I had the good fortune of being asked to speak at the opening ceremonies of Enterprise 2009 this morning in order to “break the ice” and “get the delegates comfortable with networking with each other.” (I don’t think they realized that I HATE networking so my 30 minutes of fun were focused on two things I do to ensure I make a great connection rather than just meet a new contact – but that’s a whole other blog post).
The reason I was so compelled to write today was that the opening keynote was Brian Scudamore, Founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK – a company he started when he was 18 and is now dubbed one of the fastest growing companies in North America. He spoke about how three things led him to where he is today: Systems, People, and Vision.
The second factor really resonated well with me – people. Why? I can’t even begin to count the number of value statements I have read that “focus on people” or “put people first,” but don’t even come close to living up to those expectations. Brian’s story was different though.
Even though they have received multiple awards for their dedication to their staff, they have continued to ask all of their employees one simple question: What can we do to make working here more enjoyable? To no surprise, in my opinion, the most recent response was “more vacation time – 3 weeks isn’t enough.”
So what did Brian do? He sat down with his team and listened. Listened to both their requests and to why they would want more vacation time. To spend more time with their families. Check. So what did Brian do? Gave them 5 weeks vacation! He truly surpassed their ask for more vacation. He also encourages his employees to take at least 2 or 3 of those weeks consecutively so they can really have some quality time with family and friends.
But more importantly than simply listening to his people and implementing the ideas they suggest, is that he leads by example. He takes all of his vacation time each year (yes, even the 3 week consecutive period) to show his employees that a) it’s possible and b) he truly believes in his mantra of “it’s all about people.”
A vision is nice. Written words are great. But actions that are aligned to your vision/mantra will remain far superior than anything else. Don’t just say it, be it.
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1 comment
Anonymous says:
February 6, 2009 at 7:23 pm (UTC 1)
Excellent on walking the talk – something to mention at my work place – very well done, Matt! (Aunt N.)