Surprise employees
Not everyone works in positive corporate cultures. Some can be downright awful, and you have to remember that when bringing on new hires. Gregory had his eye on a worker at another company in which the culture was more strict but still successful.
When the worker eventually came over, Gregory knew he had to show that the culture was different and that the employees and leadership were genuine.
“I almost look at it as a relationship,” he says. “If you are dating somebody and they were in an ab
usive relationship, they’re not going to be so open with you. It’s going to take time. But soon enough, they are going to realize that you are a good person, you do care, and they are going to die for you.”
That new employee flourished in the new environment and ended up being a great producer. But he first had to start believing in the culture before moving ahead with nothing holding him back.
You can do little things to get newer employees who are coming from bad environments to buy in.
“Surprise them,” he says. “Be giving. The more you give, the more you shall receive.”
Because actions speak louder than words, Gregory really does surprise people to make new employees into believers as well as to remind longer-tenured employees that they are appreciated.
Gregory once took employees to Nemacolin Woodlands Resort but told them they were going there for a work conference. All of the employees had their notepads out ready to jot down important points from the meeting, when Gregory sprung the surprise. He told the group to get a massage, go horseback riding or find something they would enjoy doing for the day.
“It’s about being spontaneous and doing something different,” he says. “But you get a lot back from it.”
What you get back from it is how Gregory validates spending big money on such excursions.
“It’s morale,” he says. “It’s somebody wanting to go the extra mile to represent the company.
“The whole sales cycle in our company starts with the receptionist that answers the phone. If you are the receptionist and you are miserable, believe me, the experience from the client’s standpoint … is only going to go downhill from there. It is about people coming in and holding their head up high and feeling good about what they are doing.”
Though you might not be able to spend a lot of money on culture-building activities, there’s simple actions you can take to create camaraderie.
“There are a lot of things you can do because money is not everything,” he says. “We didn’t always have the ability to do those types of things. It’s getting up, it’s going over to your person, it’s putting your arm on their shoulder, and saying, ‘How are you doing? Everything going all right?’”
You can also do more affordable culture-building activities, such as closing the office early on a Friday or taking employees out to lunch.
“It’s those little things that you really create a unique work environment that can’t be competed with,” he says.
Outings like these are inexpensive and will give you opportunities to meet people and talk to some employees you haven’t spoken with in awhile.
“Most CEOs sit in their ivory towers,” he says. “They are locked away. They don’t want to get their hands dirty, and they only want to talk to a few layers. But, that is the opposite of what we’re about. These are very simple things, but people in my organization know that I am here, my door is open, and I am always saying, ‘Come to me.’”
While the culture has been a main driver of System One’s success, Gregory isn’t blind to the fact that there is always work to be done.
“This is the worst economy my parents’ parents have ever seen, and we’ve grown dramatically over the last two years,” he says. “We’ve seen tremendous amounts of success. Now I think if we were in a normal economy, I think that growth would have been even more. So, I think it’s all about that. I don’t think I’m done. I think I still have a ways to go with that culture. I think I still have to get all my people to always go to battle for us in a second.”
How to reach: System One Holdings LLC, (877) 505-7971 or www.systemoneservices.com
