If I Could Do It Again… | Celebrating 25 Years at Eagle

[00:00:08] Hey everybody, I'm Larry Little and I'm Melissa Jackson Welcome to Crossing the Line, our podcast where we talk about those moments in our lives when we cross that line from

[00:00:17] leading and loving with our head and leading and loving with our heart and how we cross that line back and forth and this is a special, I think it's a special edition Melissa of Crossing the Line

[00:00:28] Yes, I do too, I do too because our business has kind of grown up we have reached a place, an anniversary that I think is pretty significant I think it's pretty cool as well, 25 years we're celebrating and this thing began, this journey together

[00:00:47] began in 1999 and here we are 25 years later, can you believe it? You know, it's kind of like with your family, with your children you blink and all of a sudden they're grown up and that's kind of the way I feel about where we are today

[00:01:02] Me too, I mean I remember Melissa when we first started this thing you were such an instrumental part of all of this, I mean you were such a great mentor to me and I was only a child and you would babysit me, you would take me

[00:01:16] I thought for a moment we might have a moment You would care for me as an adult and me as just a young child and I was so glad that you would care you for me in such a way because I was so young 25 years ago

[00:01:29] So young, so young and the journey continues Oh, gotta have a little fun, always It has been a ride, it's been good though, it's been amazing You know, things have changed, we were just talking about that earlier things have changed so much in 25 years

[00:01:47] Yes, you know and just to think about how we started and you know we were at one room, one small little room and how things have grown over the years the experiences we have had, the fun, the laughter, the difficulties

[00:02:04] The risk that we've taken and one song and lost song That's right, the team members that have been a part and just the fun sharing life together doing life with them and their family It's been unique

[00:02:20] It's been amazing and as you think about that, I'm going to ask you a question and think about it and if you could go back 25 years and knowing what you know now, what's one thing that you would say

[00:02:32] You know, I think I would do that differently or I wish I had known that 25 years ago Yeah, you know that's an interesting question I think back to 25 years ago and how hard things were

[00:02:49] I mean it was a good hard, you know, you start off in your early years and you're trying to make something and you're spending a lot of energy, you're trying to figure it out you're trying to figure others out, you're trying to make something work

[00:03:06] you're trying to make something perk and you know, so I think finding value in those times it was really purposeful and you know, it took a lot to move from that because it was so purposeful getting something started and feeling like you had a baby of a business

[00:03:26] and you wanted to make it successful and you were going to make it successful You know, it was going to take off, you were determined to move out of that mode and moving into different seasons of a business and allowing yourself to grow into those different seasons

[00:03:42] and to move from one that's more comfortable to the other You know, I think that was something that was challenging and something I'd go back and realize you could do it a little differently Yeah, maybe so, you know, I remember back in those days

[00:03:58] you were finishing up some grad work driving two hours one way, you know, to work and to help lead and help stand up this startup organization I was working can to can trying to build the organizational infrastructure all that we had to do

[00:04:17] and I really remember an old gentleman he was actually a pastor and he was observing all this and he had long since retired and he's no longer with us but a beautiful man, wonderful man and he watched this birth of this thing

[00:04:37] and he lived close to where our offices were that kind of thing and there we'll forget he said you know the first person in every morning is Larry and the last person to leave in the parking lot is Larry because we were with another organization

[00:04:53] and other leaders were coming and he said I don't know if they're going to make it or not but I tell you this, he's working hard he's working himself to and I go back and think about that and as you mentioned the seasons

[00:05:04] and we were in this muscle and feel we knew we had to put it on our shoulders and go but it's a great question, you know could we have done that differently did we really realize how fast Tom would fly and here we are with a 25 year old

[00:05:21] wow, yeah, it's just amazing to me and Larry what about you, what do you wish you knew 25 years ago well you know I think as I think back we were in that muscle and feel at the first and we were both working so hard

[00:05:34] we were both just candy cane but I wish I had known the importance of processes and systems back then, by that I mean we just carried so much we just made so much happen and we really didn't take the time I didn't take the time to slow down

[00:05:48] and build that system like I really should have probably on the front end it caused me an awful lot of work and an awful lot of mistakes that I think I could have avoided if I had seen the infrastructure now you know mind you thinking back 25 years

[00:06:02] there was a lot of failure, I mean we failed and it was okay, we learned how to fail we learned how to get up and go that was part of our secret sauce is that learning how to fail was really important

[00:06:12] but I'm talking about longer term decision making I'm talking about how to execute the vision of the company, I'm talking about how to put resources, time, energy and effort and building the, and you are, to your credit you know that, you do that

[00:06:26] that's really a strength of yours and looking back at that structure probably should have, probably should have capitalized on that a little more I think I've learned a strong lesson most of them feel it's great to get something off the ground

[00:06:38] really good but I mean sooner than you think you should start building your system, start building your processes start building infrastructure that can support then the team coming in so sitting where I am now looking back I had something that I would do a little differently

[00:06:50] I would start putting important resources, time, energy on those infrastructure processes and systems well I tell you when that started happening then we started building a team at a different level and then that team really grew and I tell you those were fun days too

[00:07:06] to really start seeing people take ownership and have accountability and feel purpose driven and working in that manner it was a lot of fun a lot of fun Melissa I wish I would have gotten there sooner but I came around you got me there and we took off

[00:07:22] it's been a fun ride it's been fun and you said something I think that's really important you said that's when we started building a team and that's when things got fun that's when our culture really came into its own I think we started building that culture

[00:07:36] and over 25 years we both I think have learned the importance of culture you know and I think that's something that was started from the beginning and that took us a long way you know without systems and processes it took us a long way

[00:07:52] and that is the heartbeat of who we are at Eagle Consulting you know the peace of knowing your people and learning from your people and creating that environment you know it it gave us the ability to grow we leaned into excellence and wisdom

[00:08:10] those core values of who we are so we can always go back and learn and do things differently but you know it's been a good journey to learn through this process you're so right and when I say go back and think about culture

[00:08:26] we spend a lot of time and energy on culture we work on it because we know the importance of it and so if you're thinking about your home culture is important if you're thinking about your business culture is important no matter what relationship

[00:08:40] we're talking about yeah and I don't think you ever arrive at culture because relationships are so active you know they're they change they just there's different thoughts and emotions and opinions people are fluid right and so you can reach a culture that I think is healthy but it's

[00:09:00] never perfect there's always going to be pieces to adjust to or learn from that that are going on with team members well and that is so true and even if you think about your family so I'm a data guy in terms of I love data

[00:09:16] I love to look at data and make decisions on data when I can but the data is strong and it's in around personal relationships and culture and homes and the data tells us that in a home the families that know how to apologize the families that know

[00:09:32] how to have hard conversations not the families that are perfect and not the families that get on social media and put all the perfect pictures of you know look at our perfect family no no but the families that know how to fail that know how to

[00:09:44] blow it and recover and that's building a culture that's building a mindset in your home teaching your children choosing when you don't like your spouse to love him or to love her with even when you don't want to and your children watching that teaching your children

[00:10:04] how to say I'm sorry or teaching your children how to say hey I own that that was on me all of those that's culture that is culture and the same thing is true in the marketplace and the data there supports it 20% more profitability 20% more profitability and 20% more

[00:10:22] productivity when there are companies who have a strong healthy culture that's what happens 20% more I mean I think that's amazing retention is the big thing we had the big resignation come companies who work on their culture not who are perfect there's no you said it

[00:10:38] beautifully there's no there's no company or home that has the perfect culture right but if you work on it the retention rate the retention rate goes down in other words 30% more likely to stay employees 30% more likely to hang in there with a company

[00:10:54] when they know they're working on their culture I think that's huge in today's market as we've seen the great resignation in recent years and we've seen the marketplace change so much you can tie culture to financial performance you can tie culture to innovation you know you can tie

[00:11:10] culture to recruiting new people all of that and the leaders that get that and spend time on it we've seen it work the leaders that neglect that and choose not to spend time on it we've seen the devastation I'm watching

[00:11:24] that literally day by day on some of our clients as we walk with them we see the differentiation between the two so I guess the question is what do we do about that and talk to us a little bit about culture and here's the truth there is a

[00:11:38] culture in every family there's a culture in every business there's a culture in every division and department and is it are we going to make decisions to invest in a culture that we want it to be or are we gonna allow the culture to become

[00:11:54] what it is and what it morphs into and so I think it's really important to be aware of what do you want if you're a leader you have a family you have ability to influence someone what are you wanting that relationship that culture to be

[00:12:14] that start there? I think that's brilliant and I'm gonna go out on a limb I know that'll surprise you I'm gonna say something that you know is at least what I've learned over the last 25 plus years if you are a person and let's say

[00:12:30] you're single let's say you're single or let's say you're starting a company with just you it's just you you still need to have the mindset of creating the culture that you want for yourself I think we skip this piece we skip the piece of

[00:12:44] no no I have to build a culture in my own head in my own heart and I have to say this is how I'm going to behave individually this is how I'm going to communicate to others this is these are the values that I'm when I'm by myself

[00:12:58] and nobody's around and nobody I'm still gonna have this culture because I'm choosing to not because I feel to feel like it not because you know I just want to no I choose to and it's I think it starts with individual culture that you create in your soul

[00:13:14] yeah it's linked to personality to your culture you know it becomes like a personality that this is how people respond and this is how people behave and then they begin to mimic that and it and it becomes an overall this is how we

[00:13:28] act or behave towards each other and so you know we all have such strengths in our personality but we also have weaknesses and a culture can play into those weaknesses as well so you know when you think about again who and how do you want to respond

[00:13:46] your natural personality is going to come into play as a leader as an influence over others but then also what do I need to be mindful of that you know part of who I am as well and some of my weaknesses will play out in my

[00:14:00] relationships in the culture of this environment that I'm in so true and what do I do when I don't behave like I want to you know in other words I blow it this is not who I am you know I did it

[00:14:14] I made on it but this is not the culture that I want to facilitate this is not who I want to be we have to recognize that and you're so good at helping us understand how to own things and it's about owning things like

[00:14:26] I said that I said that but that's not who I want to be that's not me that's not so I needed learn to back up on it and recalibrate right I think that's so important because none of us can have the perfect culture that's right at work

[00:14:40] at home you know and to create an environment and experience where you can learn from each other and you can blow it you know in your own home that you can blow it and you can get up and recognize that you can talk about it in your environment

[00:14:58] your work environment where you can talk about blowing it you know it creates this opportunity to really replicate that and it gives an opportunity for people to do life together to grow together because you can make mistakes and you can step in and you can own it

[00:15:18] and you can do something about it and that learning environment builds when you can have it's kind of like the Tetris from the day gone you know where you can build off of that and you can you can build something unique Tetris did you ever play Tetris?

[00:15:36] that was way before my listen that was I was so young I couldn't guess I did so here's my question we've been together for 30 something years working together and doing life now have I ever blown it with you? I don't think I mean 30 something years in counting

[00:15:52] I've never blown it I think there was maybe that one time I'm having a hard time remembering or calling it right not in the last two minutes but I think I think it's so true learning how to blow it learning how to continue

[00:16:06] to move and build that culture and that's all part of it let's give a few tips what are some practical things that we can do to help facilitate a healthy culture yes so I think the first thing is you're going to really want to focus on the

[00:16:22] things that matter you know we can call it employee engagement we can call it you know creating user friendly whatever we want to call it but you know you've got to think about you know how am I going to make sure I'm investing in those

[00:16:38] relationships you know what are those relationships look like being mindful to know that you know this is who is in my circle here here's their personality this is how they're designed this is how they're wired this is how they're you know how they are made they interact with

[00:16:58] behave and start by you know allowing them to be who they are in their personality and how does that team member contribute to their overall good how does that family member contribute to the family and their overall good of how this family

[00:17:14] is going to function so you know you've got to have that insight and know and be mindful and aware so you can build off of that and you can do something with it yeah I think that's amazing know who it is you're in a relationship

[00:17:28] with know your players know who they are and for me it goes personality is first and foremost and so important to speak their language to speak their personality as you were challenging us also for me the difficult piece is generational differences you know know that what I

[00:17:44] need to validate or what I need to feel like I'm a it's not what somebody else know generation Z or generation X they're validated very differently they find accomplishment looks very different than what than what I find accomplishment looks like so that's a and here's

[00:18:00] what I've learned about that I don't have to like it I don't want to agree with it know what it's about I don't have to understand it I just have to be willing to get to where they are and to lead them where they are

[00:18:12] or to serve them if you let me use that word in a servant leadership context to say I know the first step is to know right but then the second setup is to choose and I'm choosing to get to where they are

[00:18:26] so know who they are then choose to speak their language right choose to speak whether it's a personality or a generational language which you know both are could be very different than where I am and remind us that you know that takes focus and it takes energy to

[00:18:42] try to speak that language and to learn that language and to figure out how to practice and try that language and mess up and get up and try again and so you know you're making it active you're really putting effort into making the the opportunity

[00:19:00] be that I'm going to do what I can to try to hit that spot and I'm going to watch and see do I make that happen do I speak that language you know I allow myself to really know this other person in light of the busyness

[00:19:14] and the task and all the things that are going on in your own world yeah I think that's exactly right and so it looks like this don't quit I mean in other words the way you sustain what we're talking about is you choose to do it

[00:19:28] over and over and over again regardless of the reaction you get it's not based on the condition if I just try to reach out to you if you reach out back to me that's conditional relationship and that never works if I say I'm going to get to know

[00:19:40] you I'm going to choose to speak your language from a personality perspective I want to choose to invest and speak your language from a generational perspective when I know what that is and I choose to do it it's not enough just to do it one time

[00:19:52] well you know that didn't work let me try one time no no it's about doing it over and over and over and over again so think as we wrap it up those three things are vital to having a healthy culture just three things to think

[00:20:04] about as you think about your home think about your business think about your team at work whatever environment we're talking about and know first of all invest the time it takes time energy ever to know your players as you said know your players know who they are personality

[00:20:20] generation what their likes is no there's a way to do that listen and learn know your players too make a choice choose then once you know it's not enough choose to speak their language get out of that comfort zone choose to act

[00:20:34] choose to act and get out there even if I don't like generation whatever speak their language even if I don't even know what I'm saying and I don't even understand it and I have no idea why you think that you've been here two years and

[00:20:48] you should be running your organization but hey we're going to talk about that and see what you need to to equip you and then don't quit you know just keep keep going and do it unconditionally no choose don't quit if we can do those things

[00:21:02] I think would take a giant leap for creating a healthy culture and when you do that you know you're building such an environment you're pulling people in to be a part of that and you're really creating such a legacy a legacy currently and then something for the future

[00:21:18] hey don't you hope that we are in that legacy building phase of this 25 years and building a legacy that's amazing isn't it alright so now it's time for the dad joke and just to mix it up a little bit for 25 year celebration Melissa has volunteered to tell the

[00:21:40] the joke of the day the dad joke of the day and see I need to do this because 25 years is a long time in the big scheme of things for small business so here is the joke okay very Larry style T here he comes are you ready

[00:21:56] ready okay okay so I want you to think about 25 years yeah and why should you always invite arthritis out to drink why should you always invite arthritis out to drink hmm I don't know you don't I don't know you couldn't give me anything have no idea

[00:22:22] it knows how to close down a joint and with that we're going to close this joint down I hope that you have enjoyed our little banter of 25 years on this podcast thank you so much for listening and hopefully you took away

[00:22:40] a few things that would help you in your personal life and your personal relationship and in your professional life and your professional relationships this is a journey we're on it together we've been at this 25 years plus it's been a blast I'm looking forward to 25 more years

[00:22:56] and I'm looking forward to the next time we get to hang out and talk a little bit about relationships