Inspired By Growth and Renaissance
Like many US cities making a comeback Tulsa, OK has joined the movement in unique way to help rebuild the city. Philanthropic ideas are booming, and the city has just finished accepting applications for the Tulsa Remote program. The program will pay remote workers $10,000 to move to Tulsa, for a year. Including a hefty stipend, the Tulsa Remote program will offer several striking incentives, including a membership to the 36 Degrees North co-working space, up to three months of discounted rent in a furnished apartment in Tulsa’s Arts District, plus plenty of social programming, events, and community-building opportunities to help workers get acquainted in their new city.
This program is part of a series of efforts to attract new talent to the area spearheaded by the Tulsa-born George B. Kaiser founder of the George Kaiser Family Foundation, a $3.5 billion charitable endowment that is devoted to addressing poverty in Tulsa and creating a more vivacious city. The foundation also works with Teach for America to bring teachers to the city and has been sponsoring a fellowship for artists.
Tulsa wants to attract bright individuals to help diversify our growing entrepreneurial community and public spaces. Just this past summer, The Gathering Place a much-anticipated $465 million park, which comes with a hefty $100 million endowment for maintenance and family programming, has been funded by the George Kaiser Family Foundation, with an assistance from other donors. Mr. Kaiser has devoted much of his philanthropic energy towards addressing the intergenerational poverty in Tulsa, making sure every child no matter the demographic has a fair and equal opportunity to learn and grow. He wants to bring families together for the good of each other and the community.
Servant Leadership in Business
Many companies worldwide such as Starbucks and Marriot International are changing their attitude toward how they do business. They have noticed the impact of philanthropic endevors in their local communities. At the heart of this spirit of giving is the concept of servant leadership. A servant leader places their focus on the growth and well-being of people and the communities to which they belong. For companies, this prinicpal can be displayed by empowering employees to make decisions.
Spherexx Empowers Employees Through Pay It Forward
Becca Wilson, owner of Spherexx, an award-winning software development and advertising agency, based in Tulsa instills this philosophy into the heart of her company. Wilson and her team have been so inspired by the phenomenal things going on in Tulsa that she awarded each employee a $1,000 in gift card to Pay It Forward around the community. Each employee chose where to use their gift card. The idea was that servant leadership enhances the lives of individuals, produces healthier organizations, and in due course shapes a more unbiassed and kind world.
Wilson said, “Servant leadership is not a natural phenomenon and must be nurtured, encouraged, and constantly reinforced. Focusing on helping others in your organization succeed versus focusing solely on your own success is a learned skillset. It requires “buy in” from each employee in order to create a foundation on which to build the company. The beauty of our pay it forward model is that we put $1,000 in the hands of our employees and they must decide whether to spend the money on themselves or give it to someone else. If they decide to “invest” it in someone else, then they begin the wonderful experience of SEEKING the best place to invest. This makes you look at your surroundings and the people you interact with in a completely different light.”
An Invitation to Pay It Forward
Tulsa just meet its goal for $1.1B in new developments 2020, a goal attained two years early. For one of the last major cities in the US to go through redevelopment, Tulsa is on the rise and this has created over 5,000 new jobs within the community. It's this infectious spirit of growth that inspired Spherexx to get involved in Pay it Forward. We invite all local companies big and small to join in the concept of servant leadership. What better way to enhance our own community, but to give back.
Pay It Forward fuels the spirit we want to fire-up in every Spherexx employee. It’s not just a lofty moral we display on a banner, it’s a hands-on “how can I help others” way of living life inside and outside of our office.