Flow

Something most people don't know about me is that my wife and I have our birthday on the same day. OK, she is younger in years but June 21st is a birthday I don't forget. We sometimes keep things low key and other times one of us spoils and surprises the other with something special. This was my year to be spoiled.

My present was an advanced multi-day driving course at one of the top Rally Car schools in the USA. Amazingly, Dirt Fish Rally School is a mere 5 hours from Vancouver in Washington. My topic for this blog post is not about sliding 400 horsepower cars around mud tracks at high speed with a HUGE grin on my face, it's about hiring great staff.

Dirt Fish solved a lingering issue we have been pondering in our business. Let me explain. The instructors at Dirt Fish were just incredible, incredible brand ambassadors, teachers, sales people and all round nice guys that made the students feel welcome and at ease. Most of all Dirt Fish has found exceptional rally drivers with a passion for their sport and craft.

I think we could learn something from the Dirt Fish staffing model when hiring. They have found staff with "Will and Skill", People with passion and purpose. Staff who live the brand and love where they work. If you have heard the term FLOW, they are living it all day.

Leaving Dirt Fish after an exhausting but exhilarating several days I thought about how others perceive where they work, are they ever in FLOW, truly working happy in an inspired environment like the instructors at Dirt Fish? And how could we improve our company to create more of that kind of environment. For the drive home I had just the audio book to help answer that question - DRIVE by Daniel Pink. I'll keep you posted on what I learn and implement.

Cheers
Calvin