November 18, 2016: It was a Friday. Barack Obama was still POTUS. The Chicago Cubs were World Series Champions for the first time in 108 years. Closer by The Chainsmokers (featuring Halsey) had been atop the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks. The Paris Agreement had just been activated. Doctor Strange pulled in $85M at the Box Office. The Dow Jones Industrials closed at 18,867.
On that same day, The PEAK Fleet set sail to change the world at work.
November 18, 2021: Jen and Brian celebrate five years of being in business together. In today's issue, we look back at some of the highlights and share reflections about what we've learned along the way. If you haven't heard about Jen's premonition about November 18th back in 2010, click here.
Relfections on the past five years
"When I look back on our journey together, two things stand out for me. First, most of our early clients were people who knew us long before we founded The PEAK Fleet. Even though our company was brand new, they knew exactly who they were hiring. It was a turning point when 'strangers' began hiring us. I don't know this was because we had become better at articulating our value proposition or if was simply because we were more confident. In reality, it was probably a mix of both.
As a result, we were able to spend more time and energy making an impact for our clients versus acquiring new ones. It doesn't hurt that so many of our early clients have stuck with us! I also think about our ability to weather storms. Every relationship, personal and professional, has rocky moments. Why did we survive? Core Values. We have clarity about our own values, each other's values, as well as a deep understanding of how our values interact. When our 'spidey senses' tell us something is wrong, we confront the situation in a healthy and constructive way. Even today, we continue to invest time understanding each other, accommodating, and adapting." Jen Coyne
"I remember being incredibly confident that we'd be successful ...immediately. When one of our closest advisers suggested it would take two years before we could support ourselves, I'm pretty sure I rolled my eyes. In hindsight, I clearly underestimated how hard it would be to build a business. Today, I offer the same 'two years' guidance to entrepreneurs who are just getting started.
What is our secret to success? For one, it makes a big difference when you have clarity about your purpose and values. Not only is the "hard stuff" easier to navigate, but it's incredibly fulfilling when "work" is something that you love doing. The annual "renewal of vows" is another key ingredient to our success. I don't remember who started the tradition (probably Jen), but every year we have a very authentic discussion about our commitment to the business. We take the time to explore, within ourselves and each other, what aspects of our work is the most rewarding and fulfilling. We also talk about what would cause us to leave and identify specific changes that we should make as a result. It's a powerful process." Brian Stinson
ICYMI: Authenticity Matters hits milestone!
Did you catch last week's episode of Authenticity Matters? Jen celebrated another milestone back in June 2021: her radio show turned two! For November's show, Jen wanted to reflect on the 2+ years of the show, and wanted Brian to return as a guest. He shared what he has learned about the "A" in PEAK over the past 5 years. In addition, Jen pulled highlights from past episodes to share key insights about the power of Authenticity. If you missed it and would like to listen, check out the replay here: https://xray.fm/broadcasts/42452
PEAK Values Blog Series: The Sequel
In early 2017, Brian and Jen collaborated on a four-part blog series exploring each of the PEAK Values®. We've decided that it was time to revisit them based on what we've learned since then and will publish them starting in December. If you would like to read any of the original blogs, click on the images below.
We'd love to hear from you! Do you have personal stories that involve Persistence, Empathy, Authenticity, or Kindness? Do you know someone who epitomizes one or more of the values? Please send us an email!
