Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

A few weeks ago I had the privilege of attending the 2018 Domino’s World Rally in Las Vegas. The amount of team unity and energy radiated by the participants and franchisees from across the globe was staggering. This year’s conference theme was “Drive.” HORNE was one of the exhibitors.

A dreamer is defined as a person who is unpractical or idealistic. I define dreamer with two words: forward thinker. Forward thinking is the act of planning for the future and favoring innovation. Let’s imagine for a moment, a young dreamer with aspirations of competing against the most talented athletes in the most prestigious organization of its kind—the NFL.

When I started my journey with HORNE four years ago, my emotional intelligence needed improvement, particularly in the areas of self-awareness and positive outlook. I knew this needed to change; not just for my professional growth, but so I could be a happier and more well-balanced person in all aspects of my life.

Did you know that you can go get the feedback you need to grow and develop? Most people don’t realize how empowered we are to ask for what we need—including the specific type of feedback at any given point of the day or in our careers. Whether it’s appreciation, coaching or evaluation feedback you are seeking, here are some questions to help you go out and get the feedback you want.

At 15 years old, I couldn’t help it. Sitting behind the wheel, equipped with a learner’s permit, my dad for an instructor, and no prior driving experience, I kept my eyes glued to the road immediately in front of my car. How else could I ensure the road was clear and I was staying in my lane? “Focus your eyes farther in front of the car,” my dad told me. “Glance in your mirrors more often.” It was scary at first, but as soon as I learned to focus farther out, my driving improved. This is external focus—the vision that provides perspective to improve results.

How does one develop a healthy relationship? I was recently pondering this with a friend just the other day. I explained how I believe the most important thing in strong relationships is communication. Regardless of the relationship—coworkers, siblings, friends, spouses, parents—communication is key!

Business investments take place throughout all levels of a company and when you hear the words business investment you might think of items such as stocks, bonds, and dividends. Perhaps you picture shrewd business deals taking place between titans of the industry behind large, mahogany office doors. While you wouldn’t be wrong, I would like to take a moment to talk about a different type of business investment that we can all take part in no matter what our role or responsibilities. I am referring to investing in your team.

HORNE describes our Full Potential (FP) Coaching Program as a strategic investment by the firm that reinforces our commitment to our people by empowering team members to reach their Full Potential, in both their personal and professional lives. More specifically, our FP Coaches engage with team members in one-on-one sessions to discuss career aspirations, then assist with targeted goal setting and action steps designed to accelerate development and bring sharper focus to individual growth and potential. While this certainly sounded like something I wanted to sign up for, I wasn’t really sure what I was getting myself into.

There is an important growth, engagement and learning opportunity that the best teams will make a priority: the after action review (AAR). In addition to regular check-ins and course corrections throughout a project or client engagement, the AAR is a discipline that will help us all to #beEVENbetter. Here’s the great news, it doesn’t have to be a long, taxing process. Here are four questions, with a few best practices, that our team uses to make sure we are learning and growing continuously while engaging every member of the team.