CORE Communications Wins Pacesetter Award!

CORE Communications, Inc. of Houston, Texas was nationally recognized this week as a Pacesetter for our Fortune 500 client. This honor means that we are in the top 10% of all sales in the country. President Ryan Caugherty accepted the award at a ceremony in Los Angeles this weekend. "This an awesome honor, and it means that all the hard work our team puts in is paying off in a big way," said Caugherty. "I am very proud of our guys, and I know the rest of 2014 will be even bigger."

Copyright 2014 CORE Communications, Inc.

Encouraging Leadership on All Levels

One of the best things a company can do is to encourage its team members to challenge themselves and step into new roles. Not only is this great for the company culture and employee satisfaction, but this is also a great way to hear new, fresh ideas that can help the company prosper. Senior leaders can encourage employees that are not in a leadership position within the organization step into one. Most people do better work when they feel their responsibility extends beyond themselves. Even if a company is not ready to offer new positions or higher pay, it can be a great idea to reward team members that perform at a high level with a little opportunity to lead from time to time. At CORE Communications, we have an amazing Leadership Training Program, where we encourage everyone on our team to constantly work towards higher and higher levels of leadership. Due to this structure of leadership promotions, we've seen great leadership traits develop from some pretty surprising sources. If your company has more of a closed structure where people can only stick to the exact roles they were hired for, you may be missing out on giving your business the gift of great leadership from people you've never even considered for a management position. Here are a few ways that the management team at CORE Communications has found to foster a culture of leadership:

1. Keep an open mind about employee roles. If you wanted a larger leadership role, you probably wouldn't answer back to a request with "that's not in my job description." As a leader, you should also avoid putting your employees in similar boxes. If you want their help with something, never assume they will feel bothered or like they are owed something if they oblige. Most people are flattered when asked to help with something that goes above their title. If in this situation your team member does answer back with a snippy, "you don't pay me enough to do that," then they are probably not someone you should consider for a leadership role or management position in the future. 

2. Provide small opportunities to lead. You may not have a management position available to officially promote one of your team members into, but look for opportunities to give someone small leadership tasks. You can learn a lot about how well someone handles the role, as well as the added responsibility. Be careful not to think of these opportunities as "tests," because then you will probably just be waiting for a small slip-up to show you that the particular employee would not be a good leader. Even the greatest leaders (even you!) make mistakes, especially if it is a completely new skill set. So, rather than cross them off your list of people with great leadership potential, look for opportunities to teach and guide your team member. Then, you can assess how well they implement your feedback.

3. Allow people to develop their leadership wings over time. If you see leadership qualities in one of your team members, offer them small opportunities to lead at first (as mentioned in #2), but then keep offering them larger and larger opportunities after that. For example, ask them to start out by training your summer intern. In the fall, ask them to oversee one full-time employee. In the spring, ask them to sit in on the interview process for a new employee and give input. By the summer (one year after training that first summer intern), they should be ready to hire, train, and oversee a team of two or three summer interns. And voila! You have a new leader on your hands. Make sure to have open dialogue along the way, and look for opportunities to guide and teach leadership lessons. 

4. Flatten the hierarchy. Visualize this concept as tearing down cubicle walls. The fewer walls or barriers-to-leadership, the more people can see what is going on in the organization beyond just their individual role. One way to do this is by holding meetings weekly or monthly where all team members can feel free to voice their opinions on the biggest areas of improvement within the organization. If you notice people are worried to speak their mind, start with an anonymous survey or suggestion box. You want people to feel that they won't be criticized or condemned for their thoughts. The more you encourage this type of communication, the more it will become a part of your company culture.

At CORE Communications, we feel most people have the desire to lead, and the raw characteristics of leadership within them. Sometimes, people just need a little opportunity and a little guidance to step into a leadership role. 

Copyright 2014 CORE Communications

Sources: www.entrepreneur.com

How to H.I.T. your GOALS

Every successful person I have ever met has agreed that having goals are important, and the bigger and more specific they are, the higher probability they have in order to be achieved.  I have both failed many times trying to hit goals and have achieved many as well and have found a similar pattern that was common every time I was able to achieve any kind of success both personally and in business.

In order to H.I.T. (Hard Work | Integrity | Talent) your goals it will take this formula to achieve success.  Hard work is key. This is not a new idea, and I believe the majority of people do work really hard. Hard work is a no-brainer when it comes to being successful.  Gone are the days that 9-5 will be enough to achieve big goals, and the "stereotypical" work week is more along the lines of 12 hour days instead of 8 hour days.  If you can look around your circle of friends and say your one of the hardest workers, that is a really good start.  Integrity is vital in a leadership role.  People must believe and trust you in order to follow you.  Everyone will make mistakes, no one is perfect, but those who operate with Integrity and operate honestly and truthfully in business will achieve success.  When leading, if there is no Integrity, trust and opportunity do not exist.  Talent is the last piece of hitting your goals.  Yes, you must posses talent in the specific field you are in, in order to achieve higher levels of success.  Everyone has a different bar of what success is for them, but if there are no basic skill sets in the activity you want to be successful in, it makes the goal almost impossible to achieve.  For example, if I wanted to be an NFL quarterback but lacked the talent to throw a football, it would make it almost impossible to achieve that goal.  Talent can be worked on and practiced, of course, but a basic skill set must be there first.

So with this simple formula of Hard Work, Integrity, and Talent anyone can achieve their goals!  The catch is very simple.  These are non negotiable.  If 1 of them is missing then it will become very difficult to achieve any success greater than you currently have.  A person who works really hard and operates under high integrity but does not possess any talent in that specific field, will really struggle to achieve their goals.  Vice versa a person who has a lot of talent and operates under integrity but lacks the ability to work hard, will again find it difficult to achieve success.  Most people are very talented and work really hard, but if Integrity is missing, goals and success are never achieved.  So the lesson learned from this weekend is simple then: Find out what you are great at (Talent), work your butt off (Hard Work) and do it with high (Integrity) and then you can begin hitting your goals of becoming more successful in both your personal and professional life."  

- Ryan Caugherty

How to Run an Effective Sales Meeting

Everyday, the sales and marketing team at CORE Communications gets together for a meeting of the minds. Couldn't we just gather weekly? Probably, but we have found a daily meeting is a great way to start the morning, set our team goals, set our individual goals, and sharpen our skills. Over the years, we have come up with what we have found is a great recipe for these meetings, so that they are always helpful and never draining. Here is what we at CORE believe is important to running an effective sales meeting:

1. High-energy: Think of a morning meeting as a morning cup of coffee. It should get you going, not put you to sleep. In order to keep a meeting high-energy, everyone should be involved and have a chance to say their piece. If only one person is running the meeting lecturing the entire time, it can be hard for the rest of the team to stay focused.

2. Set team goals: In sales, of course there is always incentive to perform individually, but everyone likes to feel that they are part of a greater cause. If you set a goal for your team and ask them all to participate, it is better than not, but if you ask your team to set a goal together, they will be bought into the vision, and believe it is attainable. Ask your team what you think they can accomplish together, and allow for a dialogue until there is a consensus. You can take this a step further by setting a team incentive for hitting that goal, based on something that gets everyone on the team excited.

3. Listen to individual goals: Everyone is driven by goals, but most people are even more driven to hit them when other people know their goals. When a salesperson privately sets a goal that no one knows about, he or she may find it easy to not follow through on accomplishing it. Once others know, not only will the salesperson not want to fall short in front of their peers, but other team members will likely do all they can to help them hit their goals.

4. Encourage competition: If there are two members of a college baseball team competing for the all-time best batting average at that school, what would happen? They will both elevate their personal game, while increasing the overall number of wins for the team that season. At CORE Communications, we encourage friendly competition among team members. The great thing is, everyone wins in the long run. The competitors have no choice but to elevate their game, and the team will perform at a higher level. Typical challenges at our office involve dancing the macarena during a meeting, or having to sing a song. Of course, we have a lot of fun watching people settle up their bets.

5. Keep a consistent agenda: Determine a system that works for you, and follow a regular agenda in order to keep meetings as effective and tight as possible. Also set aside time for one-on-one meetings so that off-topic conversations don't throw off your schedule. Team meetings are great, but one-on-one time can be even more effective, so make sure there is a protocol for this as well.

Copyright CORE Communications, Inc. Houston, TX 2014

Interview Tips

CORE Communications, Inc. of Houston is currently interviewing candidates for our Account Manager position, so we decided to put together a list of interview tips for our candidates. This list is not specific to our business, so please consider these thoughts on any and all interviews you go on. Let us know if you have anything to add to the list!

1.  Arrive 5-10 minutes before your scheduled interview time. You’ll have to fill out some paperwork, so come a little early to do so and also to show that you’re prompt. 30 minutes early is a little much, and of course never EVER be late to an interview. If you can’t be on time to the interview, how will the employer expect you to be on time to work?

2.  The interview starts the moment you walk in the door. This does not mean you should ask the receptionist or administrator questions regarding the position, but it does mean you are being evaluated. Be professional, friendly to any employees who pass through the business lobby as you wait, and keep conversation topics light.

3.  Dress to impress. Know the difference between Business Casual and Business Professional. Neither of these mean jeans. Typically, when you schedule an interview with a company, you are told what the proper attire is. Pay attention, and do your research on how to dress before you come in for the interview. If you are not told what attire is appropriate, dress as you would expect employees of that business dress on a daily basis. It's better to be too professional than too casual.

4.  Be prepared with questions for your interviewer. Never ask about compensation on a first interview, but other than that, ask 1-3 questions. At the end of an interview, you don’t want to be the guy with no questions. It shows disinterest. Make sure you research appropriate topics to ask about. Some questions that are good to ask your interviewer are: “What do you enjoy most about working for this company?,” “What challenges can someone in my position expect to face?,” and “How do employees earn opportunities for advancement?”

5.  Be honest. Be honest on your resume, your interview paperwork, and when you answer interview questions. It does no one any good when an interview candidate tries to make himself sound better, or cover up issues with past employers. The goal is for both parties to determine if working together may be a good fit, so when you are dishonest during the interview, the correct judgment cannot be made. Also, most experienced interviewers can read signs of dishonesty. Telling the truth, even if it reveals shortcomings, is always the best idea.

6.  Follow up with a Thank You. Ask for the email address of your interviewer(s) and follow up with a thank you email within an hour after your interview. This shows professionalism as well as interest in the position, and it may even give you an edge on the other candidates.

Copyright 2014 CORE Communications Inc. Houston, Texas

What Sports Can Teach You About Business

Here at CORE Communications, when we are hiring for our Management Training Program, we often find ourselves drawn to candidates with backgrounds in athletics. Maybe that’s because our manager, Ryan, played professional soccer, or maybe it’s because our top producer, Trent, was the quarterback at Texas A&M, but we think it goes beyond that. So, we decided to put together a list of why we think someone with a sports background typically does well at CORE Communications. 

1.   People who compete in sports are, well, competitive.  In order to be successful in business, you have to be competitive. The outspoken coach of the Dallas Mavericks and self-made Billionaire Mark Cuban said it best: “I love the sport of business. I love the competition. I love the fire of it. The sport of business is the ultimate competition. It’s 7 x 24 x 365 x forever."

     2.   In sports, and in business, in order to win, you must choose to work hard. Putting aside his current injuries, who is widely recognized as the best basketball player in the game right now? Kobe Bryant. It is no coincidence that he is also widely recognized as the hardest working athlete out there. Many teammates, trainers, and even competitors have attested to Kobe’s work ethic. He hits the gym to practice alone in the wee hours of the morning, typically works out at least 4 hours per day year-round, and counts all of his shots made in practice, only allowing himself to stop when he gets to 400. He even practices without a ball. “You’d walk in there and he’d be cutting and grunting and motioning like he was dribbling and shooting – except there was no ball. I thought it was weird, but I’m pretty sure it helped him,” said Shaquille O’Neal.

       

     3.   Every winning organization needs a good leader, whether it's a sports team or a company. “Coaches who can outline plays on a blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who win get inside their player’s head and motivate.” –Vince Lombardi, legendary football coach.

       

     4.  Kids who grow up playing sports are used to dreaming big. If you show up to a high school football game and take a poll of the roster, I’d guess that about 80% of the kids aspire to play in the NFL. According to the NCAA, in reality, only about 5.8% of them will play in college, and an NFL team will eventually draft only 0.08% of those who played in high school. That’s 8 of every 10,000.  They have to know it’s unlikely, but they don’t care. They dream big. Similarly, about 100% of people would like to be a millionaire, but currently, only 1.6% of Americans are Millionaires.

     5.   The best athletes and business people can pick themselves back up and dust themselves off after a failure. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.” – Michael Jordan. 

      

    











    Copyright 2014 CORE Communications, Inc. Houston, Texas

2013 Year In Review

Although the CORE Communications, Inc. management team is spending a lot of time this week forecasting and setting goals for the new year, we would like to take some time to reflect on our accomplishments in 2013.  We had a record-breaking year, and estimate about 200% growth over 2013! We were asked to expand into a new market by our main client, we had a lot of fun, and we worked extremely hard to hit all of our goals. Here’s a snapshot of our year:

JANUARY: We kicked off the new year with our first charity poker tournament and raised money for Operation Smile, a non-profit that sponsors medical missions to third-world countries, in order to provide surgeries to children born with cleft lips or palates.

FEBRUARY: Keys to Success management conference in Atlanta, and celebrated Nikki Rinko’s promotion to Assistant Management.

JUNE: Our Houston office was the #1 producing office in the country for the entire month.

JULY: Our leadership team was invited to a conference and networking event in New Orleans, where we were recognized for growth, and got to meet a lot of great contacts in our industry. Also in July, CORE top leaders Trent and Ramy visited our client broker headquarters in Los Angeles. They snuck in a little beach time as well.

AUGUST: Nikki was promoted to Branch Management, and was asked by our client to handle the Indianapolis market.  CORE also celebrated our 2^nd Anniversary in business on August 15^th!

SEPTEMBER: Our client broker honored President of the company, Ryan Caugherty,  as a “Rising Star” in our industry. Ryan was invited to attend a business conference at Arizona Grand Resort, and was able to network and play golf all week with 21 other “Rising Stars.” He was also fitted for a snazzy new custom-made suit from a highly respected tailor.

OCTOBER: We held another charity poker tournament and raised more money for Operation Smile. Most of our team also decided to run in Houston’s Race for the Cure! So proud of our guys for having a focus on charity.

NOVEMBER: We participated in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk. Our management team spent a weekend in Malibu for a little business, and a lot of team building competition! There was trivia, volleyball, dodge ball, and a ropes course.

NOVEMBER: We were honored as one of Houston’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in 2013. We are still so humbled by this achievement.

2013 was our best year in business so far, but we expect an even more impressive 2014. We project 400% growth next year, and our clients have asked us to expand into 3 new markets.

“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” – Leonardo DaVinci