Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

Why are mistakes so hard to swallow? You know that sinking feeling in your stomach, the sweaty palms and the voice in your head screaming "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!?" This feeling might be something similar to getting pulled over for the first time, discovering your checking account is overdrawn or accidentally running into the car in front of you while your attention was diverted (on something completely not worth the accident). It's a terrible feeling.

I’ve been thinking about something lately. If I didn’t care about what I do every day at HORNE, would it make a difference? As I’ve been reflecting on my 30s, I’ve realized some of the gifts that only God could have given me. One of those gifts is my heart for service. This heart of service is a major reason why I care about my job and how I serve others. My personal philosophy is pretty basic: the greatest results are produced when you care about what you’re doing. But, my reason for caring stems from more than just my personal philosophy—it’s also powered by those around me.

My first job in the corporate world was serving in an administrative capacity on a team with about 150 people. I was certain that I was at the bottom of the ladder, but figured there was lots of room to stretch and grow. Had you read over my job description, like many similar job descriptions in most organizations these days, chances are you would see the following under the list of responsibilities: “Perform other duties that may be required.”