By Mike DuBose and Blake DuBose
When reading the book Good to Great, we were taken aback by Jim Collins’ assertion that “good is the enemy of great.” Upon rereading it, we realized that in order to prosper in the long haul, maximize profits, and build a profitable company of happy employees and satisfied customers, we needed to take our companies to the next level. In 2006, we set the goal of building a family of great companies.
We began reading bestsellers like Execution by Larry Bossidy and have since read more than 50 bestsellers in our quest to construct a checklist of what is needed to build a great company. No one book has all the answers. Even Good to Great does not outline specific steps to build a great company, only the common dominators Collins’ team found amongst great companies.
Based on our research, we determined that cultivating a solid personal and professional development program is one important piece of the success puzzle. We had tried all sorts of approaches to helping our team members expand their knowledge in the past with dismal results. As Peter Drucker said, “We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn.” We set out to do just that—to guide our staff toward relevant information that would benefit them both personally and professionally. Our conclusion: happy employees create happy clients!
In 2008, we created a unique two-part professional development program that ties financial incentives to employees’ efforts. We have not yet heard of anything similar at other companies, but participation at our companies has been excellent, with lots of positive feedback.
Most employees had expressed an interest in making more money and desired to expand their skills if we offered a structured plan. Though we laid the program’s foundation, employees were encouraged to guide part of the plan. Our goals were to follow our company’s purpose of “creating opportunities to improve lives” by:
• expanding knowledge and skills
• building excitement and passion
• helping everyone understand themselves and others
• improving communication, teamwork, efficiency, and collaboration
• creating respect for each other on a personal level
• understanding each other’s strengths and weaknesses
• enhancing employee happiness
• increasing customer satisfaction
• decreasing stress
The first part of the program was named the Live and Learn Club by one of our senior team leaders, Dr. Joel Philp. Participation is purely voluntary, but cash rewards for each activity have proved enticing for most of our employees. Employees formed a professional development committee and solicited input from the staff on how to operate the program and books they wanted to read, then came up with a list of 14 easy-to-read personal and professional development bestsellers for a 15-month period. Mike and professional development committee members read each book to ensure it conforms to our goals.
Participating staff members receive each month’s book for free and can choose to be a part of the program on a month-to-month basis. All staff members are given the list of the books we plan to read in the future, the author’s website, and book reviews so they can decide whether or not they want to study each book.
Team members read on their own time and meet during work hours in small groups of four to five individuals to discuss the books. Each group’s members rotate so people get to meet and interact with new members of the company. At the end of the year, each person will have participated in a group with every employee from two of our companies. Each group meets one to three times over a four to six week period, depending on the complexity and the number of pages of the book being reviewed.
At the group meetings, teams joke, bond, discuss, debate, and share knowledge they obtained from each book. Each meeting is led by a randomly-selected facilitator and every person will serve as group leader by the end of the year. When finished, the group records the main points of the book and turns the overview in for a reward ranging from $300 to $500 per person for each book. Staff members then write an individual one-page reflection about what they learned and how they can apply it to their personal and professional lives.
Since we started the Live and Learn Club six months ago, we have seen 95 percent staff participation for each book! For the first time, we have implemented a structured development program with strong participation and high staff excitement. Instead of being lectured to about books like Good to Great, they are learning and debating each book on their own. This program has become a knowledge foundation as we design our future strategic plan and leads staff to ask thoughtful, informed questions.
The second part of the program offers smaller rewards for self-paced activities like reading other books or articles, attending workshops or trainings, or participating in a mentoring session (as long as they are not part of normal work requirements or required employee performance goals). Each activity earns points according to the hours required for participation or the complexity of the event. At the end of each quarter, employees complete a log sheet documenting their participation. Nearly half of our employees have participated in the self-paced program.
Not every company can afford this type of program, but the rewards can be adjusted to fit tighter budgets. As business owners, we could have taken the profits for ourselves, but we view this program as an investment in the future of the company and our staff. If we help each employee grow and learn, then we help our company provide outstanding services to our clients, who in turn will use and recommend our services to others. We also want to see people grow as individuals, which is why we focus on personal development as well.
Our companies have a long way to go before they reach greatness. However, tools like the Live and Learn Club and self-paced professional development program help to develop current and future leaders and staff within our companies, ensuring success in the long term. Staff members gain motivation to learn, grow new abilities, and receive financial incentives, while our companies enjoy better staff communication and employees’ new knowledge put to use. This program is an investment in the future that we can’t afford not to make, for learning is a treasure that follows us everywhere!
