IF WE PLAY TOGETHER,
WE CAN COMPETE
Written By: Troy Tait
With one of my favorite sporting events–March Madness–right around the corner, I felt obligated to write about basketball. However, there are several other great things that also happen in March, like Employee Appreciation Day on March 3rd and International Women’s Day on March 8th, so before I talk basketball, I need to first acknowledge those two important dates. First, I want to give a shout out to the best employees ever–the great employee force at Med One. The success of a company is dependent upon employees who are committed to be the very best they can be and our team at Med One is a perfect example this. They are committed, show up every day and give the best they can.
My second shout out is to all the women in my life. There are so many great examples, starting with my mom who taught me so many valuable life skills. My amazing wife, who helps me be better every day and despite all my weaknesses still loves and supports me. Also, Linda Allen and Sheila Stevens–two women who helped their husbands create a great company. This is a list that could take up the entire newsletter, so I will leave it at those four for this issue.
Now on to basketball. I am not what I would call a movie person, but I do have a couple of favorites. Back in March 2008, I wrote an article comparing Med One to a high school basketball team from the movie Hoosiers. Here is part of that article:
Hoosiers is what I would call a classic. It is a story about small town Hickory High School’s unlikely run to the state high school basketball championship game. My favorite scene occurs when the team enters the large gymnasium where the game will be played. It is gigantic in comparison to the small gym at Hickory High. As the players stand in amazement and awe at the size of the building, the coach hands one of the players a tape measure. He asks him the height of the hoop and length of the key. It is reported that they are the same dimensions as those found at their home court. They realize that despite the size of the arena, the basic elements are the same. If they play together, they can compete. In the end, Hickory pulls off the upset and walk away as the Indiana state champions.
While I wouldn’t recommend building a business strategy from a movie, I do think this story has a lesson that can be applied. Med One is by most standards a company that is head quartered in a small town. In a sense, we are like Hickory High. We have battled with the competition and have earned the chance to compete with the big teams. Now that we are in the big arena, the basic elements are still the same. We can use the same skills and abilities that got us to this point– creativity, flexibility, responsiveness–combined with a strong team spirit, great team players, and determination to become champions.
At the end of the movie, Hickory returns home and they are still the same team. Granted things are a little different, but they are still the same group of players. They simply played their game on a bigger stage and won. Med One Capital is poised and ready to play for the championship.
Working together as a team we will succeed. And in the end, we will still be the “small” company, with all the elements that make a small company great, but with the ability to compete and win on a much higher level.
When I wrote that, Med One was a much different organization. We had about 50 employees in one location. Today we have over 200 employees and 13 locations with several new locations on the horizon. I would say my comparison to Hickory High was pretty accurate. We were the small under dog company just waiting for our opportunity. When the chance came to make a difference, we took it. 14 years later, while we have experienced substantial growth, we are still the same company. We have been able to maintain many of the great attributes of a small company. Our first priority is, and always has been, helping our customers achieve their goals. We listen to understand and then work to provide a solution that works. We don’t have a predefined “box” that everyone needs to fit into. At Med One, we take great pride in developing strong, meaningful relationships with our customers–and this philosophy has allowed us to continue to make a difference in the medical community.
Our first priority is, and always has been, helping our customers achieve their goals