16th February 2021
Stories from an Inspiring Leader – Michael Papay
Michael Papay, Co-founder and CEO, Waggl
Michael is on a mission to make the workplace more human by empowering the voice of employees. Waggl has received several accolades in the past year for its agile and resilient culture. These awards acknowledge the balance Michael strives to maintain between rapid growth and sustaining an agile, customer-focused culture, with the belief that an outstanding employee experience translates into a great product, trustworthy brand, superior customer focus, and strong performance and shareholder return.
Building upon the core belief that every voice matters, Michael has made diversity, equity and inclusion a top priority at Waggl, acknowledging that the company is headquartered in a country where people of a different race, gender, age and sexual orientation are not treated equitably — in pay, promotions, career opportunities, education and access to capital. Waggl is committed to doing everything within its sphere of influence to right this wrong with employees, contractors, vendors and customers. The business strives to prioritize diversity of voice and inclusion in every action, and is committed to moving steadily from aspiration to action, as we advance along our journey.” Currently, the mix of Waggl’s employee base is roughly proportionate to the general population of Marin County (currently 65% white, 20% Latinx, 12.5% Asian and 2.5% black, 55:45 male:female). These demographics are very diverse when compared with most technology companies based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Endorsement
“Michael Papay […]is a leader who truly inspires me. I started at Waggl as an intern four years ago and Michael was one of the reasons why I decided to join the team. He truly cares and supports all of us as individuals, both at work and outside work. Two months into my internship, I mentioned that I was doing a marathon and Michael sent me a text on the morning of my race to cheer me on. That’s the type of leader he is and a leader that I aspire to be.”
About Inspiring Leaders
The extract above is taken from the Inspiring Leaders 2020 initiative which recognised exceptional leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic. You can download the full eBook with all the leader stories here.
Inspiring Leaders was created as a vehicle to recognize people who stepped up to help individuals, teams and organizations navigate personal and business challenges, and make a contribution to make their business, their community and the world a better place.
Due to the success of IL 2020, we have brought it back in 2021. We are now open for nominations. For more information about how to enter Inspiring Leaders, dates and fees – click here.