We’re blessed at Gibson to have a great corporate culture, one that is welcomed enthusiastically by all our employee-owners. Make no mistake – we’re not perfect nor are we utopia. But I’ve been here over 14 years, and I can tell when it’s good and when it’s not as positive. For example, when I arrived at Gibson in 2000, the environment was very family-like and enjoyable. We had the benefit of that until the Great Recession hit us in 2008. That changed everything.
To survive the Great Recession, it was necessary to do a Reduction in Force in November 2008. The Gibson culture, mojo – whatever you want to call it – was dramatically different, and understandably so. Everyone was fearful of the future. It was a difficult time in our history.
We worked hard to come out of that period even better than we were before. But the one thing that lagged behind was our culture and how employees felt about Gibson. There was a lack of trust permeating the firm.
Once we got our sea legs under us, we set out to rebuild our culture and regain the trust of our people. It took a long time. It lingered for longer than we liked in tough comments we received in our annual employee survey. But slowly, over time, we did get back to where we were, and even better.
The mojo of an organization is extraordinarily important. I believe it is part of what separates good from great companies. At Gibson, we want to be a great company. And that is not lip service either. We REALLY want to be a GREAT company. We want to build something very special. And I think we’re well on our way. And events like we had this summer just feel good for all of us, and help us down that path. So, about our summer event….
We decided earlier in the year to take everyone to Chicago for a day. We had done this before, but it had been quite a few years since the last trip. We set up the trip to go to a Cubs game, but also offered, for those who don’t care for baseball (I have NO understanding of this as a self-labeled baseball junkie), a bus heading for a premier shopping destination – the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Avenue. As it turned out, about half our team went each direction.
Starting from the early morning meeting place by the Toll Road, it was great to see people interacting with employees in other departments. The camaraderie was terrific to observe. People were joking around, and generally having a really good time. This continued on the road trip to Chicago (thanks for getting us there and back safely, Jim and Harry from Royal Excursion!), and during some free time spent at Murphy’s and Red Ivy. Food and drink – it nourishes the soul of employee-owners.
The game itself was outstanding (Cubs won!). Our seats were situated perfectly underneath the upper deck, keeping us out of the sun all day. We heard the Go Cubs Go song live, which was cool. We even managed to get everyone back on the bus in a pretty timely manner to head home. The ride back to South Bend was much quieter than the trip there – I think everyone played hard and was tired.
On the way back, as I reflected on a simply marvelous day personally, it occurred to me that this was way more than just a day away from work. This was an event. One that everyone had access to and that the vast majority participated in. It was an event that created good mojo for everyone at Gibson. The team that plays together stays together.
We did this trip to interject some fun into our workplace. We did it because each and every one of our employee-owners is important to us. We did it because at our employee-owned company, we have the freedom to do what’s right and celebrate how fortunate we are to all work for a great company.
As I read more and more stories about ESOP companies, many others do the same type of thing for their team. At ESOP companies, like Gibson, culture is everything. It starts with providing an opportunity for ownership. It’s different. And special.
Have you considered an ESOP for your company?
