By Maya Guthman
Israel, also known as the “Start up Nation", offers all who visit a unique look into innovation, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit. During our first week of as Nachshon fellows, we were provided with the enriching opportunity to to travel around Tel Aviv and engage with different start-up companies. The company of Google was a highly anticipated stop on this start-up tour. Before we had arrived in Israel, there seemed to be a general consensus that Google was going to be one of the highlights of the week. Google's far reaching influence intrigued many of us as it is a powerhouse company affects our lives daily. Not only did Google exceed all of our expectations, it truly gave us all the opportunity to think about the unexpected nature of life.
Our time at Google consisted of a short session speaking with one of the Google employees and concluded with another short tour around the office. As we began the tour, our preconceived notions of Google were reaffirmed and we were continuously awestruck by the powerful nature of the company. One especially intriguing aspect of Google was the architecture of the work space. Google has collaborative work spaces, each one unique to its individualized floor. There are colorfully, creatively themed rooms that truly transform the workspace and revitalize the corporate culture within Google.
Each floor had a different theme to highlight the unique and diverse communities within the large company. However, there was one thing they all had in common; the explicit attention to detail. The first room I walked into was filled with beautiful and realistic orange trees that immediately caught my eye. The trees truly set up the scene for this room and provided a backdrop for the beautiful design. The attention to detail was incredible. Every inch of the room was consistent and even the floor was made to look like a dirt ground dusted with leaves. As I looked around, there were picnic tables, woven chairs, pictures of trees on the walls that illuminated throughout the room, crates full of oranges and other fruits, a wooden wagon that was filled with orange pillows, and as they had in every room, a kitchen fully stocked with different drinks and snack foods to help nourish employees throughout the day. The next room was decorated like a beach. The walls were lined with uniquely decorated surfboards and the wood floor meet the carpet in a wavy pattern that looked like wave. The focal point of the room was a different, larger, surfboard that served as a table in the middle of the room. The Google employees even reminisced of a slide that carried them from the floor above into the room.
These unconventional and open space environments truly foster a creative and collaborative work space. It is clear one of the core values of Google is it's commitment to a creative, and detail oriented, work space. This commitment highlights the company's focus on. The simple things really make all the difference in a place like this. The employees seemed relax and eager to passionately pursue their work. The relaxed work environment truly creates a space of productivity and collaboration with others thought the office.
There are many lessons that can be seen throughout Google. As future leaders of the Jewish community, we must take into account what creates a successful and accepting work environment and community. It was really important that we had the opportunity to visit these start ups and truly see how successful leadership styles are run throughout the world. Google is truly an example of how to inspire and be inspired.
