LEAD. June 2021 | Page 48

I witnessed Coach build a winning culture , and now as president I am charged with maintaining that culture . I know the difficulties of both . Over its near-thirtyyear history , JGR has evolved from a company with one car to four , eighteen employees to more than five hundred , and a family business model to a factory . But one thing that has not changed is Coach ’ s belief that the key to having the right culture is hiring the right people .
Coach has a term he uses to describe the people he respects the most : butt-busters . Here are the traits of a butt-buster :
1 . Character . Key questions we ask about potential employees are , What type of person are they ? Is there a pattern of loyalty ? Are they a team-first or me-first person ?
2 . Heart . We evaluate how much potential employees care about what they will do at our company . We want their job to be more than a job . Someone with heart will be willing to come in early , stay late , and go the extra mile to do whatever it takes to get the job done . We aren ’ t interested in hiring someone who will simply be a clock puncher .
3 . Talent . Talent ranks third because talent is often teachable , whereas the first two traits are not as easily taught . Of course , talent is important . Most of the folks working for our team are the best of the best in their areas , whether they are welders , fabricators , engineers , or race car drivers . But talent alone does not fit the Joe mold .
Talent is a tease . In a sport built on being

“ Find that pattern ,” Coach would say , “ and those are the people you want to surround yourself with .”

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