Category Archives: culture

A Purposeful Brand

“Authentic brands don’t emerge from marketing cubicles or advertising agencies. They emanate from everything the company does…” – Howard Schultz

I was sharing dinner earlier this week with several of my colleagues, and the conversation turned to the topic of work, motivation, and ambitions. One of the more rewarding aspects of my job is to understand what motivates my fellow team members – and to make sure we honor those elements as we build our business.

“To be honest, I just love helping people find work”, one of our recruiters said. “The beauty of working in staffing is that you get the opportunity to make a difference in someone’s life every day”. Prophetic words that spoke volumes about what motivated her behavior.

And I can tell you this statement was a genuine as the day is long. I know this because I saw it in action. Earlier that day we met several of our consultants during a client visit. One of those consultants pulled our recruiter aside to inform her his assignment would be ending prematurely. I wasn’t part of that conversation, but I did witness the follow up. Continue reading →

Focus and Simplicity

“Mastery comes from a monomaniacal focus on simplicity vs. an addiction to complexity” – Robin Sharma

“What you stay focused on will grow” – Roy Bennett

I have always been a student of success in business and have long admired those who are able to achieve profitable growth even in the most difficult of times. Many of my past leadership messages have spoken about the importance of culture in driving this success. So too have I written about attitude, an important element of culture. But today I want to discuss the value of focus and simplicity as two of the most important elements of success in business.

Over the last several months I have spent a considerable amount of time researching this topic. In addition to looking at the qualities that drive our most successful (and least successful) branch operations, I’ve also looked outside at some of the more successful companies in our industry. Believe me when I say this wasn’t a casual effort – I have mountains of data behind this. In the end this exercise has led me to one inevitable conclusion – teams that live and bleed focus and simplicity achieve disproportionate growth, have higher staff engagement/satisfaction levels, and provide better service for their customers.
Continue reading →

The Importance of Grit

“As much as talent counts, effort counts twice. Grit is passion and perseverance for long-term goals—and it is what turns talent into skill, and skill into achievement.” – Angela Duckworth

One of the members of my leadership team recently shared with me an article/blog post from Daniel Pink (www.danielpink.com) on the importance of grit in driving individual and team performance. The article included excerpts from an interview with Angela Duckworth, a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, who recently published a book on her findings and observations on the topic of grit [Book is entitled “Grit – The Power of Passion and Perseverance”].

At any rate, it got me thinking – what is grit, and how can we as leaders leverage this to drive superior performance? Is it something that’s inherent in a person’s character, or can it be learned/developed?

Simply put, grit is a measure of an individual or team’s determination to a cause. It’s a mentality fueled by a relentless persistence to succeed. It reflects the tenacity and perseverance individuals will endure to see things through. Continue reading →

Politics Can Kill a Business

pol•i•tics
noun  /ˈpɑl•əˌtɪks/

a. the activities of the government, politicians, or political parties, or the study of these activities:
b. the activities of people who are trying to obtain an advantage within a group or organization: – Source:  Cambridge Dictionaries Online

I don’t know whether it’s the negative energy coming out of Washington these days or the inherent nature of so much change in this world, but it seems I’ve overheard numerous discussions lately about “Politics”.  Yes, I’ve had my share discussion around Politics of the governmental type, where in the ‘noble pursuit of public service’ upstanding men and women work together for the common good. To be fair, in today’s Politics there doesn’t appear to be anything “noble” or “for the common good” when it comes to our government these days.  But I digress…

Politics clearly exist outside of the government and in every form of our lives – in work, at schools, in social clubs, in community organizations.  And in the truest, purest sense Politics can be a good thing – where individuals with similar interests align together for appropriate representation within the larger group.  If done correctly, an effective and respectful political structure affords the opportunity for differing interests to find the appropriate compromise(s) that are necessary for the group to succeed. Continue reading →

The ‘Softer’ Skills are Just as Important…Maybe Even More

“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think” – Albert Einstein

“No great improvements in the lot of mankind are possible until a great change takes place in the fundamental constitution of their modes of thought.” – John Stuart Mil

As I write this week’s leadership message, I sit 30,000 feet above the ground on a flight to Washington D.C.  I’ve been invited to participate in a series of workshops tomorrow with The Hope Street Group, an initiative chaired by the U.S. Department of Education that strives to bring together the right institutions towards the common goal of developing tools and solutions at the complex intersection of workforce supply and demand.  In other words, The Hope Street Group wants to develop a better way for our country to both understand the specific skills needs of our employers while bridging the gap for the development of the proper skills of potential job candidates in our communities. Continue reading →

Building an Effective Team

“There is no I in Teamwork.” – Unknown

“The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” – Lewis B. Ergen

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success.” – Unknown

“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skill of the others.” – Norman Shidle

Over the last several weeks, it seems I have had occasion to talk to a number of new business owners working to grow their company.  Encouragingly, there is a growing base of business leaders interested in building organizations that accomplish something different, something more.  They have a restlessness about them – a willingness to challenge old paradigms and think outside the box.  There is no shame in their approach as they question their own judgment and learn from the lessons of others.  To borrow a phrase from my friend Mark Cahill, they are willing to “steal with pride”, and I love the prospect this foretells for the future of business. Continue reading →

What Motivates You?

“Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” – Lou Holtz

“The problem, often not discovered until late in life, is that when you look for things in life like love, meaning, motivation, it implies they are sitting behind a tree or under a rock. The most successful people in life recognize that in life they create their own love, they manufacture their own meaning, they generate their own motivation.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson

Ever wonder what motivates people?  Why people do the things they do?  Why some are so focused on getting ahead, while others prefer continuity?  Why some pour themselves in to their work, while others find great balance in work and family life?   Or do you wonder what keeps people engaged with one organization when bigger opportunities or higher pay might exist ‘across the street’? Continue reading →

A Child’s Perspective on Business

“There is only one boss.  The customer.   And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton

I recently had the privilege to speak to a group of young African American boys about leadership and what it takes to be successful.  This particular program (put together and hosted by our own Rick Rodgers) was designed to help these young boys develop the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders.  It included a number of presentations with respected business leaders in the community (CEOs, CFOs, etc), as well as a group project to develop a business plan for a potential endeavor.  In short, it was a multi-day course that will no doubt enrich the lives of these young boys. Continue reading →