Todd Graham is fully aware there’s a “me” in software development. But he’s quick to point out that working at CampLife can turn a me mentality into a we mentality—and that’s his favorite thing ever.
“Before, it was a common pattern for me to be working in a job and get comfortable with it, but when more was asked or I started to become uncomfortable with my ability to do the work, I’d start looking somewhere else,” Todd admitted. “I didn’t want to push myself or grow as a person. I wanted to kind of languish and be lazy.”
Then he came to work at CampLife and found the culture to be quite different from the places he’d worked in the past. One moment, in particular, stands out—and it was the moment he realized that trusting the motivation behind his teammates’ methods made all the difference.
“I was at my first team meeting and Tyler, CampLife’s President, got up to start things off,” Todd recalled. “Tyler said, ‘I trust all of you to want the best outcome for each other and for this company. I trust you to have that in your hearts and in your minds.’ “
Todd often thinks of that as a pivotal moment in his relationship with CampLife, and he goes back to that conversation about trust when he thinks of bringing on other people to work at CampLife as well.
“When we start from a place of trust, we succeed together,” Todd shared. “That’s not something I see in the software development industry at large. Starting from a place of trust encourages us to look out for each other, not just for ourselves. That’s what I don’t think I could find somewhere else.”
Soon after that first meeting, Todd took on more responsibility. He developed CampLife’s Mass Meter Entry feature and eased into monitoring the Customer Support channel.
“Initially that role was scary to me,” he confessed. “But, I grew in my willingness to take on things. I knew we’d figure it out together—and that’s not something I’ve been comfortable saying in past work environments.”
Now, he finds joy in helping campground staff and fellow CampLife team members figure out solutions to the problems they’re having.
“That’s easily the best part of my day,” Todd said. “I get the most validation and feel the most valuable when I’m in that support role helping answer questions.”
These days, Todd chuckles a bit when he recounts his work history and his willingness to jump ship fairly quickly when things got rough. His teammates, however, are just happy those rough waters sent him CampLife’s direction.
“I have definitely grown as a person since coming here,” Todd said. “Because I love this company and the people who work here so much, I told myself that when I’m asked to stretch and grow as a human being, I’m going to try to do that.”
He certainly has—and he’s helping his teammates do the same.
At CampLife, we believe in hiring smart people and giving them the support they need to grow. So if you’re a forward thinker who likes to embrace new technologies and find creative, efficient solutions visit our careers page for more information.