My Experience at Thinkmax
What I have learned
Throughout the years I have sat in many conversations listening as people compare salaries, bonuses, vacations. “If I’m making six figures, I don’t care if I hate my job”, has remained engraved in my mind since I heard it. These are called extrinsic rewards; they are tangible and fairly simple to measure. Although these are important to an extent (key word here), starting my career at Thinkmax a year and a half ago, I have learned they are not a sustainable source of happiness. This is because I have benefited not only from extrinsic ones, but more importantly, Thinkmax’s many intrinsic rewards.
I truly believe employees reach their full potential with intrinsic benefits. That is, feeling a sense of purpose in their career, directly contributing to their personal and professional development. There are three primary intrinsic advantages that I have received from Thinkmax, I am not listing them in a particular order of importance as I believe all three are equally important.
The first is mentorship. Throughout my first year, I have been able to develop many mentoring relationships organically. Thinkmax’s mentorship program has helped me build my own path in our company, allowing me to express my interests, utilize my strengths, become aware of and improve my weaker points. Our diversity has allowed me to expand further from our program to create bonds with peer, career and life mentors.
The second is independence and trust. I have been given more responsibility than I imagined possible within my first year. From training clients, travelling abroad to problem solve, to running design workshops, I have felt a large sense of purpose and feel as if I am on a constant thinking mission. We foster an environment for which I continuously am and feel challenged. The most incredible part is the support from all our Thinkmaxers. If I ever have a question or concern, I know there’s team of Thinkmaxers who will, without hesitation, quickly jump on a call to help.
The last intrinsic reward is impact. At Thinkmax, we maximize and contextualize opportunities internally and for our customers. I feel immersed in contributing toward real world challenges on a daily basis. Within one year, I have had the opportunity to work on projects that I am passionate about on a personal level. One with a client who transforms landfill waste into renewable chemicals, and another who is revolutionizing the pharmaceutical industry with plant-based vaccine technology. These are a direct result of me expressing my interests and Thinkmax acting directly on them to staff me on these projects.