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January 1, 2021 / 22:05 min
Kristina Johnson’s priority is making sure that the Okta workforce is equipped with not only the best-in-class technology, but also with supportive and motivational work culture. Learn how Okta was ready to go remote before we knew about COVID, and how Kristina and the Okta team priotitize organizational health.
Top Takeaways
- 1Okta’s remote workforce model was underway well before COVID hit. While most organizations needed to transition their workforces practically overnight into remote teams, Okta was well prepared for the COVID restrictions that forced offices to close. KJ explains that Okta’s vision of a dynamic workforce is one in which people are completely equipped and empowered to work from anywhere, not because they can’t work from the office, but because regardless of a pandemic, being able to have a global workforce means having access to the top talent in the world. It also means that peoples’ personal lives and differences have much less impact on their ability to work efficiently and effectively.
- 2An excellent remote employee onboarding experience should be a top priority. 60% of Okta’s new hires in 2020 were onboarded remotely. Kristina stresses the importance of prioritizing that onboarding experience, as it is such a huge factor in the employee lifecycle. By making the experience personal and meaningful, companies need to find ways to imbue their values and culture into onboarding, despite the experience being remote. Okta has done this incredibly well. New hires are greeted with digital tours of the Okta dashboard to make sure they understand the product indepth. They are also given employee dollars upon arriving that they can donate to a charity of their choice. Kristina is super passionate about the experience being meaningful and memorable.
- 3As a leader, your biggest regrets will be the risks not taken. Like most high-level executives, Kristina’s career path has not been simple or easy. But when asked if she has any professional regrets, her answer is only that she didn’t take more risks. Especially as a leader, the pressure to succeed can prevent one from making big moves and instead keep them “playing it safe.” In reality, impactful changes don’t happen by themselves, and innovative leadership demands courage.
