078: Evolving an Employee-First AND Client-First Culture | Craig Wood | Premier International

For Love of Team™ | Winston Faircloth

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The 1980s were filled with money-hungry firms who were getting rich at all costs. As my podcast guest, Craig Wood, mentions in our interview, that was reflected in the entertainment of the time. Like fictional Wall Street character, Gordon Gekko, who famously stated, “Greed is good.”

But Craig’s father-in-law, Jim, wanted to do things differently.

He and his wife, Dune, started Premier International, a software consulting company rooted in ethics and built on relationships. They hired college graduates, trained them in the Premier way, and trusted that doing the right thing for their employees and their clients would work.

And it did.

For about 34 years.

Then Jim passed away in 2018 and everyone wondered what would happen next.

Craig was asked to take the helm and continue the Premier legacy.

That’s an honor Craig doesn’t take lightly. And over the past 3 years, he’s seen how the employee-first AND client-first mentality has built a culture that’s been successful and sustainable.

In this episode, you’ll get:

• The challenge of continuing a business after the founder has passed away
• How the founders were ahead of their time on their views of team
• The impact COVID has had on their business - and how they’ve benefitted from the change
• Why you want to hire for culture add and not just culture fit
• How Premier is using the EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) to continuously learn and improve
• Why having a lens of gratitude changes your entire mindset and can change your entire business

And you’ll hear Craig mention how love can be a 4-letter word in the business world and he views For Love of Team.

Connect with Craig and Premier International here:

• Website: www.premier-international.com
• The Premier Way (values): https://www.premier-international.com/about-us/values
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigmwood/
• Twitter: @craigmwood

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#TeamLOVE Book. Join the bold book writing journey as we write and share our first draft chapters from our upcoming book - Team Love: 28 Ways to Demonstrate Caring at Work here in season 3 of the For Love of Team podcast.
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