Top business and career coaches from Forbes Coaches Council offer firsthand insights on leadership development & careers.
Likely, they’ve gained traction in their industry through implementation of strategies and practices that perhaps no one else is doing, or at least not doing well. Who are these companies and what can we learn from them? Below, nine members of Forbes Coaches Council share their answers.
1. HubSpot
This is may sound crazy but HubSpot does what should be done. It calls candidates back whether good or bad news. When it finds someone who is talented, but a position is not available, it looks for opportunities to stay in touch and find roles that may be a good fit. I just think it’s the way it should be. – Mike Ambassador Bruny, No More Reasonable Doubt
2. Zappos
Zappos is definitely ahead of the curve with its hiring process. The emphasize on culture fit, as well as the requirement to work for a month in all departments, gives recruits the unique perspective to see the entire picture. Other companies can increase employee engagement as well as eliminate siloed operations by employing similar practices. – Gia Ganesh, Gia Ganesh Coaching
3. Garmin
It is the leader in running technology and knows how valuable that technology is to clients. It can look up clients’ online data to see if they are experienced runners or new runners. Seamless returns, new products shipped ASAP, an amazing trade-in program, no questions asked on warranties and the most well-scripted service reps around. If you know your customers, they’ll return to you over and over again. – MaryAnne Gillespie, Red Apple Coaching
Original Article by Forbes.com
4. Thrive Global
Thrive Global is approaching wellness from a different perspective: providing offerings for all aspects of a good life and using technology to create boundaries versus distraction. Thrive gives a plethora of options to ingest wellness one breath or bite at a time. Its more palatable training courses and content focus on true balance for all aspects of people’s lives, not just life/work balance. – Cha Tekeli, Chalamode, Inc.
5. Menlo Innovations
At Menlo Innovations, the team builds the team. Menlo pays candidates to come in on the same day, pairs them up and asks them to complete tasks while an employee observes. At the end of the day, the observers decide who will be asked back. The final step is a three-week contract where candidates are paired with employees and provided with feedback. The result? A workplace the CEO calls “joyful.” – Lianne Lyne, PLP Coaching, LLC
6. Red Hat
Its 10,000-plus worldwide employees work on community-powered open source software that impacts all industries. It instituted programs built around emotional intelligence in the tech culture while offering extraordinary health benefits to its employees — mental, emotional, social, spiritual, physical, environmental, financial. It also sponsors associate-led internal communities for shared passions. – John O’Connor, Career Pro Inc.
7. SpaceX
There is a massive difference between the way most companies think in terms of growth and the way exponential companies think in terms of growth. Most companies think in terms of growing 10 percent. Exponential companies think in terms of growing 10 times. In less than 25 years from founding, it moved from creating a private space program to now putting people on Mars. That is a disruptive, exponential culture. – Larry Boyer, Success Rockets LLC
8. Tesla
Tesla owns the curve. It accelerated what it means to sell automobiles. It set the pace for a new way of designing cars, selling cars via a storefront vs. a dealership and servicing cars remotely with simple software upgrades. As a result, it is doing what others said they couldn’t — selling cars to consumers before they are available and creating great market value per employee, more so than any other automotive giant. – Debora McLaughlin, The Renegade Leader Coaching & Consulting Group
9. Apple
Apple has an amazing culture. Whether you are in New York or Texas, you will receive the same experience from Apple employees. The interview process is quite extensive and the Apple team refers to an interview as a “conversation.” Somehow, Apple has succeeded in maintaining a consistent brand amongst its employees and products. The company stays true to the mission by believing in its employees. – Jada Willis, Willis Professional Services