Some say that the corporate world is where creativity goes to die.
Janell Yancey once subscribed to this belief after spending over a decade in the corporate world. However, her perspective changed upon joining Moov Financial.
That’s not to say she didn’t enjoy working on various tech teams during her tenure, but according to Yancey, companies can inadvertently crush creativity if it’s not built into the foundation of the organization. After 11 years in marketing, she found a place where leaders prioritize craftsmanship, experimentation and ideation, and team members are freely given trust and ownership over their roles.
Upon joining the company, Yancey knew that Moov has a reputation for valuing the creative process and providing space for its team members to pursue new ideas. She has since found that Moov encourages team members to question convention and approach problems with ingenuity, all while fostering a culture of gratitude and empathy.
Those elements — creative exploration, teamwork and appreciation — are what drew Yancey to Moov, and in her three years with the payments company, she’s leveled up to the director of brand marketing.
Built In sat down with Yancey to learn more about her role and the growth and culture she has experienced at Moov.
“Moov is truly one of a kind for those wanting to chart your own course,” explained Yancey. “There are countless chances to pick up new skills and take big strides in your career.”
How does working for Moov help you make progress toward your career goals?
No one wants to be put in a box and told, “This is how we’ve always done it.” And having the freedom to explore new ideas is especially important to creatives. So when Moov, from day one, trusted me enough to let me make decisions and choose how I’d fulfill my role, I knew I was in a special place. As our CEO points out, “People are hired for their expertise, after all, so give them the space and support to be experts.”
A lot of places talk about innovation, but Moov creates the space and opportunities for teams to actually do their best work. The people here hire the whole person, not just the résumé, so they appreciate unique points of view and ideas that might normally go unspoken. They foster and celebrate inventiveness, and we’ve really built a culture of empathy and gratitude. They also support professional development through learning stipends that we can invest in classes, books or conferences. So if there’s something you’re interested in, you can pursue it. You can decide how you grow; you’re in charge of your own trajectory. It all makes Moov a really exciting place to work.
What makes Moov a unique place to work from a professional development perspective?
Moov stands out for its commitment to being the best place anyone has ever worked, a sentiment often expressed by our Co-Founder and CEO Wade Arnold. When leadership places a premium on employee well-being, growth and happiness, it creates such a positive environment. Your voice matters, not only within your role and your career growth but also in shaping the business. Being able to steer your own career and set goals for growth and learning could feel intimidating, but the unwavering support we get makes it possible to actually meet those goals.
Being able to steer your own career and set goals for growth and learning could feel intimidating, but the unwavering support we get makes it possible to actually meet those goals.”
How have you grown professionally at Moov, and what skills have you learned?
In previous roles, I was generally given a specific focus and rarely got to contribute across all the phases of a project. But at Moov, I was immediately trusted to apply my experience across all things marketing, including PR, design and events. From early on, Moov trusted me to oversee our annual conference, fintech_devcon, which was an exciting learning experience.
Over the years, I’ve gained a lot of new skills and honed existing ones because Moov encourages learning and collaboration instead of putting up silos around our roles. They respect everyone’s expertise and ideas, and they trust that, if we don’t have a particular skill yet, they’ll provide the space and resources to rise to the challenge.
How are managers involved in the career development of direct reports?
In addition to regular one-on-one meetings dedicated to career development, Moov has quarterly review cycles. These frequent touchpoints are great opportunities to provide feedback, share career aspirations and confirm alignment with common goals. Watching team members receive promotions or take on new roles is truly gratifying. It exemplifies how Moov actively listens to its team members and genuinely cares about fostering our collective growth.
How has joining the company positively impacted your professional journey?
The creative and innovative atmosphere, plus the support of my team, has completely shifted my perspective on how fulfilling a career can be. I’m trusted to balance my work and personal life as I see fit and, despite being fully remote, everyone at Moov collaborates really well with each other. We all show up each day enthusiastic and dedicated to our team, mission and customers. It's incredible to see how much we accomplish in a week, and even more astonishing to witness the amount of personal and collective growth that happens along the journey.
What are you excited to accomplish next?
There’s so much happening. When you’re creating something that’s never existed before, there are exciting projects taking place throughout the organization every day. We’re in the process of broadening our product offerings, building new open-source libraries and growing our community, all while elevating our brand. It’s exciting to work with such a skilled team. They inspire me each and every day. I feel as though I’ve secured front-row seats to one of the most exhilarating and remarkable rides, and I cannot wait to see how it unfolds.
