A lot of leaders and managers talk about creating great culture and great strategy, but few do.
Last night, I had the privilege of being with a company that doesn’t just talk about it, but has created a truly AMAZING reality for its employees and its clients.
Yesterday, I was at “Dude University”, the annual conference for Facilitydude.com and Schooldude.com. Their base business is to provide a cloud based application for facility departments to manage their work orders.
EMG is assisting them with their field assessments. And, EMG’s NVT Company is a loyal user of their application.
So, what makes the DUDES such an amazing group of leaders, people, employees and company? And, what made last night so incredibly memorable?
Last night, the final night of the 4 day event was the client appreciation dinner.
As I walked into the building where dinner would be held, I heard distant cheering and hooting and hollering. I didn’t think much about it.
As I opened the doors to the building, I see a line of what was easily 100 or more staff applauding & cheering… and not just applauding and cheering, but with the energy of New England Patriots fans when Seattle had the ball intercepted with 20 seconds left in the Super Bowl.
These people were going nuts!
As we walked down the THANK YOU GAUNTLET… I was clapping back to them. Then we started high-fiving and on down the line in this roar of applause all the way to the end where the room was with enough tables to sit half of the nearly 1,000 clients that were attending.
It was such a RUSH!
It wasn’t just applause, it was riotous applause.
It wasn’t just one person, it was EVERY employee in the line.
It wasn’t with the I “need” to be here look, but with the “I AM PSYCHED YOU ARE HERE” look!
They stood in this line – cheering like Super Bowl Champs for over 20 minutes until each and every client had entered.
Such a “simple” thing. Such a “simple” idea, but brought to life, ACTUALLY EXECUTED and done with sincerity and energy.
WOW!!!
The DUDE serves facility people, which are so often the unsung heroes.
They are the people that tend to work in the cylinder block basements, that make sure the tenants of the building are comfortable with heat and cooling.
They are the people that you only call when you have a problem, and that you never THANK!
And, here, as their clients… they were the heroes, the celebrities, the rock stars!!!
It was humbling and inspiring.
Great STRATEGY combined with great CULTURE… when you see it and touch it and experience it… it MOVES YOU! The DUDE has attracted thousands of loyal clients and now has billions of square feet in their software. They have built a real & meaningful community, and their unwavering and authentic commitment to their clients and their product and their strategy gives them the kind of momentum that companies dream about having.
We are fortunate to be working with some wonderful people at Facility Dude and School Dude, and our strategies do mesh incredibly well.
I am reminded of our 25th Anniversary Gala event that we had 3 years ago now, and find myself wishing so deeply that we could have the business model to make a face to face meeting happen every year.
I’d like to run our employees through that gauntlet.
I’d like to have them feel that RUSH of energized gratitude.
I’d like for them to feel as special as they deserve to feel.
We all talk about culture and strategy, but how often do we DELIVER on it in a way that is so visible and palpable?
And, when we do…
So often, the everyday “business” gets in the way.
You end up scheduling an event, and people have to miss because there is so much work going on, or my own head is lost in the stuff that is going on with the business.
We have a wonderfully dedicated group of people at EMG. And, our model and the fact that we have SO many employees distributed around the country makes creating culture more difficult.
It is always lively and fun when we are together.
And, yesterday was a great reminder and example of what GREATNESS looks like.
THANK YOU to each and every employee at the DUDE.
THANK YOU for including us on your journey.
THANK YOU for being exactly who you are as people, and as a company!
You INSPIRE me to be a better leader, to create better strategy, and strive for an even better culture.
HARMONY is about embracing the absolute truth in every moment and moving it toward your want.
The truth is, their leaders see something in EMG, in our strategy, in our culture that fits with their overall plan.
We are both committed to great strategy and great culture that scales. And, they are masters of the trade!
And, I want to personally see this relationship succeed to continue to learn from them, as business people and as a company, and to help take both of our businesses to an even greater level.
My entire life I will remember walking through the GAUNTLET of GRATITUDE!
Yours in APPLIED & INSPIRED harmony,
Nesto