Businesses don’t grow … people do!
If you are the founder of a very successful company, other business leaders probably often ask you for the secrets of your success. As founder of Defender Direct, I get approached all the time — they all want to know about our “secret sauce.” How did we grow a small company operating out of a spare bedroom into a nearly $500 million business that has experienced annual average growth rates of 50 percent or more, with more than 2,000 employees and a nationwide footprint of 120 offices?
The answer can be found in five simple words: “Businesses don’t grow; people do!”
I believe our company has grown faster than its peers not because we are better at selling and installing home systems but because our people have grown faster than the competition’s people. The key is to stop trying to double your business and realize the way to grow is to double your team members’ enthusiasm, optimism and skills.
Send people to seminars, leadership conferences and self-improvement programs. Build your culture on purpose, not by accident. It’s that simple.
Groom your employees.
This concept has been a humbling learning experience for me as a business owner. I’ve learned that success isn’t about having a better plan or a widget. It’s about helping your employees, because every time they grow, you and your business will grow. That’s what keeps us going, that’s our true purpose — to build and develop leaders. Everything else just falls into place.
You don’t want to be in the business of buying and selling businesses. You want to be in the business of growing and developing leaders.
How do you best invest in your people? At Defender, every new hire attends what we call “Defender Corporate Culture Day” their first day on the job. This is an opportunity to share the company’s unique culture and get each employee engaged and focused on how he or she can be successful both personally and professionally.
On this first day, the focus is completely on personal written goals and a personal growth plan. We don’t talk at all about job-specific skills.
We insist that our employees “work harder on themselves than they do on their job.” Yes, I just said that and I mean it. Every new employee receives a tool called the Defender Leadership Advantage Board. This tool provides a four-year road map that guides employees on a path of self-improvement focusing on three categories: reading for self-improvement, volunteering to serve others and involvement in company culture-building events.
The DLA Board contains items such as reading “Now Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham, attending an Ed Foreman Successful Life Course and even building a home for the poor in Mexico, just to name a few. Participation is always optional but is encouraged for growth. Defender’s investment in the DLA Board is about $16,000 per employee, as all expenses are paid for all employees and, in many cases, all expenses for a family member to attend events are covered, as well.
Don’t stress profit; stress growth.
I realized early on that, as a leader, I can only grow as fast as my employees grow, so I have devoted a lot of time and resources into developing leaders because it’s the only way our company can realize exponential, organic growth.
When you start sacrificing employee growth for profit, everyone suffers. Once Defender started focusing on people versus profit growth, the results were incredible.
Remember, the best thing you can do for your business is grow your people. In doing so, you and your business will realize exponential success because businesses don’t grow … people do!
Dave Lindsey is the founder, board member and chief missions officer of Defender Direct, a leading dealer for a portfolio of home security and digital communication brands including ADT and DISH Network. The company Direct employs more than 2,000 individuals in 50 states with more than 100 branch offices nationwide. Visit www.defenderdirect.com for more information.
