Latest news with #JacobOrrin
Fast Company
02-07-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
20 ways to build a resilient company culture in uncertain times
Uncertainty is inevitable in today's business landscape, thanks to economic volatility, leadership changes, and global disruptions. But while instability can rattle even the strongest organizations, resilient cultures rise above the noise. The foundation for resilience is laid long before a crisis hits through clear values, transparent leadership, and strong interpersonal trust. To understand how today's executives create adaptable, cohesive, and confident teams in unpredictable times, 20 Fast Company Executive Board members share their top strategies for cultivating resilience across their organizations. 1. CONSIDER YOUR OWN SELF-CARE REGIMEN. Building resilience within organizations starts at the top. What's your self-care regimen as a leader? How are you leading by example? Are you encouraging overcoming challenges and creating a healthy work-life balance with your teams? Are you listening deeply to your team's struggles—whether professional or personal—as they impact productivity? Are you helping to find solutions? This is resilience. – Cheryl Contee, The Impact Seat Foundation 2. MAKE SURE TRUST RUNS BOTH WAYS. Resilient cultures are built on psychological safety, where calling out mistakes is valued and trust runs both ways. When frontline teams and execs alike know they're supported, alignment deepens and confidence scales. In uncertain times, trust isn't a luxury; it's the operating system of high-performing teams. – Jacob Orrin, Merit 3. STAY THE COURSE. Build resilience by staying the course. Times are uncertain all the time. It's just that some times feel more uncertain than others. Focus on the things that have always mattered and work on satisfying the customer more than ever. When the times change, the feeling will fade—before it returns again. – Arar Han, Sabot Family Companies 4. PLAN AND COMMUNICATE EARLY. Resilient company cultures stem from thoughtful planning and transparent communication. Having a plan in place beforehand that everyone on your team is aware of is essential. Doing so enables leaders to keep their teams calm when sudden change happens, and it can also help their teams learn to navigate the uncertainty successfully and come out stronger than they were before. – Misty Larkins, Relevance 5. PRIORITIZE CLARITY OVER CERTAINTY. We've discovered that teams are most interested in clarity rather than assurance. We increased our emphasis on openness, communication, and flexibility, whether that meant reevaluating responsibilities, putting projects on hold, or just accepting uncertainty as a necessary part of the process and adjusting accordingly within the team. – Gianluca Ferruggia, DesignRush 6. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL. In uncertain times, resilience comes from focusing on what you can control: your team's safety and security, clear communication, and ensuring the team is aligned with your company's mission. While we can't stop conflict and uncertainty, we support our people, foster respect, and stay committed to our purpose. A strong culture grows when leaders create space for diverse views and shared humanity. – Max Azarov, Novakid Inc. 7. ALIGN TEAMS AROUND PURPOSE AND WELL-BEING. Business leaders can build a resilient company culture by fostering open communication, aligning teams around a clear purpose, and investing in employee well-being. Empowering people to adapt, make decisions, and learn from setbacks creates a culture that can weather uncertainty and emerge stronger. – Martin Pedersen, Stellar Agency 8. FORGET PERKS—PRIORITIZE CLARITY AND TRUST. Ditch the ping-pong tables. Real resilience comes from radical clarity, earned trust, and leaders who don't flinch when things get weird. Culture isn't perks—it's what shows up when the Wi-Fi goes out. – Stephanie Harris, PartnerCentric 9. LEAD WITH VALUES BEFORE A CRISIS HITS. Building a resilient company culture requires a deliberate and strategic approach from leadership. Resilience in company culture is not built in moments of crisis; it's tested there. The foundation must be set beforehand with strong values, open communication, and a commitment to your people. Leaders who model resilience, humility, and adaptability set the tone for the entire organization. – Justin Rende, Rhymetec 10. START WITH YOUR 'WHY.' A truly resilient culture is established through core values that employees can consistently rely on, especially during times of uncertainty. An effective starting point is defining the organization's 'why.' Clarifying a deeper purpose behind day-to-day work gives employees a broader perspective and creates a shared foundation to support them through challenges. – Tom Amburgey, Euna Solutions 11. MODEL CALM URGENCY AND ADAPTABILITY. In times of change, I focus on aligning teams around purpose, priorities, and pace. That means transparency, fast feedback loops, and a mindset that embraces both innovation and adaptability. Leaders should model calm urgency—moving fast, but with intention. When people feel informed, trusted, and energized, they don't just weather uncertainty—they help lead through it. – Alexander Kwapis, 12. BE EMPATHETIC, TRANSPARENT, AND ADAPTABLE. Communication is crucial in uncertain times. Leaders should focus on being empathetic, transparent, and adaptable. When leaders make sure their employees feel heard, encouraged, and supported, they have the opportunity to be innovative and adaptable together. When a resilient culture is established, teams can respond to new challenges in any circumstances under one vision. – Asad Khan, LambdaTest Inc. 13. INSTILL A CRISIS-READINESS MINDSET. Foster a proactive crisis-readiness mindset. Prepare comprehensive continuity plans for potential crises, from data disasters to supply chain failures. When teams know there are well-prepared responses for worst-case scenarios, they operate with greater confidence amid uncertainty. – Chongwei Chen, DataNumen Inc. 14. PROVIDE DIRECTION AND A NORTH STAR. Leaders need to take ownership and offer clear direction, reasoning behind decisions and what the north star of the company is. This removes a lot of rumblings from the workforce and enables them to focus on the organization's mission. – Ruchir Nath, Dell Technologies 15. LEAD WITH HONESTY AND EMOTIONAL CONNECTION. Focus on authentic, transparent, and emotionally connected leadership. Provide timely, honest, and clear communication. Demonstrate vulnerability by sharing personal experiences or challenges. Actively listen, validate employees' emotions, and respond empathetically. Communicate a shared purpose with clarity on the 'why' decisions are made. – Britton Bloch, Navy Federal Credit Union 16. USE SUCCESSION PLANNING TO PREPARE. While uncomfortable, succession planning helps small business owners prepare for the unexpected, whether it's a leadership change, economic disruption, or personal life event. Start small. Open, honest conversations about the future—especially with family members or key employees—build trust and alignment. – Mark Valentino, Citizens 17. EMBED PURPOSE, AGILITY, AND TRUST. Resilient culture starts with transparency, agility, and purpose. Resilience isn't just operational, it's cultural. Business leaders must align teams around a shared mission, empower decisions to be made by those on the ground, and build trust that can weather any disruption. – Lexi Sydow, 18. DIVERSIFY YOUR REVENUE STREAMS. It takes several steps to make a company resilient. One that is pivotal is to develop other aspects of the business to pull in revenue if your primary focus drops. For instance, a tech company that focuses on B2B can also reach out to those in education as another revenue source. – Baruch Labunski, Rank Secure 19. BUILD TRUST BEFORE A CRISIS HITS. You don't build a resilient culture during a crisis; you build it all the time. When revenue was soaring at our travel company in 2019, we invested in culture-building programs nobody thought we needed. When the pandemic cratered our revenue, we had a core to fall back on. People can't learn to trust each other when the building's on fire; they have to trust before they smell smoke. – Shayne Fitz-Coy, Sabot Family Companies
Forbes
05-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Twelve Golden Rules From The Kitchen: 'Going The Extra Mile'
Jacob Orrin is COO and cofounder of Merit, transforming government programs with digital identity solutions and driving rapid growth. getty Working in the catering business taught me another key lesson: Customers appreciate when you go the extra mile—but only when it's done thoughtfully and with intention. Overextending can backfire. For example, agreeing to create a custom gourmet dish for one guest at the last minute might seem generous, but it can derail kitchen flow, add unexpected costs and compromise service for everyone else. Every business, in any sector, must keep a close eye on margins. Just look at dining out today: It feels expensive, but the profit margins are slimmer than most people realize. Labor, rent and utilities eat away at revenue quickly. Often, the difference between breaking even and turning a profit comes down to balancing the value of extra effort with what it actually returns. When I traded in my apron for a business suit, I found that this 'extra mile' philosophy applies just as much to client relationships and partnerships as it does in the kitchen. Going above and beyond in business can set you apart, but just like in a restaurant, it's not about indiscriminately over-delivering. Instead, the key lies in finding intentional, impactful ways to add value that resonates with customers and partners. Here's how taking that extra step without overextending can create lasting impressions in business. In catering, every staff member hustles, and efficiency is the name of the game. I used to encourage our waitstaff to use quiet moments wisely. If there was downtime, they'd fold napkins into fun shapes or prepare small personal touches for dinners, like a handwritten note wishing someone a happy birthday. These small gestures didn't cost much but added memorable touches that showed we cared. In business, a similar principle applies. For example, one of our clients won an award for technological innovation in their category based on the work we did together. Instead of mailing them a trophy, we flew out to deliver it personally and took them to dinner to celebrate their achievement. While gestures like these require additional time and expense, they show that you genuinely care about your clients, which can lead to future opportunities. Often, it's not the scale of the gesture but the sincerity behind it that builds trust and a real relationship. I once sent a thoughtful birthday gift to a customer—a gesture that, in hindsight, stretched our budget more than it should have. I never really knew if it made the impact I hoped for. That experience taught me an important lesson: Meaningful relationships in business are not built on grand, one-off gestures but rather on consistent, genuine actions over time. Take the example of 'autograph books.' Since the early days of the Disney parks, children have brought books to collect signatures from beloved characters like Mickey or Cinderella. One lifelong fan recalls a time when he was eleven and lost his autograph book. When calls to the park didn't result in finding the book, he and his family gave up hope—only to receive a surprise in the mail weeks after they went home. The park had replaced his autograph book with a new one that contained all of the park character's signatures, many also bearing personalized messages to the young fan. This impacted the guest deeply all the way into his adult life. There were no forms, no hassle, no attempts to gain more money from the family after their vacation was ended—just joy, because creating unforgettable moments is what truly matters. Meaningful customer interactions can build loyalty, but there's also power in collaborating with the right partners. Going the extra mile with strategic partners can create added value for both parties. For instance, we made a point to hold regular data-sharing sessions with one of our key clients during a virtual monthly meeting. This was not something they were expecting from us. Still, by proactively sharing trends and insights, we helped them identify growth areas and inefficiencies, strengthening our relationship and generating additional business for us. Working with partners in this visible and intentional way can create mutual value, encourage long-term collaboration and create loyalty. In business, just as in a restaurant, the right partnership moves can provide rewards for everyone at the table. The magic of going the extra mile is not doing more than anyone else—it's choosing the right moments and gestures to enhance relationships without exacerbating resources. Whether you're running a kitchen or leading a go-to-market team, being intentional about these efforts can help keep your business sustainable and memorable. Going the extra mile should be thoughtful and deliberate, creating a lasting impact without breaking the bank. Ultimately, business—like any well-run restaurant—is about understanding what truly resonates. Doing this right, going the 'Extra Mile,' can keep people coming back time and time again. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
Forbes
24-04-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Golden Rules From The Kitchen For Leadership: 'Details Matter'
Jacob Orrin is COO and co-founder of Merit, transforming government programs with digital identity solutions and driving rapid growth. In the first lesson of this series, I discussed the French culinary term "mise en place"—"putting in place"—and how it applies to corporate leadership. This time, we're getting more into the weeds, whether you're in the kitchen or business: Details matter. When I first started cooking, my sous chef handed me a challenge to make a set of soufflés. At first, it seemed impossible. But he gave me simple, albeit slightly snarky, lasting advice: 'It's not that hard if you just follow the instructions.' Every detail mattered, from how I whisked the eggs to sifting the flour. Focusing on each step taught me that success wasn't out of reach—I just had to be meticulous, one soufflé at a time; 150 later, I had it down and learned the lesson. When I transitioned from the kitchen to the corporate world, the saying, 'the devil is in the details' followed me. Whether preparing a dish or leading a multichannel sales initiative, success often depends on paying close attention to the small things. For example, we take the time to map out the details of our sales funnel clearly. This is a lot of work up front, but it helps us better manage our pipeline. One key step in our funnel is RFP responses. When my team submits RFPs, we follow the same principle I learned sweating in the kitchen. It sounds simple, but you would be surprised how many people skip this step: 'Follow the instructions.' Just as gathering ingredients is the first step in cooking, our RFP process starts with an internal kickoff and a detailed event brief. We cover everything, from addressing outlier questions to understanding the incumbent's past performance and reviewing previous winning RFP responses. Every detail matters to us, from key political figures influencing the subject to blog updates and speaking notes from agency heads' recent posts and events. In business—especially when working with experienced stakeholders—missing details are easy to spot. Even something as small as getting a name wrong can ruin a proposal. Today, tools like AI can generate materials in minutes. However, as someone who reviews many AI-generated presentations and pitches, I can easily spot when something is not right. The standout materials are those where someone has taken the time to personalize, verify and polish the content. It might take extra effort to double-check numbers or review images, but that attention to detail separates a winning proposal from one that falls flat. Here's how to leverage details for success: • Follow a process: Like a recipe, create a structured approach for your go-to-market strategies. Break down your sales process into the necessary steps, and focus on each one. • Double-check everything: Whether it's you or someone on the team, make sure to review numbers, names, imagery, technical content, etc. Create accountability so the time is invested in reviewing every detail. By being thorough upfront, you can avoid costly mistakes later. • Stand out through personalization: In a world filled with templated materials, the extra care you put into personalizing and refining your work will help you stand out. People notice when you go that extra mile. • Refine your processes: At the end of each cycle of whatever process you follow, relook at it. Did it serve your needs? Where should steps be added or removed? What learnings should you check for next time? If you are not continually improving the process or at least asking if it needs improvement, you could be setting yourself up for long-term failure. Remember, success in business—like in the kitchen—is all in the details. Whether preparing a soufflé or closing a multi-million dollar deal, focusing on each step can set you up for long-term success. Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
