at the end of 2012, scaling up her vision of the company's culture as EverFi continues to grow.
How do you stay creative and avoid falling into ruts?
The best thing I have going for me is that I don't come from a traditional HR background, so I always ask why. I push to uncover the root question that doesn't get asked.
What contribution at EverFi are you most proud of?
We have a lot of progressive policies I'm proud of. I'm most proud that we killed the standard performance reviews. They just force awkward conversations and inhibit the ability to look forward. We do quarterly conversations instead, where we look more toward the future. We expect people to be adults and behave like adults, and we treat them that way. People are our greatest asset and competitive advantage and we need to cultivate them.
Where do you find inspiration that's special to you?
I make a conscious effort now to be challenged by the people I work with and the people I'm friends with. I don't want to be in an echo chamber, I learn from people doing very different things. It opens me to inspiration.
"San Francisco is chaotic where D.C. is collaborative."
What is unique about innovation in Washington, D.C?
For me personally right now it's that D.C. is so collaborative, which does sometimes feel like a small town. I helped found a group called DC Talent Pros that is a great source of collaboration. It's a good mix of [HR and other talent managers from] tech companies and established companies. We early on agreed to try not to poach talent from each other, it's about collaborating on ideas because we are all so desperate to hire engineers and others. We are trying to establish ourselves as a town that can take on San Francisco in innovation. Theres a lot of D.C. pride, and we want to make D.C. as good, if not better, at supporting tech talent. San Francisco is chaotic where D.C. is collaborative. And D.C. is unique far beyond just tech.
What job have you had that has had the greatest impact on your career?
My first job, when I had a newspaper route from sixth through eighth grade. I think about it more now that I used to. I have three boys and I'm worried I'm not going to be able to instill that work and customer service ethic. I literally learned firsthand what happens when you fail to deliver. But, EverFi is the perfect place for my unique skill set: doing everything and anything to attract and retain the best talent out there and working across the team to make sure this is a great place to be.
How will your industry change in the next five years?
I think what's going to be the biggest challenge ahead for us or anyone in my position at a startup is the growth spurt. We have to take what makes EverFi unique and special and scale it. It's been small enough to have my individual touch, my challenge is to instill the core values in everyone I hire. We set a really high standard of people and culture, the goal is to see that that example lives on no matter how big the company gets.
What’s something that you do every single day, no matter what you have going on?
I would want to say working out, that would be my goal at least. One thing that is consistant is telling my sons that I love them. Most of the time it's reciprocated if they aren't mad.
Who in D.C. do you admire?
The women in senior leadership at EverFi. It is awesome to work at a company and to have that many female mentors and role models. There aren't words to describe how great they've been at setting the standard for mentorship, personally and professionally.
"Ping-pong tables are not culture."
What would you change about D.C. or D.C. Tech if you could snap your fingers and make it happen?
I would have two. The first is that there would be more engineers in D.C. The other is that I would snap my fingers and have D.C. on a par with San Francisco as a tech hub. Especially with the election, D.C. is seen as bureaucratic and outdated but really there are so many interesting things happening, a lot of them driven by [the Obama] administration. I would have our image revamped to reflect that innovation.
How does the physical office fit into your vision for the company?
One of my things is that ping-pong tables are not culture. Perks don't make or break a company, there's more to it. We do have a table though and I know there's a tournament when everyone disappears. We have a lot of open space, which is really great. I rarely saw space this open before [joining EverFi]. Now, thanks to our friends at [architecture firm] Wingate Hughes, you see it more and more. It's a very deliberate choice.
What does it mean to be 'on fire?'
When the work you're doing results in palpable excitement and that starts infusing your goal, you're on fire. People know it before you even walk into the room, there's that energy around what you're trying to accomplish. That is being on fire.
