Culture Matters: Building the Wise Firm

Growing up, there are a number of activities that, quite frankly, were not very exciting — cleaning the room, folding laundry. Things that never disappear entirely but do become more tolerable. As an adolescent, though, there was only one word to describe how I felt about these little, unending maintenance activities: Hate. 

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.

One morning, I was deep in thought, prioritizing my duties for the day. I happened to look down and saw my keychain lying on the desk next to my mouse pad and thought, Wow!

You see, it was once a cute little white metal bear with dangling arms and legs, and the “I Love NY” logo stamped on its chest. My nephew had gone to the big apple a few years back and had gotten it for me as a souvenir. It was still on my keychain for sentimental reasons, even though it was not as cute as it once was. But until this moment, I hadn't noticed just how badly it had deteriorated!

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about a revelation that helped me find my voice. After that revelation, I was volted with inspiration to change. Without change, can anyone be successful?

Earlier this year, I was chosen, along with a couple of other team members, to attend the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of Tennessee Convention in Sandestin, Florida. This would be the first time HORNE would be represented at the convention. Not only would we meet new, fascinating people, we’d be at the beach in October! Cooler temperatures, smaller crowds, amazing food. Why not? The other two team members and I eagerly prepared to register and arrange our transportation and lodging plans. I was excited to travel to Florida for the first time.

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.”

In a world full of tips on how to accomplish almost anything, those “5 Easy Tips to Success” become afterthoughts by the end of most articles. In the presentation “ABCs to Outstanding,” I share tips that will move you from average and ordinary to outstanding. And, just like those articles we read, those tips are easy to do BUT also they are easy not to do. That’s why I focus on daily habits to bring those tips to life.

Using the power of gratitude is one of those tips, and the most impactful I have found.