redible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ execut

This past fall, I received a call from Mike Kirsche, who told me a fascinating story about how the CEO and President of his company, Michael R.Hecomovich, along with a group of 10 executives, created and built a high performance global sales and marketing organization that has close to 0% turnover every year, and where salespeople (called team members) consistently meet or surpass targets.

Hecomovich founded Global Marketing Services (GMS) in 1998, in response to a request from IBM, who was searching for an outsourcing partner to handle U.S. and European sales and marketing for its printer supplies products. GMS now has 28 employees throughout North America and Europe who operate virtually, only meeting face-to-face as a global team once a year.

From the beginning, Hecomovich envisioned the company would operate on the principles of teamwork, co-operation, collaboration, and servant leadership. About a year into the business, he attended a meeting where management guru Ken Blanchard spoke about his book Gung Ho! The concepts in the book gave language and structure to what he and his executives were doing, and so was born the simple-to-understand-but-hard-to-sustain GMS’ formal emphasis of their Gung Ho culture.

‘Gung Ho’ is a Chinese word for working together. It describes boundless energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to a task to achieve results. Blanchard’s book is packed with invaluable information as well as a fascinating and compelling story.

The three Gung Ho management principles are presented as an allegory: a retelling of an organizational turnaround based on three Native American lessons. In The Spirit of the Squirrel, the lesson is the power of shared values and seeing work as important and worthwhile. In The Way of the Beaver, the lesson is accomplishment through an extraordinary level of self-motivation, empowerment, and self-discipline. In The Gift of the Goose, the lesson is the recognition and cheering on of others.

Implementing these principles in your distribution company or manufacturer’s rep firm is not a one-time event. For continued success, a company has to constantly focus on and continually renew their commitment to them. Kirsche, Executive Vice-President of Business Development and Leadership at GMS, is responsible for seeing that all GMS team members retain their passion for their extraordinary “Gung Ho” culture.

Here are some of the secrets GMS uses to pay attention to and reward success:

Implement a High-Profile Recognition Program that Focuses on Attitudes and Behaviours

GMS created three awards to honour individuals who exemplify one, two, or all three of the Gung Ho principles. Peers nominate team members and a review committee makes the final decisions. The awards are given at the annual January meeting and are presented by the nominating Team member.

The Spirit of the Squirrel Award goes to individuals who behave in ways that show they understand how their important and worthwhile work benefits other team members, clients and channel partners.

The Way of the Beaver Award recognizes individuals who have an incredible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ executi

comovich envisioned the company would operate on the principles of teamwork, co-operation, collaboration, and servant leadership. About a year into the business, he attended a meeting where management guru Ken Blanchard spoke about his book Gung Ho! The concepts in the book gave language and structure to what he and his executives were doing, and so was born the simple-to-understand-but-hard-to-sustain GMS’ formal emphasis of their Gung Ho culture.

‘Gung Ho’ is a Chinese word for working together. It describes boundless energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to a task to achieve results. Blanchard’s book is packed with invaluable information as well as a fascinating and compelling story.

The three Gung Ho management principles are presented as an allegory: a retelling of an organizational turnaround based on three Native American lessons. In The Spirit of the Squirrel, the lesson is the power of shared values and seeing work as important and worthwhile. In The Way of the Beaver, the lesson is accomplishment through an extraordinary level of self-motivation, empowerment, and self-discipline. In The Gift of the Goose, the lesson is the recognition and cheering on of others.

Implementing these principles in your distribution company or manufacturer’s rep firm is not a one-time event. For continued success, a company has to constantly focus on and continually renew their commitment to them. Kirsche, Executive Vice-President of Business Development and Leadership at GMS, is responsible for seeing that all GMS team members retain their passion for their extraordinary “Gung Ho” culture.

Here are some of the secrets GMS uses to pay attention to and reward success:

Implement a High-Profile Recognition Program that Focuses on Attitudes and Behaviours

GMS created three awards to honour individuals who exemplify one, two, or all three of the Gung Ho principles. Peers nominate team members and a review committee makes the final decisions. The awards are given at the annual January meeting and are presented by the nominating Team member.

The Spirit of the Squirrel Award goes to individuals who behave in ways that show they understand how their important and worthwhile work benefits other team members, clients and channel partners.

The Way of the Beaver Award recognizes individuals who have an incredible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ execut

of an organizational turnaround based on three Native American lessons. In The Spirit of the Squirrel, the lesson is the power of shared values and seeing work as important and worthwhile. In The Way of the Beaver, the lesson is accomplishment through an extraordinary level of self-motivation, empowerment, and self-discipline. In The Gift of the Goose, the lesson is the recognition and cheering on of others.

Implementing these principles in your distribution company or manufacturer’s rep firm is not a one-time event. For continued success, a company has to constantly focus on and continually renew their commitment to them. Kirsche, Executive Vice-President of Business Development and Leadership at GMS, is responsible for seeing that all GMS team members retain their passion for their extraordinary “Gung Ho” culture.

Here are some of the secrets GMS uses to pay attention to and reward success:

Implement a High-Profile Recognition Program that Focuses on Attitudes and Behaviours

GMS created three awards to honour individuals who exemplify one, two, or all three of the Gung Ho principles. Peers nominate team members and a review committee makes the final decisions. The awards are given at the annual January meeting and are presented by the nominating Team member.

The Spirit of the Squirrel Award goes to individuals who behave in ways that show they understand how their important and worthwhile work benefits other team members, clients and channel partners.

The Way of the Beaver Award recognizes individuals who have an incredible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ execut

for their extraordinary “Gung Ho” culture.

Here are some of the secrets GMS uses to pay attention to and reward success:

Implement a High-Profile Recognition Program that Focuses on Attitudes and Behaviours

GMS created three awards to honour individuals who exemplify one, two, or all three of the Gung Ho principles. Peers nominate team members and a review committee makes the final decisions. The awards are given at the annual January meeting and are presented by the nominating Team member.

The Spirit of the Squirrel Award goes to individuals who behave in ways that show they understand how their important and worthwhile work benefits other team members, clients and channel partners.

The Way of the Beaver Award recognizes individuals who have an incredible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ execut

redible sense of independence and personal responsibility, and use these characteristics effectively within a team setting. Beavers don’t achieve engineering marvels because some other beaver orders them; they are empowered to use their own best judgment.

The Gift of the Goose Award is presented to an individual who exhibits exceptional compassion, humility and commitment to support the team. Members go out of their way to acknowledge, encourage and cheer others on.

One final award, The Order Of Gung Ho, is bestowed upon team members who have received all three awards, and who have sustained their performance for the two years following their most recent award.

Have a Yearly Theme with Weekly Activities

GMS’s 2007 theme is “Gung Ho, Friends!” GMS’ executives establish 12 monthly focus topics based on principles and concepts developed in Blanchard’s book and each week one member of the team circulates an email with his or her thoughts on the monthly topic. It might be a relevant text or quote, a book or movie recommendation, or a personal observation or experience. Some examples of monthly focus topics for 2007 are:

Values guide all decisions, plans and actions
Able but challenged
Freedom to do the work
Valuing individuals as persons
Empowering others
Character, integrity and selflessness

Communicate Constantly

At GMS, team members talk daily. There are two to three regional meetings a year, and one annual meeting that includes everyone in the company.

Teams also use conference calls to talk with each other, their clients and their channel partners frequently each month, and may also travel together to call on clients.

The results

Turnover at GMS is virtually 0% (and has been since the company opened its doors in 1998). All team members are high performers who consistently meet or exceed expectations, and GMS executives pay close attention to how they and each team member lives the corporate values. Oh yes, they have a lot of fun, too!