In the early days of G&A Partners, John W. Allen worked really, really hard. But he wasn’t always necessarily working smart.
“I would advise people to look at how they spend their time,” says Allen, the president and chief operating officer who co-founded the firm with Chairman and CEO Tony Grijalva. “Don’t just spend a lot of time, but instead spend time very, very wisely on the things that mean and matter the most.”
With the professional employer organization in its 15th year, Allen has learned how to align passion and purpose so the firm can focus on its sweet spots to achieve its goals. G&A Partners hones the services that contribute to its mission instead of getting distracted by demands outside its realm.
Based on his observation that his passions sprouted successes, Allen realized that it’s more fruitful to pursue the things your company stands for than to reach beyond your core.
“Of our five operating companies, the biggest is the one that I have the most passion for,” he says. “So there’s a correlation between passion and then the amount of time and energy and creativity you put into a particular business, and I think it ends up manifesting itself in your financial results. If I try to do something that I just don’t feel strongly about, then I’m just faking it and it becomes apparent pretty quickly.”
By keeping G&A Partners focused on the services that will fulfill its purpose, Allen rallies the organization around its passion. The company grew through the recession, reporting 2009 revenue of $362.4 million. With 145 employees of his own and another 10,000 co-employees through outsourcing, it’s all the more important that Allen keeps everyone focused on the path to success.
Here’s how he does it.
