I started ELI 30 years ago this year, and, as you can imagine, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the business and how it’s evolved over time. It’s been incredible to watch so many organizations build professional, fair, inclusive environments by incorporating their own values with our Civil Treatment® products.
Have any of you wondered what it must be like to actually work for the company that develops and sells Civil Treatment®? I’ve had many great experiences with the people at ELI, and I’m proud to share one with all of you that began early last year.
The situation:
We had set some ambitious goals for 2015, but by the time July rolled around, we realized we had some ground to make up. It was at that time that a group of employees at ELI approached me with an idea. And the great thing was, this particular group of employees was not from one department. In fact, this group was made up of people from every department at ELI.
The idea:
The group said, “What if we work creatively to reach our 2015 goal? And … if we reach it, let’s celebrate in New Orleans in 2016, which also happens to be the ELI’s 30th anniversary!” Though I liked the idea, I thought, “There’s not a lot of time to make up the ground we needed to cover to reach our goal. After all, it was already July, etc., etc.” I expressed this to the the group, but there was no way they were going to let a little thing like ‘lack of time’ squash their idea. They were relentless and driven. The group met and brainstormed and came up with a proposal that would involve everyone at ELI working together to make this happen. After hearing the details of their proposal, the executive team and I were convinced that we should go for it. So began the mission that was aptly dubbed “NOLA GOAL-A”.
How it played out:
Our team at ELI pulled together – every department and every team member worked purposefully and collaboratively. Along the way, we even adopted a mascot named Gary the Gator who kept things fun and motivating.
It was remarkable and gratifying to see each team member innovate, lend an extra hand, and venture outside their areas of expertise to reach our goal. As I write this next bit, I have a huge smile on my face: We made our goal! And the payoff was phenomenal. On March 9-11, the ELI team celebrated hitting our 2015 goal in the great city of New Orleans. We ate amazing food, toured the city by foot, Segway, and riverboat. And … we even found time to plan an exciting new project. And, then we ate some more food. And more food. You get the picture. And, to see some actual NOLA GOAL-A pictures, please look below.
So, here’s to my team and all the organizations out there who work hard and collaboratively to keep the Civil Treatment® message alive. I’m extremely proud to be part of this community!
