Inc. 5000 Winners’ Dynamics of Making People Work

Some have “team building” pigeon-holed as a company retreat with the scavenger hunt, the mine field, the egg drop, the trust fall and others.

Games and drills are helpful for building teamwork and confidence, but there are certain BASICS that if neglected will undermine all your team-building efforts.

One of the biggest problems for any manager is MORALE.

Some companies assume that to cultivate morale, your office must emulate Google headquarters (the “Googleplex”) and its Android statues, organic gardens, free food, driverless cars and nap pods. But while perks are impressive, they do not solve the riddle of morale.

Morale pivots on one key element, which L. Ron Hubbard described in his article of 14 May 1972, “MORALE”:

“Production is the basis of morale.

“If one can get a unit producing and actually accomplishing worthwhile production, then their morale will rise.

“Thus, it does not matter too much how one starts a unit producing so long as it does get started.”

The fluctuating morale of salespeople is a case in point. If they make the close and collect, they get the commission and food goes on the table. But if they fail, no new shoes for anyone.

An e-commerce company must sell to survive, and one such company has brought their midwestern work ethic to the next level. Based out of Evansville, Indiana, eLuxurySupply.com was founded in 2009 by a former marine officer and Naval Academy graduate.1

From a one-man operation selling sheets out of a garage, to an 8,000-square-foot warehouse supplying hundreds of items for bed, bath, home and garden, the company now holds contracts with Marriott Hotels and the United States military and has branched out into manufacturing.

The company’s founder, with his no-nonsense marine background, defines success in terms of the original 1806 Webster’s Dictionary: generous, prosperous, and kind. “We take care of each other and try to do right by our customers and our community,” he says.

“If you work here, it’s because you have a higher purpose than just selling sheets,” says their GM. “The thing about e-commerce is that it changes so rapidly. In six months, it will be different. So we’re trying to build a team that is highly adaptable that can continue to learn.”

The hard work paid off and eLuxurySupply.com is one of the fastest-growing companies in America, #4 on the 2016 Inc. 5000 list to be exact, with a 2015 revenue of $30.7 million and a three-year growth rate of 23,620 percent.2

If you’ve seen Alec Baldwin’s infamous “coffee’s for closers” scene in the film Glengarry Glen Ross, you get the idea that in sales the only thing that speaks is the signature and the slip. Personality, rumor, opinion—these mean exactly zero to a manager or salesperson. No matter how hard you try, you can’t cash an opinion at the bank.

A Chicago company called Hireology,3 launched in 2010, has incorporated precise statistics (metrics) into their proprietary employee selection platform. Offering integrated job postings, compensation analysis, pre-hire assessments, background checks, skills verification and more, Hireology is used by thousands of businesses to build their teams and increase productivity.

They’ve also worked hard to cultivate a strong company culture, with sports teams, ping-pong tournaments and a healthy benefits package—all while staying focused on productivity, with frequent celebrations for goal attainment and opportunities for advancement based on performance.

Hireology’s co-founder and CEO encapsulates what they set out to do: “When we help business owners hire their best team, we help our customers win in their market. Their families, their employees’ families and their communities all win too. Empowering business owners: that’s our North Star.”4

Hireology clocked in at #94 on the Inc. 5000 list for 2016, with a 2015 revenue of $3.6 million and a three-year growth rate of 3,386 percent.4

The BASICS of morale, productivity, statistics (metrics) and a refusal to listen to biased conjecture or rumor all work together to build respect, cooperation and coordination.

Intelligently applied, we get a winning equation, a winning team.