DISQO selected as a Built In LA Best Place to Work for the 4th year in a row

Senior Art Director Megan Pugh discusses DISQO’s servant leadership model, and going beyond to deliver the best employee experience for DISQO Nation

To celebrate the win, we sat down for a virtual chat with Senior Art Director, Megan Pugh – a dedicated servant leader, brand dynamo, and DISQO’s 2022 Best New Team Member! In just six short months, Megan has made a tremendous impact, raising the bar on DISQO’s creative strategy for both our enterprise and consumer brands.

Congratulations on being named DISQO’s 2022 Best New Employee! What originally drew you to DISQO? 

From my first interview with the talent acquisition team to ongoing communications around the process, I was blown away by how deeply DISQO cared for people, even just as prospective new hires. It was clear to me that DISQO’s servant leadership and Agile methodology offers employees the support needed to grow as professionals, but also the flexibility to try new things and fail forward. As both a people leader and employee, this mindset is something I deeply value in a company. 

Between an in-depth onboarding to “Surprise & Delight” touchpoints, including the DISQO ball trophy I received as Best New Team Member, DISQO truly goes above and beyond every single day.

How do you approach people management as a servant leader at DISQO?

With the modern workforce evolving as quickly as it is today, you can always improve leadership. Prior to joining DISQO, I wondered why leadership never paid more attention to their team’s needs. That’s never been a question for me here, because we actually have a term and structure for this approach: servant leadership.

DISQO leaders recognize that they’re not here to dictate; they’re here to eliminate obstacles and empower their team to grow in new ways. I’ve improved my outlook on leadership because I’ve seen first-hand leaders who are willing to listen, iterate, and invest in their employees from the bottom up. It’s an approach I wish more companies would take because when you truly care about your team, they’ll do better work. 

DISQO is Agile with a capital A. What does this mean to you?

Creative teams touch the work of just about every single department. But at most organizations, they’re siloed from others. As Senior Art Director, I’ve made it my mission to leverage this Agile methodology to help our creative team do better. That means seamlessly integrating our team into Marketing, empowering them to collaborate every step of the way. This “test and learn” mentality allows us to remain flexible in strategy and continuously innovate as the business landscape evolves.

And it’s working – when you’re able to communicate openly and share ideas, you develop strong relationships that ultimately lead to better work. I’m fortunate to have a team of talented, invested designers. The hard times don’t feel hard because we make them great. 

What advice do you have for new employees? 

From company-wide Calm meditations to LinkedIn Learning classes, employees are positioned early on to have the resources they need to make an impact. There are always ways that you can be a part of something bigger at DISQO – introduce yourself to new people, ask questions, offer to help with projects outside of your typical workflow. My biggest piece of advice – jump into the stream wholeheartedly! 

Built In LA’s recognition comes on the heels of another impressive accolade for DISQO – a spot on Ad Age’s Best Place to Work. Interested in joining this award-winning team? Check out our Careers page to see our open roles.