Sep 19, 2017
Can you build a business worth multiple hundreds of millions of dollars, and even a multi-billion-dollar business, by putting people first and doing the right thing?
The answer must be yes, because that’s what Jim Estill does..
Jim is the CEO and president of
Danby, an appliance company based in the city of Guelph, Ontario,
not too far from Toronto.
Jim
recently sponsored more than 50 families of Syrian refugees to get
resettled in the Guelph area. He was named to the Order of Ontario
here in Canada, the province’s highest honour.
But
that’s not why Jim did it. He did it because he felt it was the
right thing to do, and he actually feels guilty that he’s not able
to help everyone.
And while we did discuss the
decision - and process - to facilitate assisting those families, I
was really interested in Jim’s journey overall, and what led him to
be in the position he’s in today.
Some
of the key things I took away from my time with Jim
include
1. 20 Keys To Set Jim Free - Jim
tells an important story of the time in his career when he was
micromanaging to the point of exhaustion. Always the first to
arrive and the last to leave, the solution was to get - and give -
20 keys; one of each of his staff.
2. Doing the right thing scales - The golden rule is a
deep well. A very deep, empowering and magnetic well.
3. One of the best ways to be of more service and value to others,
is two continue to grow and work on yourself - Jim is a shining
example of the value that can be brought to others by taking on the
task of improving oneself. He gives many examples of how his done
that and why, and how that’s benefited his life and career.
If you have any interest in building business with integrity, you will enjoy Jim’s story. And perhaps more fundamentally, if you just like to hear about good people doing good in the world not for any other reason but that it's the right thing to do, you’re really going to like this.
©2017 Kevin Bulmer
Enterprises