Even Top Workplaces Have Some Work to Do
Today Great Place to Work published this year’s 50 Best Small and Medium Workplaces in the United States – and Marco is among them. The notable list will be featured in Fortune Magazine. It covers a broad variety of industries and locations and recognizes a variety of workplace p…
It's OK to Be No. 2
When we think about leadership in a company, that often means the president or CEO. But behind every top leader, whether you’re a CEO or a head of a division, is usually an even better No. 2. An organization cannot thrive without a strong No. 2. Dr. Bruce Miles, a friend of mine,…
Determined Results Trump Best Efforts
Too often we hear people talk about good intentions. There is never a shortage of ideas, advice or opinions on how something should be done. Of course, the challenge always is execution. Best efforts just aren't enough. So, what helps a company - or leader for that matter – go be…
Deciding How to Give Back
Giving back to our communities has been part of Marco’s culture since our inception. Since 1981, Marco has been a Minnesota Keystone contributor committing at least 5 percent of our pretax profits to charitable causes each year. Making the commitment, setting the dollar figure an…
When the Vision Becomes Personal
It’s common to see vision and mission statements of organizations displayed on websites, walls and in presentations. But I often wonder how many employees could actually articulate the intended meaning or relevance of the message. I must admit as I was coming up through the ranks…
Breaking the Fun Meter at Employee Events
When addressing the group at employee social events, I’m known for asking, “Are we going to break the fun meter today?” Everyone usually smiles and it lightens the mood because they know we have a history of creating events that people just don’t want to miss. We recently hosted …
Promoting a Sales Driven Culture
I am often quoted as saying, “Not much happens around here until we sell something.” You probably recall me saying it a time or two in this blog. It shouldn’t be surprising to hear that because Marco is known as a sales-driven organization, and that statement should be true for m…
Creating a Transparent Culture
Marco has intentionally supported a culture of transparency for over 20 years. So what does that mean? To us, it means that we share relevant financial and performance metrics with all employees to help them better understand how our business operates.
Connecting with Customers
Most companies will claim that they have the best product, the best service, and the best price. Regardless of the industry, we all have competitors that provide essentially the same services and for sure, the exact products at a similar price. So, how do we prove to our customer…
Personally Connecting with Employees
It’s essential that leaders ensure their employees are connecting with the company at the executive level. At Marco, this starts on day one. I personally meet with every employee as a part of our orientation process.During the meeting, I intentionally share personal information f…
