2007 CDANA & Culligan International Convention and Product Fair
"If you are Ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there with ya..."
- Will Rogers
Culligan Industry folks are coming from across North America to attend the upcoming 2007 CDANA and Culligan International Convention & Product Fair at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth, Texas. With the Texas Militia as your hosts, the focus will be on the Cowboy Way - discipline, focus, honesty, integrity, respect and teamwork. Something most businesses could sure use more of. One of the biggest lessons businesses can learn from cowboys is how to conduct a successful round-up. It’s all about teamwork and dedication to the group. In business terms, that’s employee relationships and employee loyalty. Companies with great customer loyalty typically have superior employee loyalty. Their employees burn the brand and ride for it.
When a Cowboy Rides for the the Brand it means he is fiercely loyal to the ranch owner and feels personally responsible for the cattle as if they were his own. The cowboy way means showing respect for the brand as if it was your own. One of the keys to riding for the brand is to never consider other riders as competitors – always teammates. At the 2007 Convention, Culligan dealers, corporate leaders and managers, and loyal employees will gather to strengthen the team in the Cowboy Way.
Working against other cowboys or trying to show-up other riders will only lead to an unsuccessful round-up and that hurts the brand and ultimately yourself. In business, some employees may see their peers as competitors. Their attitude is, “It’s not enough that I succeed, all others must fail.” They don’t strive for team wins – only individual wins. To create employee loyalty, you have to change the attitude of your employees by disciplining competitive behavior and rewarding team behavior.
Before your employees will ride for the brand, they must believe in the brand – that’s an internal sales pitch that every manager must take seriously. And to get managers to take internal brand building seriously, they must be lead by example from executives at the top of organization.
The discussion topics during the 2007 General Session and Breakout Sessions will provide tangible ideas and practices that you can take back to your company to strengthen your own team. Just as the whole system, CDANA & Culligan International, is Riding for the Brand, it is up to each one of us to Ride for the Brand individually in each of our dealerships and implement the character of the Cowboy Way in our employees and ultimately our customers. From the days of the Wild West to now, we must never forget that there is truly a cowboy in all of us!
WE'LL SEE YA IN FORT WORTH!
Paul Moorman
Convention Chairman