Category: Employee Retention
CareerBuilder Leadership Series: Spotlight on Jim Rose of Mosaic Sales Solutions Corporation
July 2, 2009
This week, our spotlight is on Jim Rose, Chairman and CEO of Dallas-based Mosaic Sales Solutions Corporation, a 10,000-employee, privately held field sales and marketing company. In the Q&A to follow, Jim shares his thoughts on the importance of collaboration over individual success, the power of candid feedback, the coveted “White Glove” award, the importance of your employment brand, and more.
As a leader, what has influenced your strong emphasis on people?
People are absolutely critical to our business. If you look back over my nearly 15-year executive career, I’ve always been in the service industry, where people are the product. In these types of businesses, we aren’t making widgets. Instead, the input of people drives 100 percent of our company’s output. I have regard and respect for high-quality people because they contribute the best knowledge and skill sets to produce the best return for our customers. Aside from professional experience, my executive education has driven this value deeper. I earned my MBA from the Kellogg School of Management where people are the foundation of that program. The emphasis is on collaboration, teamwork and getting a job done together over individual success.
How do you describe your personal leadership philosophy?
My view is to lead very much by example. I have never believed that as CEO I am all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-being. I see myself as just another member of the team. I have a set of responsibilities and skill sets that are good for what needs to be done, but others have abilities and skill sets that are right for what they need to accomplish. I see everyone as playing an integral role in our team and collaboration as the cornerstone to success. I strive to be an action-oriented leader and, because I believe in management by walking around, I am with people all the time. Whether it is spending time in the field, attending meetings, rewarding people, or sending encouraging emails for a job well done. I am very engaged with our people at all levels. And this extends to social activities. I play on our bowling and softball teams and believe this helps people at all levels know who I am and that I am relatable. I enjoy giving our people the ability to ask questions and they know their opinion matters. In return, these gestures have an incredibly powerful effect on the team’s confidence and their contributions.
What is one value you feel leaders can emphasize to develop their people?
Feedback. It is easy to give positive feedback, but at the same time, good leadership means delivering the not-so-good message. I believe in showing appreciation for the things a person does well, but also providing constructive direction for the things that may have not gone so well. I am candid about areas of growth, suggesting why they are in need of attention and what steps can be taken to improve. This whole element of constructive feedback is a difficult practice, one that some leaders can be better at. In the moment, people don’t always appreciate the candor, but in time they respect the openness and honesty because they know the feedback is given with sincerity.
Is there a memory that had an impact on your professional development and influences how you lead today?
I have tons of those memories! The key point you’re hitting on is to have good mentors at a young age. And I think that’s huge. In high school I was a fry cook at Kentucky Fried Chicken, and my manager was phenomenal and took his business very seriously. After cleaning, he would point out areas I missed and taught me at a very young age that doing a job right took less time than redoing the work a second or third time. Each year, he would strive to win KFC’s “White Glove” award, which is an assessment from people hired to mystery shop at the store. The evaluation was based on the friendliness of the staff, offering French fries and Cokes, and whether the food was prepared properly and served at the right temperature. We were one of two or three locations to win the “White Glove” award that year, a very high honor. The award was not worth millions of dollars, we received an inexpensive plaque, but those things left a big impression in my life about quality, service, focus and discipline.
How do you define the value of your people at Mosaic?
As a client-facing organization, our whole business is service. Our purpose is to help our customers, both retailers and brand owners, be more effective in retail. Our field staff works hard to ensure that products are on the shelves, promoted and priced right. And they know that whatever communication or engagement we have with customers must be delivered appropriately because it ultimately drives sales for retailers and brands – and for us.
With nearly 10,000 employees, the bulk of our people are in the field performing sales-driven activities. Aside from the field organization, typical back office functions like finance, HR and IT are very front and center. They communicate with customers, participate in customer meetings, and contribute to solutions for our customers. Having people in these roles who understand the business and think practically is a significant value. With everyone at Mosaic able to interact with customers and be fully customer-focused, we differentiate and drive business forward for our clients.
What is the impact to your business when you have a vacancy in a field position? Is that a client who is either underserved or not served at all?
If we are understaffed or have the wrong individuals in place, we miss opportunities to be effective in retail for our customers. If we’re not out in the field making visits, we cannot generate revenue. Such a significant part of our business is driven by field activity, so the goal is to always be fully staffed with competent, well-trained and focused people who do an incredible job. As I mentioned before, people are our product.
How does your executive team strategically consider talent to sustain and grow business?
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employer Advice, Leadership Development
CareerBuilder SHRM 2009 Booth Presentations and Available Downloads
July 1, 2009
SHRM 2009 was packed with activities and distractions. How many of you spent a little too much time on Bourbon Street? No judgement here…
In case you missed the opportunitiy to attend one of CareerBuilder’s informational sessions, you can download the full presentation decks here. We’ll also be posting recordings of each presentation in the coming days.
The Ression’s Over – Now What? Presented by Jason Ferrara, VP Corporate Marketing
Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential Through Its People Presented by Corey Epperly, VP Personified
Shared Apply: The Best Change You Haven’t Made Presented by Mike Dutter, Strategic Services Director
Recruitment Has Changed – Have You? Presented by Matt McCloskey, Director of Corporate Marketing
London Calling – Staffing Reactions Abroad Presented by Robert Stinsa, Director of Pan European Sales
Please let us know if you have any questions about the material presented here. And don’t forget to check back for the full presentation recordings.
- Categories: Employee Attraction, Employee Retention, Employer Advice, Events
Survivor of Layoffs? A T-Shirt for Your Thoughts
June 29, 2009
Are you pitching in to help your company survive the recession with less staff? If so, how are you and your employees surviving? What are the positives that have come out of your world, post-layoffs? We want to know.
- Have you encouraged your employees to learn a new skill or picked one up yourself?
- Have you forged stronger relationships with co-workers, or met new co-workers?
- Are you finding better ways to prioritize or manage your work/life balance?
- Have you made a professional or personal discovery?
- Has your life has changed for the better in any other ways?
Write us a comment and share your survivor story by Friday, July 10, and five of you lucky readers will be randomly picked to receive your very own CareerBuilder Koala T-shirt. Oh, did we mention it’s FREE?
Post your comment by Friday, July 10 for a chance to score this tee:
Eager to develop a deeper relationship with our beloved coffee-drinking, eucalyptus-munching friend? Don’t forget, you can become a friend of the CareerBuilder Koala on Facebook.
- Categories: Contest, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention
Creating a Best Place to Work: Lessons from 2009’s 50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work for in America
June 29, 2009
I just sat through a great session at SHRM 2009 given by Michael Burchell, Ed. D., vice president for Global Business Development, Great Place to Work® Institute. In addition to compiling the 50 Best Small and Medium Companies to Work for in America list, the Great Place to Work® Institute is also responsible for assembling the FORTUNE® 100 Best Companies list.
While talking about how a company becomes a best place to work is not a new topic to The Hiring Site, Burchell was able to share some enlightening tips.
- Categories: Awards, Building a Best Place to Work, Economy, Employee Attraction, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Employer Advice, Events
Surviving the Layoffs: Your Stories and a Chance to Win a CareerBuilder Koala T-Shirt
June 24, 2009
I recently wrote about CareerBuilder’s survey on survivors of layoffs. A few of us here were talking the other day and realized that, as 47 percent of survey respondents reported taking on more responsibility as a result of company layoffs, it would be great to hear some actual stories from those on the front lines of post-layoff reality.
You’ve likely heard a million times that companies are “doing more with less.” But as the consequences of that fall directly on a company’s employees, what does that mean for them? Workers are taking on more responsibility or new duties, working harder and longer hours, and likely not getting paid more for their work.
If you are pitching in to help your company survive the recession with less staff, how are you surviving? What are the positives that have come out of your world, post-layoffs?
- Have you learned a new skill?
- Have you forged stronger relationships with co-workers, or met new co-workers?
- Are you finding better ways to prioritize or manage your work/life balance?
- Have you made a professional or personal discovery?
- Has your life has changed for the better in any other ways?
Write us a comment and share your survivor story — and five of you will be randomly picked to receive your very own CareerBuilder Koala T-shirt. Oh, did we mention it’s FREE?
Post your comment by Friday, July 10 for a chance to score this tee:
Eager to develop a deeper relationship with our beloved coffee-drinking, eucalyptus-munching friend? Don’t forget, you can become a friend of the CareerBuilder Koala on Facebook or purchase your own Koala gear.
- Categories: Contest, Economy, Employee Engagement, Employee Retention, Survey Results
America’s Workers Got Talent: Uncovering Employees’ Untapped Potential
June 24, 2009
Last month, I mentioned the virtue of uncovering employees’ hidden talents, and now I have even more evidence to support the argument for doing so: This Business Insider piece about the ordinary jobs Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and the like held before becoming some of today’s most powerful CEO’s. It just goes to show that you never know where the next great business success story is lurking…like maybe in your very own office. (Whaaa?)
Chances are your employees also believe that they’re future chief executives just waiting to emerge…A recent study from Accenture reveals that American workers feel they have more to offer their employers than what their current jobs demand of them. If that’s true – if you’re not enabling your employees to meet their true potential – that means you’re missing out on opportunities to get better business results.
- Categories: Employee Engagement, Employee Retention
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