Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

When I first started at HORNE, I was based in the Ridgeland, Mississippi, office. It wasn’t long after that I was assigned to a project in New York and after being there for almost four years, I received a call informing me that I would be moving back to Ridgeland. I began to think of all the fun times I had in New York but quickly became overwhelmed with the task of moving in a fairly short amount of time.

Research tells us that engagement is a byproduct of four sequential factors, built on a solid foundation of clear expectations. Team members must know what is expected of them at work and have the resources to perform their jobs before they can even think about engagement.

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.

We often make the mistake of trying to control every aspect of our lives. Many of us have a morning routine we follow religiously. For some, it is waking up in time to enjoy a cup of coffee outside on the deck, catch up on news or stop by Chick-fil-a for your regular #1 meal with two strawberry jelly packets and an orange juice. For others, it is going on a morning jog, getting the children ready for school or having a fashion show in the mirror to find the perfect outfit. Hey, no judgment here!

Regardless of what you do to get going in the morning, it is your routine, and it seems like something you have full control over. That is viable, right up until disaster strikes (insert scream here)! Now it seems the rest of your day is thrown off. We can control the amount of coffee we consume or our morning workout; however, we cannot control the unexpected events that prevent us from sticking to our routine.

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.

At HORNE, we know team member engagement is the only way we make progress on our journey of building the Wise Firm. Dr. Paul White helps us take a deeper look into improving team member engagement through authentic appreciation. 

Last year at our firm’s strategic planning, it was brought to light that a lack of engagement amongst my team was one of the top things holding us back from reaching our full potential as a practice group. 70% of those on the management team agreed it was our number one problem.