A year ago, I got hired by Axon, the homegrown Arizona tech company, to help them win the battle over their proposed global headquarters in north Scottsdale. It has been a bitter fight, but not one I’m here to discuss.

Instead, I want to tell you about a crazy phenomenon I’ve witnessed firsthand over the last year, because it seems a bit miraculous in today’s America.

Maybe it’s the people I hang out with – journalists, PR flacks, lobbyists, lawyers, and public safety frontliners – but most employees I know dislike their job.

They grumble about the hours, the abysmal work-life balance, bosses they loathe, and assignments that bore them comatose. I can count on one hand the adults I know who would do it all again, or who consider what they do a calling, not a paycheck.

Then there’s the Axon people. They seem to share a few things in common: They’re smart, passionate, and boy do they love the company.

Standing outside the Arizona Capitol, I asked Rick Smith, Axon’s founder and CEO, what the secret is. How do you get over 3,000 workers to love their jobs like a parent cradling a newborn?

Make work a mission, Smith explains.

“Look, there’s an infinite number of ways you could try to make money in life,” he says. “But when we focus on problems we’re passionate about, that matters. … We don’t just take on a project because we can make a buck. It’s ‘do we really want to solve this problem?’ “That attracts people, because people want to work on things they care about. Nobody likes doing some BS, check-the-box job.”

Sasha Simmons, a communications manager, joined Axon in 2020, drawn by Smith’s vision that non-lethal weapons like the Taser save lives.

“For me, humanity is what’s important,” says Simmons. “You can see that importance reflected in Rick. You can see that humanity reflected in a line leader. You can see that humanity reflected in our janitor at work. It goes across the entire organization.”

Kendall Corragio, a 26-year-old data engineer, graduated from Arizona State in 2020. Five years later, her Axon internship has become a career she loves.

“They invest in you, and they really try to help you advance and reach your personal goals,” she says. “I went through our leadership development program, and it was really impactful because it helped me figure out what I want to do with my life. It showed me that I didn’t have to just pick one job and stick with it forever.”

Coraggio’s smile radiates engagement the way many 20-somethings do – when they discuss music or video games, not work.

“It’s a mix of being inspired every day, but also feeling like the company really appreciates you and wants to see you accomplish your goals,” she says.

Smith has a rally to lead, for a bill designed to keep Axon in Arizona. But first his mind goes where it often journeys when he’s asked a question: To science fiction. To Star Trek.

“We actually just launched our seventh company value, which is ‘Boldly Go,’” he explains. “What I’m doing with that is encouraging people. ‘Hey, take risks. Do the unexpected. Don’t just make the safe choice.’

“A lot of companies don’t do that because they’re afraid. ‘What if it fails? I don’t want to be associated with failure.’ But I tell our people, I don’t think we fail enough. I want to give you room to fail. And if you fail because you were trying for greatness, I’ve got your back.”

Mission, investment, space to fail – it sounds like the opposite of today’s workplace. And it must matter, because I’ve never met a team who love their jobs like Axon’s workers and the man piloting their enterprise.