Ep 76 - "HR, Human Relationships or Human Resources"

0:00 Hey, man. Hey. How are you doing this morning? I see what you did. How's it going? I see what you did. You know what? It's going well, actually. You know why it's going well? It all hinges on this one thing. We have a live guest today. Oh, my God. I feel like... Dude, I feel like it's been a long time. It has. Just like... It was like pre-holidays almost. Dude, our travel and our workload has gone nutso. And of course, everybody can relate to that. Our team's been growing. We've been recruiting. We've got... onboarding clients and doing workshops and just loving every, well, loving most of it. Yeah. I don't love airports or the airplanes. I don't love Denver International very much. Gosh, we've been there a million times. They do have some good restaurants, but yeah, kind of whatever.

0:40 Hey, who's our guests? We got a... Oh, no, you know what? Let's hang with sponsors first and then let's intro our guests. Do the guest reveal? Yeah. Let's do the guest. Let's do the guest reveal. Yeah. So let's start with Liftify. Liftify is one of those. We have several preferred partners. Yeah, quite a good or floodlightgrp.com and you can see our premier partners and we got some cool things. Something you should know about our preferred partners is that we're friends with them. We like their products. We either use it or we have clients that have used it to great effect. And so we've been able to vet these people. And... Some cases we've been able to negotiate little discounts and things. So go to fulllightgrp.com and go to our partners page. But one of those partners is Liftify. And it's just really fun.

1:20 It's fun when you find other vendors that you can confidently refer because you know they're going to get a good experience 100% of the time. And not all of that us can say that even about our own businesses. You know, it's like 100% batting average, batting a thousand. But that is Liftify. It's been our experience with Zach and his team. Like they got something figured out there on how to get Google reviews. Google reviews are one of those deals. We all say we ask for them. We all say it's built into our mitigation process outline, our people we ask every time. But we know it doesn't. And we have no way of knowing, right? Because, right, you know how it goes. Right. So instead, partner with Liftify, use their system. It's turnkey. It's automated. And they're getting 20% to 25% conversion rate, which industry average...

2:05 It's really fun to listen to Zach nerd out. You can check out our podcast with Zach and he goes deep into it. But he knows the data. And the data is that the rest of the whole Google review industry is converting about 5%. Yeah. Of your customers. So think about the impact of that. If you have a thousand jobs over the course of a year, you know, you're a real strong company. You got a thousand jobs. Do you want 50 reviews spinning off of that? Or do you want 250 reviews? Yeah. And what is the impact to your organic leads that you're getting off your SEO? Well, if you listen to Zach and you listen to other people, it's massive. Yeah. In fact, it may be the biggest free thing you can do for your business is just getting Google reviews.

2:46 And, you know, Zach's not free. Liftify is not free. But it's dang near close compared to what it does for you, right? Yeah, the cost is so low. Okay. Go to liftify.com forward slash floodlight. And we got a little bit of a deal there. And listen, you're not going to regret it. Like we know we've never had somebody come back and oh gosh, that was a big waste of time. No. No, not even close. No. And then of course, you guys know, we often talk about our partner with CNR and specifically our relationship with Michelle. She runs an awesome shop. She's got an amazing media platform. You guys know there's a ton of resources and value. She's always at the front edge of what's going on. I really feel like at the end of the day, it's like what I say versus what she's doing and accomplishing and her team is accomplishing is pretty pale in comparison.

3:29 Yeah. They're just kicking ass. They're doing some great stuff. We just ran into her at the course summit. We met for the first time. It's funny because we... First time in real life. Yeah, I know. It's so weird. It's like... We hugged. We're like, whoa, you're a real person. We're real, you know? There's more than two dimensions. Yeah. But just top of her game. And you know what I really like? And I've said this before... I really do feel like Michelle, in many ways, is a friend to the industry. She's a friend to us as contractors. She has our best interest in mind. And just an example of just how human she is and why I like her, she showed up at the summit and To is her son. right? And I mean, gosh, he did a great job. He was totally independent and just did his thing. But I just, I think that's neat.

4:10 I think it's cool that Michelle is not afraid to be herself and be a human and be a mom, all while being a professional delivering just a ton of awesome opportunity and content for us as restorer. So anyways, and then shameless video plug. I don't know if you can see this, but I'm holding up my CNR mug. This thing is Literally Yeti. It's the raddest swag gift I've ever received. So thanks, CNR. Okay, dude. Who are we hanging with today? Yeah. So at Core Conference, we met Marcy Richardson. Marcy is the head of HR and safety for Guarantee Restoration Services, or GRS, as she refers to. About a 150-person company. It's based out of the Gulf in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

4:52 She's been there five years prior to that. She's been in safety and HR and insurance for her whole career. So she brings an outside perspective to the industry, but also deep. Working with a large team like Guarantee has been on the rise. I don't know about you guys, but we've been hearing more and more about Guarantee. Mm-hmm. But yeah, so we met her. She was super engaging during the conference. You know, one of those people that's piping up and participating in the dialogue and had some really great breakout chats in our in-between sessions. Yeah, she's super sharp. Yeah, so anyway, it's really fun. We get in this talk. We talk about HR and we talk specifically about some of the focus points and initiatives that they put in place in Guarantee that have really moved the needle.

5:34 I mean, they're not having trouble. I mean, she basically said it. We're not having trouble finding people. Yeah. And they're also not losing people. So we were really curious to hear what she had to say. And I think you're going to find some golden nuggets that you can potentially implement your business right away. Copy what they're doing and potentially have some of the same success. So it's fun. Yeah, let's get into it. Welcome back to the Head, Heart & Boots podcast. I'm Chris. And I'm Brennan. Join us as we wrestle with what it takes to transform ourselves and the businesses we lead. Man, I love this industry.

6:15 Marcy, welcome to the show. We are excited to have you join us. We got to hang out with you at the Core Ops Summit, what, two weeks ago? And you've been traveling since then. But man, Chris and I were both... We were trying to do some operational leadership stuff. And we just had this voice that kept coming up with some really great content and great input throughout that event. Yeah. We were just so excited about it. We're like, hey, we got to get her on the show and talk to her more about who she is, where she's come from, and the perspective that you have been building around our industry. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about yourself. So what role you work here in the industry? Give us your background. Yeah. So I'm the director of HR and safety at Guarantee Restoration.

6:57 I've been here for a little over five years, but I've done HR, safety, management. an insurance for 20 years, which is really kind of a gut punch to say that I've done anything for 20 years, right? And that invested. But yeah, I mean, I didn't even know that an industry like this existed until I got here, I guarantee. And now it's like, it's captured my heart. Like, this is just what I live for. I love this industry. I love the people. Everybody just is invested in what they do here. So... Yeah. So, okay. Insurance. I hear insurance background. Producer or claims person, So I was actually a broker. I have my insurance license for PNC and Health Life and AxeBit. So do I.

7:38 That's interesting. We share that. Yeah. That's cool. Do you might say, were you an independent broker then or a captive? It was an independent. Okay. Yeah. In South Louisiana and I did it. Mostly I started with employee benefits and then dabbled in the PNC side a little bit, but that's where it was. So 20 years in HR and safety. That's a long time. I mean, in 20 years too, a lot has been happening. I mean, you've been a professional in a pretty difficult element of any business, but then man, you've been in those kinds of seats through some very interesting transitions. Kind of give us... I mean, there's so much stuff we want to ask you. We're going to find out all the gritty detail, but just kind of give us your perspective on this arc.

8:22 What have you seen happening over 20 years in that area? Yeah, I'd say 20 years ago, it was personnel departments. And you're just checking boxes of what you're doing and moving along. And everybody in HR is really just the paper pushers, right? They're just doing things that you have to do to stay compliant. And in this 20-year span, you've seen it go from checkboxes to the employee experience, to having it meaningful, to having work become more people operation-centric, right? And so you have gone through this whole, where is the relevance for the employee? And not just... calling them an employee, but actually recognizing them as the person versus the person eight to five, come in, do your job, you clock out and you're done.

9:03 Right. So there has been a lot, just more focus of they walk in as an employee. I mean, they're walking as a person and they're the employees, just the one that's behind the desk and doing the job. And so it's been really more of exactly where I wanted to start. And I've thought the, everybody has that old story of that, the image of this old woman, that's this HR person, right? That, No, you can't do this. Yes, you can do that. No, you can't do that. And I've never wanted to be that person, right? And so you fight all of those kind of cliches that people have in their head, but being more people-centric and being for the person and not just pushing the paper around. So it's really interesting. There's been some big, bigger companies. Let's put it that way.

9:43 Obviously, Guarantee falls in that corner as well. where the teams have very intentionally hired these voices that are bringing this people-centric perspective to the industry. Because trades, construction, all those environments, we're the last to adopt this idea that people are people. But some big teams. I mean, Jenny Vande Hei, maybe you've even heard her been on the show a couple times. She's just a real advocate and a great voice for people power, essentially, and developing that whole person. Since you've come on the team, you've been in the industry, about 5 years, right? What was it like when you first got into the industry in regard to that human element?

10:26 What were you seeing? So, I mean, you know, it was the same thing. And well, in this industry is different. And let me say that is that they're going out and shoveling and working late night hours. And so you have to recognize what are they doing that I need to meet? Where can I meet them? And that's where I first dived in is that if I know HR, like I know all the things, the checkboxes, like I said, but I wanted to be better for the employee. And how can I design an HR and employee experience around what these people are going through every single day of what they're getting the calls? I'm not getting the calls. And so my first thing was I jumped in, right? I learned, I went on the follows, I went around with the ride-alongs and figured out what they did so I can create processes and make guarantee better.

11:12 And that's exactly what my first thing is. I've done the certification, the IICRC. And for me, what it's been more transitioning is recognizing... Before, it was always about the customer, right? What is that customer going through? They didn't expect those things to... And yet, even though the employee has a choice of where they can have a job, they're still going through a lot of things too. A lot of emotions. The customers are yelling at them. They're getting the calls at 3 a.m. to go do that sewer loss or whatever it may be. So how can we reach that employee who's getting all that crap basically from the customer, right? And hearing it. And how can we keep the morale up? How can we keep them motivated? And that's what I've actually seen the swing happen in restoration.

11:55 is recognizing, hey, the employee is just as important. And they're the ones that's going to get you successful with that customer. I love that. Yeah, we do. We commit a lot of our thought and money towards... Well, some companies, guarantee included, right? We give so much thought and energy to... refining the customer's experience and how they're feeling. You know, we talk a lot about it at Floodlight, how, hey, the nuts and bolts of what we do, it's important. It's like, but it's minimum expectation. It's how we make people feel in the process of delivering services. And so we spend a lot of conversation around how our customer experience is and all that kind of stuff. But we generally don't give as much thought, consideration, and care to what's the emotional health of our people?

12:37 How are they impacted by the kind of work we do? How are they impacted by certain customer experiences that may be more difficult or more emotional, right? I mean, we do fires and bio and it's like... we don't often really take into consideration the impact of the work on our people. So get a little drill into that a little bit more. Like from an emotional and mental health standpoint, what did you learn when you started going out on ride-alongs, getting windshield time, walking projects with people, going through the IICRC certs? Like what did you learn about your people? What did you see in terms of the emotional and psychological, I guess? Whatever. Like what did you find? So, you know, the one thing that we don't want is people being complacent or having just a wall, like, hey, this is just another job and doing that.

13:25 And that was the one thing that I wanted to really always reach out. And so people are going in there and they were just doing the job. And that's where we were having difficulties with the customer, right? There was just kind of a wall block. And so one of the first things, and it's an older book that we did, and now that I'm trying to think about it, the name escapes me, But Steve Taburin, that's the name of the author. He had a book and we started really implementing it about the empathy. Right. And it's the employee for the mental health is what is it doing to the families? That's the other thing is when they're going around and they're getting those calls, how is the families being affected? So it's just really, hey, I'm going to reach out to you, but we're also going to what needs do your family need?

14:07 You know, what can you be at ease and at peace with when you're at work? Because we've taken care of whatever's going on at home. And so that's the other thing that we forget about is whatever they're dealing with at home is going to roll over and affect the customer too. So really address the whole person. What's going on with you? What's going on at home? How can the things that you're seeing, right? So some of those fires, some of those biohazard jobs, that's going to affect them in their day to day because they've never seen that. And, you know, we tell people, if you don't want to, if you don't feel comfortable with those jobs, don't do them. We're okay with it. We're not going to make you do in some of those jobs, but it's always, it's following up with everybody. It's checking in.

14:47 How are you doing? And having those intentional conversations, right? Radical Candor is one of my favorite books. A lot of people have read it. And one of the lines in there, and I have it on my wall, it says, emotional labor is part of your job as leaders. You have to check in. You have to actually be genuine. When you say, hey, how was your day? It's not a passing comment. You actually need to stop, take the 30 seconds to listen to what they're saying And then you can move on because if you're not, no one's going to feel that genuine connection. And so when you're wanting to talk about employee mental health, you have to be intentional and genuine and really care about the answer they're going to give you when you ask, hey, how was your day?

15:28 And I think that's the biggest thing about going on all of these ride alongs and everything is being that listening ear and hearing not only what they are telling you, but what's hidden in all of those things. Yeah. So Marcy, that's insightful. And I know that obviously some of that comes with time and grade. But we also know people are wired certain ways or lean in certain directions just based on experiences and things that have affected their life. Are there some data points or some time periods where some things you experienced are affecting and shaping the way that you care about employees and the effort that you're putting in to take care of them and understand them? Have you guys put any process or strategy into uncovering those things and being able to... Not necessarily a process, but the strategy is there.

16:19 Our number one thing is that we have to value the employee. That's when you're talking about company values and all of that stuff. You have to be committed to them. and to their well-being. Some of the things that may have happened over time, you talk about 20 years, I mean, the pandemic definitely shaped how everybody shows up and what they feel because you didn't think anything like that could happen. And so we approach things differently when it comes to that. Some of the jobs that we know we've experienced and shown, there's down here in South Louisiana, the hurricanes that we've experienced in the last couple of years When you drive through, that's devastation. You know, even though I've grown up down here and I've seen it, it still doesn't.

17:00 It doesn't set well. It's still a new experience. You're just thinking about all of those people and what they've experienced. And then even our employees, you know, that's one of the things when we have some of those disasters. is we take care of the employee's homes first because we need them to go in out there. So again, it goes back to what can I be the employee can be at peace with so they can go out and be rock stars for us. So those little things just kind of like you were saying, Brandon, of just time, you know, it's learning things, but it's really our executive team being dedicated to the well-being and being intentional and genuine to the employee every day. What attracted you to that HR safety side of the business?

17:42 What even got that journey started? Yeah, that's never anything you're thinking when you're a child. Like, I'm going to grow up and be an HR and safety. That's never on anybody's radar, right? But for me, it's all about the people. It's about knowing that their safety is their health and their well-being is my number one thing. I tell people that I'm kind of like mama bear. You know, that I'm going to protect you just like I would my child, you know, and I'm going to stand in that gap and I'm going to do everything. But that's it. I just have a huge heart and I just want to kind of motivate people to be better than what they even see in themselves. Right. So safety is about protecting people. It's about before anything happens, making sure that everything is followed so they can they're safe.

18:26 They're not going to hurt themselves. And then HR for me is more about that people side and pushing people to elevate themselves. You know, if you've never been seeing the door, you don't know how far you can walk in. Right. So I'm going to sit there and I'm going to push and just continue to drill people up. So that for me, that's the HR part of it. Okay. So you, Chris and I both started laughing. So you said something that gave us both a visceral reaction and I'm not going to go into the backstory of it, but I want to hear you unpack this. So you said that mama bear. Okay. Now in my mind, I've had some experiences with... Here, I'm going to ask you. I'm going to ask you. And I think this is a universal balancing act amongst HR leaders.

19:11 And that is this mama bear instinct that you just described, right? This love for people, this mothering of your team of looking out for their best interests, protecting them, all that kind of stuff. There's a tension, right? That sometimes exists between... your role on the leadership team, the overall health and wellness of the company, including profits, including all that stuff that allows us to provide for the employees and create opportunities, right? And the tension of advocating for the individual employee or the employees as a collective. Yeah. It's like, okay, loyalty to the brand and the overall larger team versus advocacy and loyalty to the employee.

19:53 Does that make... How do you navigate that? How do you know? Because if you have that mama bear instinct, how do you temper that? Or how do you manage that instinct in a way that ends up lifting the tide for all boats versus becoming the employee advocate on the leadership team that kind of gets at odds maybe with other... Yeah, that's huge. Right. So for me, it starts at day one, right? So just like when you're hiring somebody, we have a choice to hire somebody and they have a choice to join us, right? They're picking that. And I hold that responsibility when somebody chooses, you know what, I'm going to work for guaranteed restoration. And we've gone through that process. That's an important responsibility for me, you know, because they've joined. So I'm going to take all of that, their expectations, what they have seen in us.

20:36 And I hold on to that. I own that. But you're right, it is. How do I balance that? You know, everybody has policies that they put in place that we have set expectations. This is what we expect. You're an employee here. This is the culture. This is what we're trying to create. And I am go so far, and I guess, you know, mama bear in that is, but I go so far as to cultivating that. You know, we're gonna continue to lift you up based on the expectations that guarantee has. But if that crosses the line, Or if we're talking about policies, the executive team for the best interest of the company, we're not going to steamroll employees to make sure that whatever that happens, we're not going to just say, you know what, who cares about the employee?

21:18 That's not it. But if somebody is not meeting the expectations or the policies or what we have set as a company, as an executive team, then that needs to come out, you know, it's. whether it's a performance improvement plan, having conversations, mentoring employees, that is where it is. But for me, I always say when we're talking about disciplinary actions or terminations, I will never do that to an employee. They're doing that to themselves. But also, I always look at processes Before I look at the employee behavior, did we train them right? Did we give them the right tools? Have we done everything as a company to support that employee's well-being and health and performance and behavior?

21:59 And if we have and we document it, then that's, you know, sorry. You know, that's where you have made that your choice as an employee now and not as the company. So that's good. That's the balancing act that I do have. That was an awesome way, honestly, to summarize that conflict. And I think this is... Some of the stuff we were talking about, obviously, at the summit is just this idea of what are the actual measurable black and white things that we've put into place to create clarity around winning. So that individual can be held accountable because there's crystal clarity around what they're being held accountable to. And I think you just synthesized all that really well.

22:41 You first, if I hear you correctly, I heard you correctly, you first go to training, expectations, right? And then communication and feedback. If those three things are in place and that team member chooses to fail, which I think is a hard thing for us to say, but that's really what has happened, then we can be equipped to be more decisive when that negative thing has to be done, right? Because none of us love that unless you're a psychopath. Nobody does, right. That was a great way to articulate that. I'm curious, what sort of cadence of communication have you guys put in place at Guarantee? Because clearly there's a special culture, I think, that we sensed from you, just the way you talk about the business.

23:22 We were in our little side chats in between breaks and stuff like that. We listened to the way you're talking. This is always Brandon and I are cued in, not just the words, but the way that you're talking about the business. There's something special going on there. How do you guys maintain that connectedness with employees after they're onboarded, where they feel supported, but there's also the accountability? I think you had heard of our podcast with Clint Pulver, or at least we talked about it. This idea of balancing connection and accountability, both. How do you guys do that at Guarantee? Yeah. So, I mean, you know, the one that everybody says is having one-on-ones, right? But it's more than just doing a formal one-on-one.

24:02 It's having informal one-on-one connections is the way that I like to say. But, you know, when you're talking about it, I'm going to always say day one is the most important, but new hires, I have 30-day check-ins, 60-day check-ins, 90-day check-ins. Whether it's a phone call, we do a quick text, or I see them face-to-face, I'm always making sure that we're having those connections. We have, as our leadership team and our branch managers, they're always in tune to, hey, we're just doing 10 minutes. Let me just touch base with you. 10 minutes in the morning with the entire team. It's having that door rotated and always open. And then we even have, and this is, you know, a softer thing, but we have an employee council that everybody's elected somebody.

24:43 And it's kind of like the House of Representatives for GRS, right? They vote. And then we have just meetings once a month of where they're bringing ideas that they're sharing. How can we improve? And we have so much feedback and involvement with our council that it's really refreshing that people want to, they care so much about where they are and where they live, basically. of getting involved, wanting to share those little tidbits. And so doors of communication are always open. My door stays open most of the time. I feel like I have to pull a number type of mentality or little thing because everybody's in here. But we don't stop that. We are always welcoming improvement and discussion.

25:25 And how can we continue as a company to grow? We're always looking to elevate. And if you're not putting that communication, you're not going to grow. And this is this council. Very, very interesting. Yeah, that's a cool idea. Yeah. I want to know more. So give us a total head count right now at GRS? 148. Okay. And then how big is the council? How many participants? So there's 12. Okay. 12 total. And how often do they rotate? Is this a relatively new initiative or have you had some cycles? No, we've had it for a few years. Yeah. So they rotate every year and we get just on a team's call, right? And so at the end of the year, we have a big company-wide meeting where all their branches, all the employees get together here in Baton Rouge. And we're going to do a lot of And they vote.

26:07 They vote. We give them a little paper ballots and they circle people within their group and their branch, their department. And then we start having those meetings. Everything we start talking about, little ways to improve the company, but also big initiatives. We know a lot of people, things are close to their heart, whether it's cancer organizations, associations. We're doing one in a month called Buddy Walk. It's for people with Down syndrome and supporting that. And we want to support and give back. So every quarter we do a walk and the employee council votes on what we're going to support for that month. Right now, actually, fundraising is due today. It's called Chuck Cancer. It's on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. And they're raising money.

26:48 The company is raising money, the employees, and then the company is matching that. And so the employee council is behind that. And they spearhead those kind of initiatives, too. So, I mean, we want to always give back. We want to, again, speak into the well-being and what's motivating and pushing people, the people, not the employee, again. And those are the things we want to always kind of recognize and start. So... So this is interesting. And it just brought up kind of a thought for me is... So all of us in our businesses, right? To a certain extent, we're in this state of... I always feel like I pronounce this wrong, but aspirational selling, right? Like at the end of the day, all of our businesses are a work in process. We never arrive... And there always is this tension or this gap between what we are promoting, saying, building, know where we're headed versus what is actually being experienced today, right now.

27:40 And one of the things like big companies like Guarantee or any of the teams that are fairly good size, there's a strong chance you grab a couple of team members, you may not get the exact same perspective that you're sharing. Part of that is because you're at 30,000 feet. You know what the team is investing in and engaged in and prioritizing. Whereas sometimes the teams don't see that. So this is a two-part question. So first off, I want to just hear from you, Marcy. How do you guys balance and remain motivated while we're a work in progress? We're aspirationally building a company that looks like X, Sometimes we're at X or pretty close. And a lot of times we're not yet, right? Because we're on this journey.

28:21 And then the second part to that is, is this group, does that counsel, do you feel like it has a profound impact on even when that gap exists, creating some clarity and some messaging around it to prevent our teams from spiraling out, right? As we continue to journey towards what we want to be versus where we're at right now. Does that make sense? I think so. Okay. So, it was a lot. Sorry. That was probably should have broke that up a bit, but just that disconnect. I think it was saying just another, said another way is, you know, as a leadership team, you're so, I mean, I think we were pretty intentional and it sounds like you guys are very intentional. You have all these intentions, but, we're trying to create the company in a certain way.

29:01 And yet at the front lines of the business, it's lost on them sometimes. They don't see what we're doing to invest in that outcome. And I think they think the ivory tower is just whatever. It's just all about making money or we're just making their lives harder with all our new rules and processes. They don't necessarily see the connection at all times between what we're saying about ourselves and what they're actually experiencing in the field. Yeah. And it's like, is that counsel helped close that gap a little bit? Are they like, we talked about it, I think, in the conference. Is that counsel, are you seeing them as a repeater? Are they helping get the message from the leadership team out to the front lines to create more clarity? Or what are you experiencing? Yeah. So the council was actually started because everybody's like, the leadership team doesn't hear us.

29:46 Right. We have all of these ideas and you're not listening. So that's where it was born from. Right. And so some of the things they have brought to us about having more training or I think I may have mentioned this last week at core is that they wanted Spanish classes to be able to speak to our Spanish speaking employees. that we have. And I looked for that and I found a self-paced class. And so we're going to offer that kind of stuff. So they are bringing some of that gap and they're helping actually the leadership gap to them. You know, they're bringing us down closer to where we're hearing more of their stuff. So there is a balance and And every month, so they get together every month and those initiatives and things that they want to bring forth, they come to bring it to our executive team meeting.

30:30 We talk about it. They're sitting in there and we're going through, you know what, why they want this. And you know what, hey, why don't you look at it this way? Or we can kind of work in this, in this compromise type of a thing. So there's always that balancing act. And it's definitely the same things of, hey, we're wanting to do this and we love this idea. Yeah. and bringing it back and they're supporting. So the council is supporting the executive team and then we're splitting it, going back up to the council. And then talking about one of the other initiatives of talking of what they brought to us is everybody has a kid that's involved in soccer, Boy Scouts, dance or different things? And how can we always continue to give back? And it's another thing to keep us understanding, again, where they are from is that as a company, we give to all of their organizations.

31:17 We're going to give $100 or $500 and it's depending on years of service. So if a employee has been here for a year and they have a child that's in soccer and they want to put in their and add in their little handout and their flyer or their program that they give, we're giving it back to them. And so what it's doing us, because as we grow, you know that you can't be in touch with everybody, right? And that's the way that the council is really kind of that stand in the gap for the leadership team and everybody, you know, the employees that we don't get to see on a regular basis. Yeah, I like that. That's a really interesting. Do you feel like there's a team size before something like that is relevant? Mm-mm. No, I think that you can always, you know, every team, every company has great thinkers, great idea makers, great collaborators, and they want to be that person.

32:07 You know, you have somebody that can just be a technician and say, you know what, I have this great idea for this process to be better. Why not listen? Why not engage? And sometimes they're, for whatever reason, timid. It could not even be that they feel like they can't go. They just don't have that personality to bring that idea to somebody. And you use the counsel or use whatever you want to call it as a method to, hey, let's have that person be able to bring that idea to the forefront. And it just helps create that pathway of giving more value to the employee and to the ideas or thoughts that they may have. Yeah, I love that. So there's probably a little less intimidation for somebody to share an idea with a peer than coming formally in front of a leadership team or whatever and giving that perspective.

32:52 I could see how that's pretty darn intimidating for the average person. There was a specific way you said that, though, going back to the impact that it's had and the way it's worked in your guys' business. It's almost the opposite of what I was referring to, I guess, is has the council... I think my question was, has the council helped close the gap between what the leadership is trying to communicate to the downline and what they actually perceive and receive? Has the council become an advocate for the leadership team down through the ranks, so to speak? And what I heard you say, which is very interesting... is that instead, it's helped pull the leadership team down into the ranks. So the leadership team can better understand what it's like for the employees.

33:34 So in a sense, they've given a voice to the front lines, which I think I was asking, has it given a voice to the leadership team in the front? And so that's a really interesting distinction, right? Yeah. The council is helping the front lines feel comfortable and confident to send that feedback up to leadership, which I think is far more valuable because then it helps us as a leadership team figure out what are the real opportunities and problems. We've been going through this book, The Road Less Stupid by Keith Cunningham. And he talks about this, how often as leaders, we go off on solving a problem before we even know if it's the real problem. Just because of our perspective, we have a limited view. Right. And a lot of times it's our frontline team members, our technician staff, our job coordinators and stuff that see things way more clearly than we do because we're no longer on the frontline scene on the battlefield, so to speak.

34:25 And so anyway, I just that that distinction you made feels really important. No, that's it. When you're always at a 30,000 foot view, you're missing what's at 500, right? And so you want to kind of always just be there. I mean, to hear what they're going through and all the times we can, like you said, we can always have these great ideas of what we're wanting to do. But do we really know if they're going to be effective? Because just they sound good and you don't really know. And so it's always making sure we're having their level and their viewpoint of stuff and that we're not blinded because we're just always up here. Yeah, that totally makes sense. That totally makes sense. Do you ever find, has there been any learning curve, I guess, to... I think when some employees discover they have a voice, some of the things they say and ask for and advocate for don't make sense.

35:13 Like they don't make sense for the general good of the company or for the growth of the company. And there's the risk, right? You give people a voice, they use it. And then I imagine there's a risk of them feeling rejected if it's like, yeah, we're not going to go that direction. Have you guys dealt with any of that where there's been some hurt feelings or there's people felt rejected or they felt like they haven't been heard because their idea wasn't implemented? I'm already seeing the smile. So there must be some. Yeah. I mean, you're always going to have that one off. The thing that when the employee council starts off every year, I'm involved and I tell them, you know, the point of this is we come to collectively collaborate together. What is the best idea?

35:53 And let's think through it. Right. And so it's not just necessarily one idea, one person coming together. It's the council come making sure, you know what? This is an important idea to bring to the team. This is not so good. What are our priorities? Right. So trying to push that together. But has there been those cases? Yes. You know, and it's really explaining what's good for one may not be good for the whole, but then what can I help you with on that one thing? Right. Is there something, a class, is there some, something I can offer to you that can suffice this just for you? So a lot of times, and I can't think of anything right now, but we definitely try to, I work with that individual. If it's going to help them, that may not be work best for the group.

36:37 Yeah, that's interesting. That is a more deliberate way to address that versus, yeah, we just kind of try to balance it, right? That's an interesting way to put that. But now, did I hear you correctly? So that council for a certain, at least to a certain extent, they're actually filtering some of those ideas before they're formally brought to the executive team. They're on their own trying to weight that and say, is this really a collective opportunity or is this an individual opportunity? Yeah. Absolutely. No. So we even have an email address, GRS counsel, and that all those council members get. And so everybody can just put those suggestions. They look through those suggestions and just say, you know what, this one, not right now. Yeah, I think this would be a good fit for us right now.

37:19 So they are discerning and going down whatever suggestions to bring forth to the executive team. And then they also do have a history of what has worked and what previous councils have done in the past versus not. So we are always trying to continue to move things forward. So we're not just getting a whole bunch of stuff. Pizza and beer on Friday. Exactly. Although I like that. Yeah. How long? Yeah. Pizza and beer is always positive generally. How long has the council been in place? Is this something you enacted when you came in five years ago or... No, it was already in for the first year, but it needed a little help, right? Because it ended up just being a complaint hour is really what it ended up being.

37:59 So we had to kind of put a little more structure to it and what it is and have them own up. You know, take their, if you're going to be voted in, first of all, when they are voted, I asked, hey, do you really want to participate? Is this something that you really are interested in doing? And when they say yes, then hey, these are what we're going to do. This is the goal. And all of them do own up to the value of it within the organization. I'm jumping in. You took too long. How do you... coach and mentor these folks? Or are you? Because it seems like to me, if I'm putting the responsibility of filtering some of these concepts and these thoughts and suggestions, boy, I don't know if I want to just let somebody filter that with no input or perspective from the team, right?

38:42 What do you guys do there? How do you nurture that? How do you coach and mentor that team to filter well? So for the first few sessions of the year, I do listen in, you know, and I want to hear how they're talking and what they're processing. And I will course correct during the counselor say, you know what? I think that's a good idea, but here why it's probably not going to go. Right. So I do listen. And so I am involved in those first really four or five months. And then after I kind of let them do their own thing. Okay. And that's every year that you kind of initiate that first quarter or whatever, being heavily engaged and then, okay. Hey friends, hey listeners. We're doing something a little bit different with our ads.

39:23 So you've been accustomed to hearing some ads with our favorite partners and companies in the industry. Now we actually have a product page, our partners page on our website. So floodlightgrp.com forward slash partners. I want to give you a quick rundown though of the people that we're partnering with and we believe in as really go-to resources in the industry. The first one is restorationerp.com, right? ERPs are an important part of our sales process, our customer development process. And why reinvent the wheel? The Restoration ERP platform is awesome. It can be customized to your business branding and all that kind of stuff. It has all the components to really create a value add for your commercial client. Accelerate Job Management Software. Everybody needs job management software.

40:05 And we have just found Accelerate, not only is their team just really great to work with, when they get ideas from customers, they throw it into the product roadmap and they implement it. They're really advocating for the contractor and trying to create a software solution that works for them. Actionable insights. We recommend actionable insights all the time, right? All of us as restoration operators are looking for turnkey resources and training solutions that we can take our team to the next level. And AI, when it comes to estimating and Matterport and a lot of the other essential tools we're using, They're an awesome resource and they're always coming out with new great stuff. Yeah, super influential in the industry. Super Tech University, soft skills development training for your technicians, for your frontline personnel.

40:51 Let's face it, frontline personnel are the heartbeat of our company. They are the ones that connect with our clients and create the customer experience. There's no better investment than investing in technology. the ability for those individuals to represent themselves, our clients, and our brands well. So Super Tech University, Surety, they essentially are cutting down this lifecycle between delivering service and then getting paid, stepping in, removing the middleman in terms of mortgage companies, refining that pipeline, making sure that there's as least friction as possible. So we can go out and do a great job and then our businesses don't suffer while we're waiting to get paid. The money's coming and it's coming quickly. Yeah. And then the last one, guys, is Liftify.

41:32 It's kind of a newer entry to the industry. They're driving Google reviews. So they're a turnkey partner that we can literally go out, provide a great customer experience, hand that name off to our trusted partner in Liftify, and have them go chase that Google review. 25% conversion rate, which is industry-wide. People tend to average 5% of the people you ask for review actually convert. Liftify bumps that to 25%. We were such a big believer. We were a customer and they've been generating all of our floodlight reviews. And in a matter of a week and a half, we're up to, I don't know, close to 15 reviews in just a short period of time. And I think people just underestimate what happens organically with your SEO search activity when you're getting these new and active five-star reviews from our clients.

42:15 And we just can't let the pedal up on that because of the effect on our business as long time. It's a big deal. So check it out. Check out our partners page. Do business with them. You won't regret it. We're confident in that. floodlightgrp.com forward slash partners. Thanks, guys. Should I raise my hand? Hold on. Give me a second. Let my brain fire up. No, what I was just going to say is it sounds like a very effective leadership development tool. Yeah. Have you seen the fruit of that? Have people's participation on that council? Have some, I imagine not all, but have some really just blossomed under that opportunity? And have they started to take on...

42:56 more of a self-driven leadership role within their roles in the company? Have you seen it as a leadership tool over these last few years? Absolutely. It's amazing when somebody has an idea in front of them, and then they work through that process, and it gets approved by the leadership team, and then they actually see it implemented. I mean, it's a big deal for somebody who had that idea. And so what it does is you're exactly... It lights a fire under somebody to... every day, their paperwork, who they're mentoring, who else is on their team, how they're showing up. Because there is, they feel, it's not an importance, but just a sense of value and then a commitment to the company. And then, again, when something is implemented and they say, you know what, I worked hard on this to get it done and the team did it.

43:42 And now it's actually part of GRS culture and procedure or whatever. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Yeah, pride and ownership. And yeah, it's really interesting. Okay, so... It's like true succession planning, really. True succession planning. Like creating a pipeline for it. It's very interesting. I want to dive a little bit deeper in this culture thing because we talked about this beforehand and you had a really fun, snappy response actually at the conference. I told you one of our clients, one of our consulting clients was recruiting for a position... And we interviewed somebody. We did. We sat in on an interview with our client for somebody to guarantee. And ultimately, I think even offered to best their current comp and whatever. And they're like, not interested.

44:22 And we all headhunt each other. And the person with the best story wins. It's really just the money. And I always take notice when we miss somebody, when they stay at their current company, because it tells me something about that business. Because it's rarely about money. It's usually about what's my experience like? Am I respected? All those kinds of things. And so can you talk about... This council thing is really cool. But what other ways do you guys go about affecting culture and helping people feel a part and cared for? Like, what is it that's driving your attention and your recruiting right now? Because one thing I haven't heard you say is that you guys are struggling with recruiting.

45:02 I'm sure you are to some degree with like everybody else. with a team of 150, you're doing something right. So tell us more, what are some of the other focus points that are driving that culture? So for me, culture, it starts before they're even, they apply, right? When I am looking for a potential candidate for a potential employee, I know that everything my legwork before, I had to get right. you know, social media is a big thing for us here. I guarantee there's our CEO puts a lot of videos out, but it's what are we conveying to everybody? And then once we have put that job posting out, making sure how it's reading. And then I do have a full-time recruiter on staff.

45:44 So we talk about, I don't have, or we don't have as a company, any kind of labor issues, because I do have somebody that's always there and on it and just dedicated to doing that. And That process alone is, I think, very important to making sure somebody stays. I can't tell you how many times I've heard, hey, you know what? Fallon, she was phenomenal. She got me everything. She was on point. She answered questions. And I think, again, who you have on staff admin-wise, not just we're talking about customer experience, but the employee experience on the admin side of putting out there and making sure that your brand and your company and your culture is being communicated in that process as well.

46:25 Day one, when they walk through the door, how they're greeted, what they receive is important to that culture. It's bringing them, you know what? Hey, this is, they're in value me. I'm important. This is, we are so happy for Joe, for you to start here. Here is your bag. Here's your shirt. We're going to give you all this swag. Here's your training schedule. Okay. And I think a lot of restoration companies of where they are is that they miss day one. Just this past week with the group that we were with, we heard about somebody, okay, yeah, you're starting here. Well, you do all your paperwork. Well, I don't have anything for you. And it's only 11 a.m. So you can go home and come back tomorrow. You know, and people get defeated because they're so excited to start with this company.

47:08 You boasted up what you do and the day to day and all this stuff. And then they get let down on day one. So day one is super important. And I've said it many times and I've said it. It's the employee experience, what they experience from business. before they start through the end. And you're talking about culture. It is the morale. It's the training. It's the what am I investing into the employee besides just job-specific stuff. We have, I call it GRSU. It's an advancement track for every position three-tier level of not only job-specific training, but it's about personal growth and implementing that stuff because we know that there's an ROI.

47:50 If I'm going to invest in that person, I'm going to get a better employee. And there's a lot of people that take value into investing in them. And it's important. And as we change and as generations and workforce switch over, it is so important to make sure that you're saying, How am I going to take care of you, the person? And when we're, culture is just, it's an intentional and understanding part. Culture is a buzzword, right? And everybody's saying culture and everything. And I think it's your way of life. How are you going to determine how somebody walks in and what they're going to experience here? What is the feel that they're going to have in this house? I always use the example and I use it in orientation.

48:33 I don't know about everybody, but when I was little and I walked into my grandmother's home, there was a sense of safety and security. And I could just curl up next to my grandmother and I was fine. I'm not saying I want anybody to curl up next to each other here, but I want them to walk in the doors and feel comfortable and feel good and be in a place. You know what? I'm fine here. And they can thrive. And I think that is one of the most important things that we spend a lot of time doing. making sure that employee experience that they're thriving, that they're not just doing the day-to-day, that they're thriving and smiling and having a good time. Okay. That's it. Feeling safe. You tied into something. And I'm actually having kind of like a, oh, this is going to help me have a conversation with somebody later, actually.

49:18 How do teams create that sense of safety? And I'm going to dial it down to some specifics because that's a massive question. But... You know, one of the things, Marcy, that we see is that a lot of leaders in our industry, and I'm one of those people where the anger, the drive as hard as I drive, the you can whine about that later. But right now we need to put our game face on like there's these very healthy ways that we do hard things and that we move the ball down the field in difficult times. But we also see that tool get wielded so often and without much thought that it can create an environment where people are intimidated.

49:59 And once you're intimidated, the likelihood of them becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy just climbs exponentially. Yeah. What are you seeing teams do? And your team maybe is a perfect example. But what are you guys doing to teach and promote and talk through this idea of, we've got to have this follow me, we can do it, this is hard shit, but we're going to take it on the chin anyways mentality but create an environment where someone feels safe. So when their game is off that day and it's for a real reason, they don't get crushed under the weight of that fear or the threat that you're not competing at the level I want you to because you're being a human right now.

50:42 You feel me? What do you guys do? Yeah. So, you know, I think the industry as a whole is very reactionary, right? Because everything, you don't know what's going to happen. Tomorrow is going to be in, present a new set of problems. So the work begins when that doesn't happen. You know, you have to be proactive and all of that stuff because some of those cases, what you're talking about are happening on the reaction time. They're always because the customer demand is high, that we're driving, things are happening and moving at a fast rate. So you have to do that work when we're slower. And you have to be very proactive in creating that space. And I think the biggest thing of my experience is that people just avoid conversations and they avoid having those difficult conversations because they haven't been trained, coached of how to have effective conversations.

51:33 Yeah. Because everybody's worried, oh, how's it going to make somebody feel, right? Or I don't want to do this. And there is health and growth when you have conflict of those kind of things. And so, and it's not necessarily conflict where you're buttoned heads and you're angry and all of that. It is, hey, like you said, I want to make sure when you're high or something's going on, come to me because we can talk through it and have. And there's a lot of coaching. And I'm not going to say we're 100% at it, but you have to be. It's always a constant reminder of guys. You know what? We have to be relatable. I always tell people if somebody is going to take the time to come and talk to me, it's a big deal issue for me. And I'm going to put down my phone.

52:15 turn myself away and face and listen to them. And that is one thing that we tell our leadership team. It may not be a big deal to you, but it's a big deal to them. And so you turn and you give them all of your respect and your time to listen. And that is, I think, the biggest thing, again, is not avoiding and listening. So it's a two-way, you know, communication is two-way, but always they say you got two ears to listen, one mouth to talk, and do that and give somebody more of your listening time. And be very proactive on the coaching of your management staff, even, you know, of telling your field techs or anybody, really, it's okay to come. And you have to make sure that you have the right people in the right seat is a big deal.

52:58 Because again, you're going to have, people like this shit is just not for me and we're running. You may be a great here, but you're not going to be a great leader right here. So you just make sure that those people are in the right seat. But it's just intentional. And I don't know if that answers everything. It's a hard thing to kind of quantify of how a process, but how do we communicate that to our leadership team is, is you're listening, don't avoid. and making sure that you're turning and giving respect to everybody who's bringing a problem that they may have worked up a whole sweat to come into your office for. To deliver. Yeah. No, I think I heard you really dial in a handful of things that are really important. I heard listen. And I heard this idea of you're going to have to address those things.

53:41 So if there's some kind of hard experience or a failure to perform or challenge, we do have to approach that thing head on. But we need to be prepared to listen when we approach it. And I think what I see a lot of us do, and I am bad at this. I mean, this is a thing that I've had to work on my entire life. is I'm listening, kinda, but I've already got my answer. I already have my perspective. I already have my data gathered to dispute their response or their excuse and quotes to me. But I'm not necessarily showing up, okay, I'm here to hear and be aware that there's probably some data here I don't have a grasp on. And it's likely having an effect on the performance or whatever. Right? I don't know. I think that's what I heard you say.

54:21 Maybe I just made it up. No, no, that's exactly it. Because I think about a lot of things with my kids, when I was raising my kids, is that some of the things that they would come and bring to me were just the tiniest little thing, right? But it was a big deal to them. And I mean, how the disappointment look, if you would just ignore them or do your own thing and they would feel gutted. And that's how I think about the employee. You know what? There's no difference. It's a human. And I'm going to sit there and I'm going to turn and give them the attention and talk through whatever it may be. Yeah. And I think you also said too, something that's important is, and I think all leaders that care about people struggle with is some people are just always going to struggle in this type of industry.

55:03 So part of creating a safe container, I guess, for our people to work in and to... work inside of is just recognizing that it's not going to be the right container for everybody. Like it's not... Some people are just always going to feel unsafe because of the unpredictable nature of our business or the demanding hours or the... Just all the things that are part of this. And I think that's a hard thing for us to let go of because you want so badly to make it work and get them on the right page and to get them thinking the right way about stuff. And we forget, you know, that this is a weird business and it's very hard in very specific ways and not everybody's going to thrive in it. Yeah. Right. And part of that, we just have to accept we aren't going to make it safe for some people, you know.

55:46 Right. It's difficult to do. Okay. We want to be very cognizant of your time. But I have one, I think one last question for you. Obviously, you're at the core summit, you're part of teams, boards, right? Where you're learning and surrounding yourself with really top tier people and industry movers and shakers. What are you learning right now? What's the one or two things that you're like, I got to get a grip on this. This is very important. And I'm weak currently in this particular area. Yeah. Ooh, that's a good one. Don't screw this up, Marcy. I know, shit. So first of all, I always consider myself as a learner. I'm a sponge. Like I will, the way that I approach anything new is like, I didn't even know it before.

56:30 And I just always want to hear somebody else's perspective on something I may think or believe that I'm pretty good at. So, you know, last week in CORE, there was a lot of good nuggets of information and just different perspectives of how I hear. For me, it is about really how can I... Not even that. That's a good one, Brandon. You may have actually stumped me. Right? Yeah, we put you on the spot. I know. I'm patting myself on the back right now. Yeah, that's a good one. What's a good one? Actually, I have one. I have a great one. So I am in safety. You know, I do manage safety, but I do believe that restoration overall is laxed in safety and what they pay attention to and what they do. And, you know, I am trying to educate a lot of companies right now in safety and what they need to do.

57:14 OSHA 300 logs or whatever, with all the M&As that are going on in restoration that I do believe it's not a matter of if but when that OSHA and different those kind of companies are going to come after restoration if they haven't already started knocking on those doors. So it's just kind of given people. I have a lot of information that I've been sharing with different companies. You know, safety is trying to educate everybody of what they need to do. And again, I know it's a reactionary business, but it's just preparing yourself ahead of time and implementing those policies and those things. When it's ready, you're done. You're not having to go back because the fines that OSHA will put on a company are astronomical.

57:57 astronomical. And so I just really want to help educate people on safety and what they need to follow in the field, in the office, wherever. So you're also a board member with RIA. Is that correct? I am. Can you give us your 30-second why? Why are you on that team? Why is it valuable, membership, valuable to our listeners? And what do you see happening with your membership that's So the why for me, again, is about elevating the industry. You know, just like you all, that I have a heart and a passion and I want to see it grow. And there's a lot of small companies that don't have the resources out there that a guarantee or any other larger company may have.

58:40 And so RA is a good resource for those companies, whether it's education, whether it's advocacy, something that they can lock into and just use as that resource. Also, it's a networking thing for all of them. You know, how do you can pick up the phone and call another RIA member and say, hey, what advice do you have? How did you go about doing this? And so for me being on the board, it's about coming up with those policies or those initiatives that are just going to help support that smaller company. and get them again to elevate and to raise because everybody has a heart for here. And if we continue just giving whatever resources we can, because there's competition, but it's healthy competition within the restoration industry.

59:23 And I know you've seen, hey, I'm going to help you. You can help me. We can be together and be better. And that for me is the why on RIA. And some of the big things that we're coming up with is on education. It's continuing to grow and to push. and helping educate, whether it's a WLS, the certification designations that we're offering, is to continue to give information and to educate the employee and the company of where they are and going. Right on. That's cool. I think I may have landed the plane. I think so. I think we're ready to let Marcy go back to the stuff that produces profits. Marcy, this has been really fun. It's fun to get to meet you. And I think our listeners are going to really enjoy some of the stuff we cover.

1:00:05 Because HR, you could really make an argument that it's one of the most critical operational roles that's in front of us right now. All of us are trying to figure out how to find people, how to keep people, how to help people be more productive, but also just help as companies. How do we create an environment where people enjoy coming to work? Right. Our whole industry, like the whole home services, the blue collar trades, that's the assignment it feels like we have as an industry segment is, how do we create an environment where people want to come to work and they're not just itching to retire? They're not just chomping at the bit to get away from work, right? Like Seth Godin talks about, instead of always needing a vacation, find work that doesn't require you to escape from it.

1:00:48 Right. And of course, at the end of the day, we work to live. But I think what you're doing and other HR professionals and what we're tasked with as owners is how do we create an environment people aren't just eager to escape? Like, what if? What if people actually enjoyed being a part of our team? So anyway, you're doing great work and it's been fun to chat. Yeah. Appreciate your time, Marcy. Thanks a lot. Thank you, guys. All right, gang. We'll see you next time. All right, everybody. Thanks for joining us for another episode of Head, Heart & Boots. And if you're enjoying the show, but you love this episode, please hit follow, formerly known as subscribe, write us a review, or share this episode with a friend. Share it on LinkedIn, share it via text, whatever.

1:01:30 It all helps. Thanks for listening.