Compass: The Path Forward

In the midst of the pandemic, it was a call to action from CEO Bert Bean that paved the way for Insight Global to take on the major task of inspiring other companies to undergo tremendous cultural shifts. During this uncertain time, companies across the globe were learning to adjust to a new way of working via virtual platforms. Some companies had never worked in this fashion before and were feeling the burden of trying to have it all figured out within a matter of days. Others were losing sight of their collective vision and purpose, and many found themselves drawing back the curtain to reveal that they never had any to begin with.

Years ago, Insight Global was culturally broken. While the company was performing well financially, connection and vulnerability was not a priority among employees and leadership was disjointed. However, when Bert transitioned into the CEO role, he brought a fresh perspective on what the future of Insight Global could look like. He had a vision for a better company, with the goal to inspire a better culture for all Insight Global employees. To accomplish this, Bert pulled together the company’s top leaders to gather around a greater purpose – to share vulnerability and connect as people first and to solve problems as a united group. This was the first ever ‘Compass.’ From then on, teams within Insight Global started hosting their own Compass meetings. With more intentional connection-building and vision-planning, the business got better results.

But the transformation did not stop there. On the other side of a Bert Bean phone call was Steve Wasik, now VP of Compass. Before launching Compass, Steve was a Regional Manager over the New Jersey office, and he recalls sharing books and podcasts with Bert, as Steve always had a passion for creating a collective culture. This call regarding the company’s Compass initiative was unexpected and caught Steve off-guard. Bert asked Steve to share Insight Global’s proven Compass process with the outside world – with clients. Despite having a million questions and an initial fear of failure, Steve looked for inspiration by revisiting a book that had inspired him many times over the years. After reviewing the text and placing it back on the shelf, a piece of paper containing lottery numbers fell out of the book. Steve realized they were his father’s, who had passed away years prior. This was, in Steve’s eyes, the sign he needed; an omen telling him that it was time to roll the dice on a big opportunity for others.

Fast forward to the present and Compass has not only grown, but exploded as it has impacted companies across the country. From starting with a small group of 10 people at its inception, to helping Fortune 500 organizations and world-renowned educational institutions train more than 300 leaders to host Compasses with their own teams, this culture reprogramming initiative has revolutionized the game. With a passion for helping others create meaningful change, Steve and the Compass team are on a mission to show people that there is always a better way. During the pandemic, the world of in-person meetings and team building came to a grinding halt and culture became a topic of conversation. Compass has been there for hundreds of leaders to teach them how to act purposefully, formulate answers they need to move forward in a meaningful way and gain the confidence to enter a virtual world of work while still maintaining authentic connection.

As Compass expands, they’re moving into bigger efforts to include Point A to Point B culture change, education to teach and train leaders on the information needed to manage and grow culture, Compass sessions to connect and unite teams and efforts to better understand where companies are and where they can go with cultural reformation. Compass focuses on the concept of root causes instead of buzzwords or abstract ideas. The goal of Compass is to help diagnose problems in company cultures by getting to the root problems and formulating solutions to fix and advance culture in a way that generates results, unique to each and every company. To Steve, this process requires the removal of ego and pride to understand weaknesses in current company culture so that leaders can embrace new ways to improve collectively.

For job seekers, Steve stresses the importance of three concepts while searching for the perfect position: (1) knowing individual strengths; (2) understanding personal interests and values and how these intersect with areas of strength; and (3) finding a position at a company with a culture that supports those strengths, personal interests and values, and offers opportunity for growth in those areas. For managers looking to inspire change in their organizations, Steve emphasizes the importance of being open and vulnerable, realizing that poor management may be part of the problem, and in turn, recognizing that honesty will promote growth and positive change that is best for everyone.

“When you give people the opportunity to make positive change and they do, they’ll be able to look back with pride and think ‘I did that,’” says Steve. “That is what motivates me and my team and it’s ultimately what helped me understand my purpose.”

For more information about Compass and how you can get involved, please visit compass.insightglobal.com.