When I first started at the Catalyst Ranch four and a half years ago, I never thought I would be behind my own desk here, reminiscing.  But I was asked to help figure out why the Ranch is so good at retaining top employees, and I figured my tale was an apropos one.  I mean, I consider myself worthy of discussing. . .

Anyway, I was in the midst of a career and life change, and the Ranchhand position pretty much fell in my lap.  The old saying about “who you know” certainly fit in this case.  The job was recommended to me by an actress who I was doing a musical with who worked at the Ranch and the next thing I knew I was interviewing for a position and taking a tour of the joint.  Previously I had worked in live and pre-produced radio and television, but I also had plenty of experience working in hospitality and food service; I was an actor after all.  But I had never worked a hospitality job like this one.  For one thing, I had to start getting up at four thirty in the morning, which I was not used to doing, nor wanted to.  For another thing, the uniqueness of the environment and the staff made it a fantastic place to work.

From the minute a client walks through the open elevator doors into the Ranch space, they know it is not going to be what they were expecting, if they have never been here before.  This is all planned; it starts with the design, with everything from the bright colors on the walls and the decor to the smells of breakfast and the cheerful music playing.  But the difference maker is the Ranchhand.  This is the person who is the face and voice of the Ranch, the one who leaves the most lasting impression on the clients who come to think creatively.  This is why we work hard at hiring the best candidates, training them in a way that makes them know they are an essential part of the culture, and keeping them learning and growing, as much as they would like to.  I know that when I was being trained by the excellent Morning Shift Captain, I understood that I was a needed and valued member of a team where everyone relies on the other, for better or worse.  Very rarely would anyone be thrown under the bus for things they have done or not done; that person was shown what could have been done better and how to make it so.  Nobody ever put the fear of God into me if I didn’t get things done the right way the first time; in fact, I was asked if I had any thoughts about how to make things better or streamlined.  This is one of the wonderful things about the Ranch: its’ desire and need to stay on the front edge of what is new and interesting, but what works as well.  Things can be strange and new and exciting, but if they don’t work they are art, not form and function.  We do a great job of finding new ways to make things work better.

I think sometimes that certain institutions have a tendency to not invest in their employees.  Not every person is going to be cut out for every job, but a person needs to be given the chance to prove that he or she isn’t cut out for it.  Here at the Ranch we believe in the people we hire, and this trust and belief in them fosters a desire in our employees to do a good job in their work.  I hope. . .

I’m kidding.  I know it works, for the most part.  I have lived it for four and a half years!  I have seen students work and graduate, folks move out of state to get married or try out the Left or Right Coast, and then some return here because they loved it so much and know it is a place that will treat them like they want to be treated.  I also know they return because they miss working with the kind of people we hire; they are like-minded creative types who do so many things outside of the Ranch.

Ranchhands are clay sculptors, electronic musicians, students, actors, documentarians, comedians, technology gurus, painters, athletes, comic book enthusiasts, writers, photographers, clothing designers, and so much more.  They are from Las Vegas, Rhode Island, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Detroit, Iowa, St. Louis, Minnesota, Georgia, and Baltimore.  They are from Joliet, Hyde Park, Oakbrook, Glen Ellyn, and so many more.  But now they are all Chicago.  They know their way around the city and they know how to find their passions.  They are also the Ranch.

We at the Ranch celebrate the differences in our coworkers and encourage their passions.  For what is life without them?  Certainly not a place that is comedic, artistic, enthusiastic, engaging, or creative.  And that is what we are here for, after all.

John Leen is Catalyst Ranch’s Operations Manager, A.K. A.  Johnny Rotten and Leen Been.  For more info about him, visit our staff page.