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Van

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Elise Van Blaricum

COMS 310
Alex Kirksey
13 October 2016
Meaningful Work Interview

To help more clearly understand the concepts of meaningful work, I chose to interview

my dad, John Van Blaricum. John is the Chief Marketing Officer for a security company called
Kudelski Security, which is a company headquartered in Switzerland. To give a little background
on him and the company, my dad travels all the time. He is most likely to travel somewhere
once a week. He works from home when he isnt traveling, and he often spends half of each
month in Switzerland. When he works at home, he often works strange hours because of the
nine-hour time difference. Kudelski Security is currently building a U.S. headquarters in Arizona,
so once that project is complete, he will be spending two weeks in Arizona, and two weeks in
Switzerland every month. My dad has held this position for a little under a year, but held the
same position at other companies for years.

At work, he is responsible for all of the marketing activities globally for Kudelski Security,

which includes demand generation/pipeline orientation, branding, product marketing,


website/digital marketing strategies, PR, and general communication programs. When I asked
him about the regular communication he has with the people he works with he said he has
weekly meetings with his direct reports, biweekly meetings with other key leaders including
my boss, the CEO, heads of operations, sales, and consulting (Van Blaricum, 2016). He also
said that communication within the company is strong, and that on his team particularly,

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communication needs to be quick and bilateral. He said if someone needs something, ask for
it. He also said if there is a problem try to fix it yourself first, and if you have problems then ask
for help, but he mentioned that it is important to be direct and prepared. He also mentioned
that respect is huge in communicating in an organization. He said, you dont always have to
agree, but you have to be professional (Van Blaricum 2016). During the interview, my dad
mentioned respect a few times, especially when talking on the subject of meaningful work.

My dad said that meaningfulness in his work life is about making contributions to

business, and knowing what his contributions are for the company. He said, its good to know
how your efforts are contributing (Van Blaricum, 2016). This answer helped me better
understand the social purpose and usefulness characteristic because my dad likes to know how
his work effects the company. Social purpose and usefulness is when people want to know that
their work is useful to the company or society. He also mentioned that relationships are a huge
contributor to meaningfulness at work, and he said it is important to know the people and what
they are about. He said, you spend a lot of time with these people, and get to know more
about them and understand them and what makes them tick (Van Blaricum, 2016). This
comment relates back to the quality of relationships characteristic. Quality of relationships are
when you work in an environment that encourages positive professional relationships,
constructive contacts, and good interpersonal relationships (Lecture, 2016). The last point he
mentioned about meaningfulness at work was respect and trust for his boss, peers, and
subordinates. He said, trust is essential in good work relationships, and without it,
relationships go bad fast (Van Blaricum, 2016). He also mentioned that trust is gained by
doing what you say, knowing what youre talking about, and respecting others for their

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abilities (Van Blaricum, 2016). This helps me to better understand the ethical correctness
characteristic, which is when employees are given due respect, including respect for their ellbeing, and the appropriate use of their time (Lecture, 2016). In the wise words of my dad, you
have to give it to get it (Van Blaricum, 2016).

When discussing the topics of what motivates him at work, and how his coworkers

contribute to this motivation and meaningfulness, he helped me to better understand the


recognition characteristic. The recognition characteristic is winning the respect and esteem of
ones superiors and colleagues, and being satisfied with ones support system, salary and
prospects for promotion (Lecture, 2016). My dad said what motivates him to produce the best
work he can is building a good company, winning, and having fun what youre doing (Van
Blaricum, 2016). He said he works so hard because he doesnt want to let down his team or
company, and he likes to win and have his company recognized as the best. He said that his
company members contribute to this motivation through their relationships, and through the
feedback they give and get. He said you have to seek feedback from others, and he mentions
that the worst communication conflicts come from lack of communication.

My dad takes a lot of pride in what he does, and focuses a lot on forming relationships

with people, which is why I believe he is so highly respected and successful. His hard work and
drive is so motivating for me because it shows me how I should want to work. Conducting this
interview has shown me a lot more about my dad and has helped me to better understand
what he does in greater detail.
John Van Blaricum, CMO
Kudelski Security
(650)-966-4320

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Reference Page
Meaningful Work Lecture, 2016. Viewed on October 12, 2016.
Van Blaricum, John. Interviewed on October 13, 2016.

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