Page 22 - BV_May-June 2012

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22
BizVoice
/Indiana Chamber –
May/June 2012
SMALL/MEDIUM COMPANIES
By Tom Schuman
I
t’s not uncommon for management and staff to confidently utter phrases like “our
priorities are aligned” or “we’re on the same page.”
Yes, those statements prove to be true in most organizations. But maybe never more
so than at a 17-person law firm in Carmel. In two separate sets of interviews, there
emerged no fewer than five examples of Hollingsworth & Zivitz (H&Z) team members
going beyond “aligned” and “same page” to nearly exactly the same language and way of
thinking. Coincidence? Not likely.
The topics, in no particular order:
• Work philosophy
• Getting ready to do the job each day
• Response to flexibility
• Hiring practices
• No “boss” here
The parties involved:
• Kena Hollingsworth and Christina Zivitz, the pair with their names on the door who have been
best friends for more than 15 years since their college days at the University of Southern Indiana
• Anne-Marie Briscoe, an attorney with H&Z for 4½ years since her law school graduation
• Steve Elmlinger, a paralegal with the firm for nearly six years
• Cassie Dodd, office manager since 2009
Work philosophy
Asked to describe the work environment, Zivitz shares, “We work hard, but
play hard. We have an open door policy. There are no stupid questions. No one
in our office screams at another person. No one feels like they have to guess at
what they’re doing; they know they can go to anyone else in this firm.”
Elmlinger rattles off a variety of extracurricular activities, current and past:
co-ed softball, bowling leagues, Indianapolis Indians games, restaurant outings,
fall family festival and more. “I think one thing they have always said is work
hard and play hard. Come here and get your job done. When it’s time to cut
loose, we cut loose and have a good time.”
Getting ready each day
Hollingsworth, when describing what makes her day, offers, “I just love to hear them tell
other people or see on Facebook: ‘I have the best job ever!’ or ‘My bosses are awesome.’ We’ve all
Hollingsworth & Zivitz
2 Partners; 1 Firm; 1 Team in Sync