The Formula for High-Performance Teams
Written by Jed Richard, Founder CEO of Richard Group
Fantastic People = Fantastic Teams = Fantastic Companies
This is the not-so-secret formula and success driver that has become a bedrock for our company.
When I wrote the business plan for Richard Group in 2014, high on my list of considerations were growth potential and a fire-stoking core purpose that would make me proud. Still to be tested was the idea that our people and teams would lay the groundwork and become the fuel and force for aligning these factors, leading to exponential, long-term success.
Which is exactly what happened.
In 2020, after six years and over 30,000% growth (yes, that number is real—and yes, I rounded down), we have undeniable evidence that our business plan (and the formula) works. And our teams and our clients aren’t the only ones that have noticed.
We were thrilled to learn recently that Richard Group was recognized on the 2020 Inc. 5000 “250 Most Successful Companies in the Midwest.” Achieving the ranking of 2nd fastest growing construction company in the Midwest has everything to do with our team of construction professionals. Their determination, strategy, and embodiment of our Core Purpose and Core Values provide us with a unique and unparalleled ability to meet customer needs.
This external award is validating and encouraging, but what’s even better is having a proven process that we can now share with others.
Here are my three defining methods for ensuring your people and your growth are in lockstep.
1. ALWAYS BUILT TO SCALE
In my 2014 business plan, I wrote, “Richard would never grow faster than the capabilities of its people or its systems.” Six years later, I stand firm on this statement. When your home office and field management systems operate like a well-oiled machine with smooth communication and supporting data, you reduce risk—period.
Create serious systems to solve serious problems. Build the right people into those systems and instill confidence in their abilities to operate them with clear and measurable wins. “Building to Scale” means creating a company that scales with the team while also encouraging and supporting the team to scale their careers within the company.
We believe this can make a company the first and last place a person works.
2. LEAVE A LEADERSHIP LEGACY
Building long-term, “unchained growth” originates from a team of the greatest leaders and communicators. They live and breathe your mission statement and company values and fully align with your core purpose. When our employees demonstrate that they can tackle a customer’s greatest challenges with unparalleled communication and consensus with direct reports, they become our greatest asset.
Leaders know how to train and inspire. They bring people together. Champion leadership development through a structured program that models, coaches, trains, and replicates those qualities.
We believe this is essential to systematic growth.
3. KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN, YOUR CHIN UP, AND YOUR EARS TO THE GROUND.
My leadership philosophy comes down to this: Create the easiest experience for your customers. To help our people do that, I coined “Keep you Head Down Growth” as our mantra for personal adaptability, reliance, and resilience when faced with difficult challenges. We’re in construction, so we have ample opportunities to embrace the unforeseen, the delayed, and the unbelievable—and the sooner our employees learn to ground themselves in their abilities and the resources available, the faster we can adjust, adapt, and overcome.
If you listen closely, your customers will tell you everything you need to know. If you pay attention (or ask!), your customers will help you recourse your ship and provide feedback about your people, your performance, and even your likeability. Our people focus on producing the best experience and best project for the customer. “Keep Your Head Down”—to us as an organization—means bringing consistent value to our stakeholders, remaining humble throughout our interactions, and smoothing out every bump in the process.
We believe that this creates the experience customers value most.
At the heart of every successful organization are the people and teams that propel it forward. The health of those people and the culture that underscores their teamwork can make or break a company’s potential for long-term, sustained success. Build confidence and skill into your people. Equip them to become leaders. Pay equal and close attention to the big and small picture. With these three guiding principles, you’ll be well on your way to inspiring a generational business that can fuel its own growth—because of the people and purpose that lives, breathes, and drives what truly matters.