Job One

by Abe Sherman – CEO, BIG – Buyers Intelligence Group

June 8, 2021

Not a week goes by when I am not paid a compliment by a vendor, a sales rep, the owner of a retail company or one of the employees who work with someone at BIG. The compliments range from how responsive our team is to how much they have helped the person or company that is paying us the compliment. In contrast, we also hear how difficult it is to find (good) employees, especially in an environment that discourages some people to pursue a job.

Let’s acknowledge that good people are hard to find. But let’s also acknowledge that no matter where you are located, good people exist. I cannot accept that your marketplace is any more challenging than any other marketplace in the country, and yet, we see great team members who love what they do, and who are great at what they do, no matter where they are located.

The job isn’t merely to find good people. The job is to start with good people and help them become great people. Great team members. Great mentors to others. It’s your only job – it’s Job One.

There isn’t a job description manual that is going to do this for you. There isn’t an Org Chart that will do this for you. There isn’t a book, seminar or motivational video that will do this for you. Our industry is complicated, and it takes years to learn gemstones, jewelry, watches, sources and the nomenclature of the jewelry industry. Years.

You can forget about the one-week or one-month training that you do with a new hire. You can forget about getting them to watch the training videos that you invested in 15 years ago and expect that this process will help them become great team members. I’m not suggesting that you don’t provide these things, but these things are merely foundations – they will not build great team members.

Everyone on your team (including you) should be working with your team members in an ongoing process of involvement and training. I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to hear that ‘he’s just not getting it fast enough’. What’s fast enough? Three months? Our industry takes years of ongoing development.

You can’t find good people? Perhaps it’s because the people you’re looking at have been at it too long and no one bothered to train them – and now it’s too late. So, start with someone who hasn’t become jaded yet. Training is a culture. Wanting to learn is a habit that shouldn’t end when school lets out. School after all is supposed to prepare people for lifelong learning, that’s their job.

The reason we receive so many compliments from all corners of the industry is because we aspire to add people to our team who are passionate about what we do and who love to learn more so they can help you do better. Many more want to work here but few are selected – because it takes a certain mix of talent, intelligence and teamwork to succeed here. Our carefully crafted culture took many years to develop. It’s our Job One and we love what we do and appreciate the people whom we are fortunate to work with. Your Job One is to develop your culture and your people, and to build a great and enduring team – then stay out of their way and let them do their jobs.