Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

Managers are responsible for other’s performance and growth. It’s part of the gig. You can’t deny it, avoid it or hide from it. This means when we take on this role we must shift our perspective in a big way.

People say I’m a very engaged team member, I take my work seriously and I go above and beyond. I can’t say I disagree with them. In fact, I can’t tell you how much it means to have the people I work with acknowledge these things about me and take time to give me that feedback. It creates a great deal of value, and I view it as a not-so-common gift in the workplace.

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.

It was a Monday afternoon in October when I received the text, “mama I miss you.” I wasn’t surprised by it and had even come to recognize the polarized feelings that followed. The knife in the stomach knowing my daughter, a freshman at Southeast Missouri State, was lonely and sad, contrasted with the feeling of relief that she still needed me at the age of 19. As I managed this emotional dichotomy, I quickly picked up my phone to fire off a response before my next meeting. Despite the fact I thought I knew what was driving my daughter’s dilemma I didn’t want to make any assumptions. “I miss you too, sugar…what’s going on?” Claire’s response, “I’m lonely.” Followed by mine, “I know it’s hard right now. How about if we brainstorm some ideas tonight after school and work?” She agreed.