Olivia Zhao Celebrates One Year at The Org

Diligent. Olivia goes above and beyond tackling whatever tasks on hand. Because of her tenacity and thoughtfulness, she makes achieving lofty goals such as monthly positions added by Researchers look deceptively easy. In addition to working hard, she also works smart. She constantly identifies areas of improvement and actively brainstorms effective ways to problem solve. As a result, she and her team have become reliable and valued partners to the rest of the company. However, her diligence doesn’t just stop at work. During the weeks of the company wide Counter-Strike tournament, Olivia’s slack bubble constantly lit up green on weekends because she was spending hours practicing Counter-Strike so she could win the upcoming round and not let her inexperience with the game drag the team down. Ok Olivia, you do you!

Detail-oriented. Olivia is arguably one of the most detail-oriented and organized people at the company. The meticulousness of her meeting agenda is next level. When she enthusiastically volunteered to help plan the Fall 2020 offsite, she designed this beautiful itinerary that laid out activities by the hour “just for fun”. Needless to say, her maniacal focus on the lowest level of detail contributes to her impeccable work product.

Selfless. Olivia’s empathy and selflessness have benefited her colleagues countless times. She always aims to see things from other people’s perspective, and is so effective in providing genuine help and support because she comes from a position of understanding. Olivia is the type of person who would rather work more hours herself so she could give other people time off. She is always thinking about others, and her selflessness extends to all areas of her life. One funny anecdote happened at a recent meeting when participants went around zoom giving examples of a negotiation they engaged in. Most people talked about how they successfully bargained or haggled to pay a lower price on something. Olivia’s example of her successful negotiation was how she “forcefully” negotiated to pay a pet groomer more even though the groomer didn’t want to accept her money. Her empathy, kindness, and generosity make her an absolute joy to work with.

Congratulations on a very successful first year at The Org, Olivia! Here’s to working closely together for many more years to come!

And now, some words from your colleagues!

“Olivia! It’s been such a fun time working with you over the past year and I’m sure I’m not the only one who is a big fan of your optimism, work ethic and positive attitude. Your excitement when we’re building out new dashboards never gets old :) But more importantly, you’ve stepped up when it mattered most and the leadership you’ve shown in guiding the Research team to continued success has been so impressive. We’re lucky to have you on the team and I can’t wait to see you continue to do big things going forward. Cheers to a great first year and even better ones ahead!”

“Olivia, congratulations on your first anniversary with The Org! Or rather, congratulations to The Org on your first anniversary. On your own team it’s obvious to anyone that you’ve fostered a culture that lets each individual grow to their full potential, and as someone working cross-functionally with you I can confidently say that you’re one of the most collaborative people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. I look forward to many more years of collaborating with you.”

“Olivia: I can’t believe that it’s already been a year! You’re an amazing teammate and an inspirational leader for your team. Thanks for all your hard work and for always being a step ahead.”

“Olivia truly is sunshine and an incredible leader. Olivia never fails to let the team know how much she appreciates us and how proud she is of our progress. Going off of that, in a meeting a few weeks ago, she made a point to share the fact that upon finishing Zooms with the team, she felt so grateful and lucky to be working with us. She shares her gratitude regularly, inspiring each member of the team to do the same. I know this is just a small message, but wanted to include as it speaks to Olivia’s thoughtfulness, intention, and encouraging spirit! In the short time I have known Olivia, she has made me feel beyond welcomed, valued, and SEEN as a person and as a member of our team. I am excited to work each day and see her smiling face on Zooms!”

“Olivia is a joy to work with and work for (fact: the Research team has the MOST fun). She is upbeat, injecting a healthy dose of positive energy into every interaction. She is a great listener, taking time to understand what you’re saying and respond thoughtfully. She is also super organized and thorough, entering every meeting prepared with agenda items, talking points, and promised deliverables or updates, and exiting with an assigned list of action items.

A people-oriented leader, Olivia actively looks for and creates opportunities that will allow her team to grow — obvious ones like time blocking for team learning sessions, and less obvious opportunities like encouraging every member of the team to share ideas, develop and own projects. She doesn’t micro-manage, but she’s also never far away — if you are stuck, Olivia is a slack message away with fresh ideas or a helping hand.

Last but not least, Olivia embodies every single one of our values at The Org. As one small example, she’s literally been saying “Go for it!” long before that was formally on the list.”

“Olivia visited the Copenhagen office in my very first week at The Org. She went out of her way to make me feel very welcome and at home as well as giving me a great introduction to how the research function works. I hope I at least repaid this in part by introducing Olivia to some of Copenhagen’s hyggliest food and drink spots and the delights of harbor swimming! Olivia! Thanks for being so much fun!”

“Even though I’ve only known Olivia for a few weeks now, here are a few things I enjoy and admire about Olivia:

“Olivia is truly such a pleasure to work with. She always shows up with a big smile and a can-do, positive attitude. She is a true leader, jumping in wherever necessary and hearing everyone out. I am so happy to call her not only a colleague but a friend! In addition to her general awesomeness, one of my favorite things about Olivia is also her love of her fur baby Waffle. Happy one year Olivia, research would not be the same without you!”

“Olivia brings infectious joy, energy and professionalism to meetings, and has made the research team feel especially united throughout this remote year. Olivia, we all feel extremely lucky to have you leading our team.”

“From my first moment at The Org, Olivia has always been an absolute pleasure to get to know and work with. I think she’s super brave for having the guts to come to the US from Australia and then stick around when we entered a pandemic. She also is always on top of her and her team’s work and has done a great job leading the research team. Most importantly though, she has been great to know personally. From her recommendations to me in Miami to our lunch at Taim it’s been great getting to know Olivia and I look forward to continuing working together moving forward.”

“Regardless of the fact that I started at the company so recently, Olivia has been so great! From the day she interviewed me and for the past month or so, she has been such an excellent resource. She has been a leader who truly embodies the work hard, play hard mentality and culture. Alongside being incredibly understanding and engaging, the way that she constantly encourages the members of her team to participate and share their ideas has made my experience here an extremely positive one. Her energy, enthusiasm, and passion is magnetic and capable of carrying over onto anyone she works with. I look forward to continuing to grow under the guidance of her as well as the larger company. Thank you Olivia! Congratulations!”

“I’ve gotten to know some of Olivia’s quirks over the past few weeks — she’s passionate about board games, loves routine and organization, and thinks a chipotle burrito bowl is a mediocre but serviceable meal. It’s been awesome getting to know her and I look forward to one day playing against her in the Settlers of Katan. On a more serious note, Olivia’s absolutely amazing to work with and she clearly cares deeply about her work. She embodies everything we value here at the Org. Congrats on your Org-versary Olivia!”

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