Kevin Gearheart: People want to know, "Do you care about me? Are you supporting me and can I trust you?" And if you have employees that they feel that way about their leadership, they are going to do everything they can to make sure that they're helping the organization because they feel trusted. And they're going to enjoy what they're doing a lot more in that environment. Tim Spiker: Developing the people on your team increases their capabilities while also communicating that you care about them and their careers. When that happens, everyone can thrive including the business itself. I'm your host, Tim Spiker. And this is the Be Worth* Following Podcast, a production of the People Forward Network. Tim Spiker: On this show we talk with exceptional leaders, thinkers, and researchers about what actually drives effective leadership across the globe and over time. You just heard from Kevin Gearheart, the President of Rehab Medical. Kevin's approach to leadership has proven to be a win not only for the company and its clients, but for its employees as well. Even as the company shoulders the challenges and stresses that come along with being in a fast growing organization, Rehab Medical has continued to prioritize investing in the development of its people, and that has paid off as Rehab Medical has remained an employer of choice. Tim Spiker: In this episode, Kevin shares about the return on investment he's seen from prioritizing people. And spoiler alert: It's not just a long-term payoff. But first, let's hear about a leader very close to Kevin who taught him to intentionally be an example to those he is leading. Tim Spiker: As you look back on your history and here you are leading Rehab Medical today, who are the leaders that have shaped how you think and lead today, Kevin? Kevin Gearheart: The first one that comes to mind and I think it's truly unintentional is my dad. And he was not a real vocal person, but I think some of the things that I realized that I picked up from him over the years are really just leading by example. And I think that was kind of where it starts. And the leading by example also leads into setting the pace. And I think the one thing that he taught me was the value of hard work. And it's not just important to the team that you work very hard to make the team successful, but it's also important for other people to see how hard you're working. Kevin Gearheart: And I think that's where I get to that set the pace piece and just making sure everyone understands that, "Hey, whatever it takes for the team to be successful." He was a coach of mine as I was growing up, but that's a lot of the value that he taught me and I think I utilized that a lot today where I think being a leader it's really important for your team to see you in a certain light because they're going to emulate the attributes that you have, which is, "Hey, I'm here to work hard. I'm here to do whatever it takes for the team to be successful." Kevin Gearheart: And I think those are the things that, again, very unintentional. It definitely wasn't him telling me these things. It's just things that he taught me over the years that I've really adopted and I use a lot in my leadership style today. Tim Spiker: So to take us back in time a little bit because what we get in that story is like, "Here's the conclusion. Here's the lesson that I ended up with." But are there any particular moments or experiences that you recall where you're like, "Oh, that was vividly on display, I remember that now."? Kevin Gearheart: Yeah. In terms of him and I know you played sports so you probably had this, but after games I just always recall having a conversation and walking through certain things and just really getting to that point of, "Hey, here's what you did and this is how you were being viewed and perceived in that moment by your teammates, by the other team." Kevin Gearheart: And so there's just a lot of things that we would always recap and it was always nice to have that kind of session afterwards, but there's a lot of things where in the moment I'm learning a little bit. But now as I get older and I start to coach my kids, I recognize what it was that was taking place. And I realize how much I truly learned from that over the years. Tim Spiker: Because I think about the important of the example that we set as leaders and as you put it, setting the pace. How do you talk about the difference between actually being that hard worker and thinking about, "I'm putting on the show to be a hard worker?" Kind of the difference between managing perception, but actually being that person. How do you manage that when you're coaching other people? Kevin Gearheart: I think it really just comes down to doing it because there are some people that will put on the show. And the reality though is that everyone sees that. If you think that you're fooling someone, you're not. People see it. And that's where perception is really important, but that's where I think it has to come with, "Hey, you have to do the job. You have to do the work and you've got to do it the right way because no matter what as a leader, everyone is watching you." Kevin Gearheart: There is not a moment that goes by that people aren't watching you. They're either judging you one way positively or one way negatively, but they see everything you do. And so it's so important that, "Hey, you've got to adopt the actual work ethic and you've got to do the work." And I think to me, one of the most important things about leadership is you have to be authentic. We talk a lot about doing things for other people and helping other people out. It has to be authentic. Kevin Gearheart: The second that someone thinks that you're just putting on a show and saying things for social media or somewhere else, they sniff it out. It's absolutely critical to be authentic because people know and you can't hide it. I say this to my son, "You're going to spend more to time trying to get out of work than if you would just do the work yourself." And I think it's same thing with leadership. Don't try and fake it, just do it. Just get your work in and work your butt off. And then eventually you're going to be that person that you want to be anyway. Tim Spiker: As you say that last line, I can't help but thinking of a word that we talk a lot about with this idea of becoming. It's actually not just about the story that gets told or the story that gets observed, but who am I actually becoming as a leader who is growing and developing into the spaces of influence? Tim Spiker: Not about the show, but is that actually what's true about me? Let's say we shut the whole social media thing down completely. Would it still be true of me? And that's what I hear you saying. Kevin Gearheart: Absolutely. That's a great point. Tim Spiker: What would you say to somebody, let's pretend that we're having a conversation with one of your up-and-coming, go-getter high potential leaders and they bristle perhaps just a little bit at this idea that I'm always being watched, that I always have influence. I never get a break from that. How would you coach somebody who would respond to that with a little bit of hesitation? Kevin Gearheart: I think the first thing I would say is just focus on what you can control. I think if you want to be a leader and even if you don't, I mean, sometimes people are thrust into leadership roles and they may not want it. It is what it is. You can't control that. And I think that's a big part of where I focus with people as they're working through leadership challenges. Kevin Gearheart: If you can't control it, don't worry about it. If you can control it, don't complain about it. You got to focus on those things and take that approach. And hey, I don't really like that. I hate to say it, but that's part of the job and you can't get away from it so embrace it. And you figure out how do you manage it. And that's really the advice that I think I would give. Tim Spiker: We have to go back to that line again because that was gold. If you can't control it, don't worry about it. If you can control it, don't complain about it. I mean, in other words, there's no way out. Kevin Gearheart: There's no way out. If you can control about it, what are you complaining about? Just get it done. And again, that's probably something I picked up from my dad or some other leader along the way that it's just, "Hey, if you can't control it, don't worry about it. But if you can, you better be doing something to fix it." Tim Spiker: In some regards and I had a colleague of mine Vanessa Kiley over the years kind of point this out to me is ultimately when we step to make a change, there's a bit of courage involved in that because we're basically admitting that we have influence. And if it doesn't turn out well, then we own a piece of that. But that's just part of leadership. Tim Spiker: You can't kind of step into leadership and then blame everything that doesn't go well on everybody else because we were doing that in the first place because we could influence the outcome. Kevin Gearheart: That's right and that's a big part of leadership. I feel in certain times in our organization where I hear a leader, we had a conversation about hiring and turnover and we had a leader and he's like, "My manager just doesn't do a good job of hiring." Well, hey, as a director, that's your problem. Your job- Tim Spiker: Who exactly is in charge of that again? Kevin Gearheart: Yeah, that's right. You can't just say they're no good. Well, they're on your team. That's your problem ultimately. And like it or not, you can't blame everyone else. You got to fix it and you got to take ownership of that. And that's critical. Tim Spiker: Just this past week, I was watching some old video of a leader a number of years ago who's having a great deal of success now, but seven years ago was not. And it was really impressive because this doesn't happened very often. The lead leader was taking responsibility and was saying, "Look, we're not successful. Maybe I can't get our team to do what they need to do or maybe I've picked the wrong team members, but it doesn't matter. It's all my responsibility." And unfortunately I don't think that's something that we hear very often these days from leaders. Kevin Gearheart: That's right. That ownership is critical. Tim Spiker: Let's talk a little bit now with your role at Rehab Medical and you guys are growing like crazy. You see growth as a pretty critical aspect of what you're doing. So talk to us a little bit about what motivates you towards continued growth for Rehab Medical? Kevin Gearheart: Yeah, so Rehab Medical, we're a healthcare company and we've been growing at 30% a year for five years now. And it gets really difficult sometimes. And we got to go back to that why do we have a growth mindset? And being in healthcare, our growth mindset is really twofold. One is we feel like we're really good at what we do and we're taking care of patients and we're improving their lives. And so if we're really good at that and we feel like there's a lot of underserved markets out there, why not do more of it? Kevin Gearheart: And so for us, the growth mindset is, "Hey, we think we can take care of more people because our mission is to improve lives." So we have to grow. There's almost an obligation to do that. So that's one aspect of our growth mindset. Kevin Gearheart: The second aspect is when I talk about improving lives, it's not just the patients that we serve, but it's also the team that we're building and trying to make sure their lives are getting better every year that they're with the company. And so as we grow, what does that mean? It means more hires. It means more job opportunities that we're creating. It also means people getting promotions. Kevin Gearheart: One of the things that I'm very proud of talk about each year as we have our annual meeting as a company, I really highlight how many promotions do we have. We track that and look at it because that's one of the things that as people are dealing with the pressure and stress of growth, what does it mean for me individually? Well, it means I can take on more responsibility. It means I'm going to grow as an individual. It also means I'm going to make more money. And I think those are all important things as people are looking at their career path. And so for us, the growth mindset is taking care of patients, improving their lives and taking care of employees and creating jobs and improving their lives. Tim Spiker: So what do you say to the kind of, I'm going to speak to the cynical listener right now who would say, "Oh, that's nice, Kevin, you say that growth is critical and you give me some nice reasoning like we're going to take care of people with their physicality, their medical needs, and our team's going to get opportunity for growth and development make more money. But let's be honest, you said at the top how can you really say that this isn't about your own gain, your own financial gain, your own ego? I mean, come on Kevin, isn't this really partially about what you get out of it?" Kevin Gearheart: I think everybody has different visions and motivations of what they want out of life or out of a career. For me personally and this is just the way I've always felt and been ingrained from an early age is that you can't control the outcome. For me I don't think, "If I grow, I'm going to get more money." What I think is, "Hey, if I do the right things, we're going to have outcomes that benefit everybody." Kevin Gearheart: And so I think if you're focusing on the outcome, you're focusing on wrong thing. I think if you focus on the tasks and the situations that will create those outcomes, the outcome's going to be there. Do I want to make more money? Sure. Who doesn't, right? But I also want everyone in an organization to make more money. I think those are the outcomes that as long as we're doing things together, everyone's going to win in that scenario. Kevin Gearheart: Like I said earlier, when you think about being authentic if I was selfish and only focusing on my own wins, people would see that and they wouldn't want to be a part of this organization any longer than they have to. And so if you do the right thing, things are going to work themselves out in the end, which you were talking earlier about things that impacted me. That quote is actually from our high school basketball team. And we had a quote at the beginning of each practice and one year that was the quote for the whole year. Do things right and everything will work out in the end. And that stuck with me. Kevin Gearheart: And I think that's a lot of how I live from a professional standpoint. Now over the years I've added do the right things because it's not just if you do things right, but in your career you realize you also got to do the right things and things will work out. And it's just that mindset of, "Hey, if I work really hard and I focus on the right things and I do things well and I do them right, the outcomes are going to be there." Kevin Gearheart: And again, that's not for everybody. Some people might truly have like, "Hey, I really want to grow because I want to make more money." And if that's our motivation, that's their thing and I support that. But for me, I truly just have gotten to the point where I know if we work on the right things and do things right, the outcome will be there. Everything will take care of itself. Tim Spiker: We run through a lawnmower and stick around more for people who are not focused on themselves. That's just a kind of a basic fact of human existence. And so the idea that as you focus on the whole, that it creates an environment that people are more desirous to be a part of for a longer period of time, I think is entirely accurate and is going to impact the continuity that you guys have for a long time. Kevin Gearheart: Yeah, that's exactly right. And it goes back to if people feel like you're supporting them, people want to know, "Do you care about me? Are you supporting me and can I trust you?" And if you have employees that they feel that way about their leadership, they are going to do everything they can to make sure that they're helping the organization because they feel supported and they feel trusted. And they're going to enjoy what they're doing a lot more in that environment. Tim Spiker: That leads into another part of the conversation here that I think is worth exploring. Rehab Medical has been recognized as a preferred place to work. And as you think about the significant growth that you're having, I mean, you could imagine some of the mayhem sometimes that comes along with really, really significant growth. And yet at the same time, you're maintaining a culture that people are saying publicly I want to be a part of that. How are you managing to pull off both of those things at the same time? Kevin Gearheart: Yeah, I think it's really tough. And I think that as we grow, people feel it. They feel the pressure of growing. And I think with that, we're very, very focused on, "Hey, how do we make sure that we support the growth and we support the individuals that are a part of that growth?" And so for us, it's just a heavy awareness and an intentionality around how do we support the individuals to make sure that they don't break or they don't feel too much pressure? Kevin Gearheart: And so there's a lot of different things that we've put in place, whether it's specific training in different departments. And we have a number of trainers that all they do is train. And we've been adding to that recently because we've noticed that that's where people feel the most breakdown is I don't have the tools or the knowledge to do my job. Great. We're going to invest in that because we need that to happen. And then we also on top of that, we have a number of training programs that are for emerging leaders, a training program for new managers, a training program for anybody who's a director level or above. Kevin Gearheart: And we're constantly looking at how else can we add to that? And to me, it's engagement and development. And so we're constantly focusing on how do we engage our employees to make sure they feel a part of what we're doing. And then also how do we make sure that we're providing enough development opportunities so that they have the tools to do their job and that they don't feel like, "Oh my God, I'm just drowning." Kevin Gearheart: I think it's a constant challenge though. Every quarter we look at this and say, "Okay, what do we have to do? Where are we at? Where does the support need to come from to make sure that we can achieve the aggressive goals that we have for the organization?" Tim Spiker: Do you have any concerns as you make significant investments in the development of your people to show them support, to have this be a place where they want to continue to work? Do you have any concerns about what happens when some of those folks if they walk out the door that you spend all that money and time and energy and a way they go. Does that weigh into your thinking at all about how you invest in development? Kevin Gearheart: It really doesn't. I think that goes back to we got to make sure that people have the tools and the skills to do the job. And if they feel like they're not getting what they want out of our organization, then I support them in that. I'm just a big believer that you basically give people the opportunity to develop themselves. And if they have a better opportunity somewhere else, great. Kevin Gearheart: Now my job is to make sure they don't have a better opportunity somewhere else. And that's part of why I like the growth mindset is, "Hey, if we're constantly growing and we're constantly creating opportunities, your best opportunity is here. And you are never going to find a better opportunity for your personal and professional growth than you will at our organization." And that puts an onus on us to keep growing because we got a lot of people that want opportunities. We got to provide them. And that's where that growth mindset comes into play. Tim Spiker: You say that and it reminds me one of the best leaders I have ever been around. A number of years ago, I was on the phone. He was on his way to the office and I said, "What do you have on the schedule today? And he said, "I'm going to spend today recruiting the people who work here." And I thought that is an amazing mentality. And that's really exactly what you're talking about as you continue to provide growth and development opportunities. Tim Spiker: You want to make Rehab Medical the best option that anybody would have. Not because you've handcuffed them, but because they literally couldn't find something better somewhere else. Kevin Gearheart: I love that quote. I'm actually going to kind of steal that at some point, but I think that's a great mindset. I mean, it's tough because everything's moving rapidly, but that is absolutely something that has to happen if you want to build a great company. Tim Spiker: So as you think about the investments that you're making in the development of your people, you're making meaningful investments in time, in money, in energy, in talent. How long does it take to make those investments back from your perspective? Kevin Gearheart: I think I look at it in two ways. I think there's a short-term return and then there's a longer-term return. The immediate return is right away. And I think that's because when you're investing in people and develop, one, they see that you care about them. And so the return on that right away is huge just because we talk about it, they're going to have a motivation to work so much harder and do more for others if they know that you care about them. They're less likely to leave. Turnover gets reduced. Kevin Gearheart: And so even though you don't think that there's an immediate return, the immediate return is just that loyalty and that commitment of, "Hey, I really want to work here. And I really like what I'm doing with this organization because they care about me." I think the longer-term return is it's months and years. And obviously it's going to be different for individuals. Kevin Gearheart: And so as you're trying to build a great company, you know that you're going to get it eventually and it's going to be over the long run, but the investment is necessary because you don't want to not invest in people, and then they stick around and they're not getting any better. So you have to do it if you want to build a great company. Tim Spiker: One of the things that as you and I were talking offline about the structure and how you really keep an eye on how the organization is organized. And that's not something I always hear from leaders. So say a little bit more about why that's important to you and the types of things that you're doing to evaluate and adjust the structure of the organization where it needs to happen. Kevin Gearheart: And I don't know who said it, but strategy and structure go hand in hand. And wherever I heard that it just really stuck with me because you can't execute your strategy if you don't have the right structure. And then you also have to have the right people to fit into that structure. And so for us that's kind of where we start with, "Hey, where are we going to grow? What is our strategy? How do we get there?" And within that same conversation, there's a really in depth discussion about what is the right structure to support that growth. And we're constantly changing it. Kevin Gearheart: It's literally as we grow at these rates, it's "Okay, what else do we need?" And sometimes it's we've got to either change it a little bit or we got to change it a lot. And we're adding completely new departments because we know that with growth comes change and that's where that structure comes into play. And so for us, we got to have a strategy on growth. What's the structure that we have to support that growth? And then we look at "Okay, who are the right people and what are the attributes that we have to have within those positions and getting the right people in the right seats?" Tim Spiker: Let's get to a little finer point on that. Could you give us an example of one of the larger structural changes that you've made as it's connected to your strategy? Kevin Gearheart: Yeah. And this is really specific to our business, but we deal with a lot of insurance paperwork. And we have sales and marketing reps that are out in the field and they're working with physicians and physical therapists, and the payer resources. And so there's a lot of different people that they're working with and a lot of different paperwork that they're dealing with. Kevin Gearheart: And so one of the challenges that we have, and we had a level of burnout because their volumes were so much and they were just like, "Oh my God, I'm getting stressed out because it's actually too much work." And so for us it was, "Okay, well, how do we put a support mechanism in place to make sure that we can almost have an assistant or a level of administration to support that? And which pieces do we take off their plate?" We don't take off the in-services because they're sales reps. They got to go out and educate and do the in-services. But if there's a portion of that, that we reallocate to another role, how do we do that that allows them to not just work less, but just have less stress? Kevin Gearheart: And it was an interesting process because we tried to do this for a number of months and every one of the sales reps would say, "No, I don't want it. I don't trust anybody else with my stuff. I know my accounts. I don't want somebody messing it up." And then eventually we're just like, "No, we're not going to let you hurt yourself." And then all of a sudden we put it in place for a couple folks and holy cow, less stress love their job. All of a sudden our turnover in that position just went down dramatically. And then when everybody else saw it they're like, "Oh wait, I want that support too." Kevin Gearheart: And so it's a combination of understanding where the pain points are and then how do we solve it? And in some cases not giving people choice. "Hey, you're going to take this support person because we know that's what you need, even though you don't like it at first." But then once you see the results and all of a sudden everybody's a believer. Tim Spiker: What would happen if you took away the support person now? Kevin Gearheart: Oh my God. I mean, I can't even imagine. What we're doing now is we're actually adding more. And so that's where it's like we're constantly going, "Okay, how do we add more? How do we add more?" That support, it's not just more bodies, but it's also, how do we strategically take portions of the job and reallocate it to where they can do more with less? And again, some of it's structural, some of it's also technology, but we're constantly trying to figure out how do we reconfigure to either automate or take pieces away to where people can truly focus on their strengths? Kevin Gearheart: If you're really good at this, I'm not going to try and fix your weaknesses. Guess what? I'm going to give you a tool to take away those weaknesses. And you just keep doing what you do really well. Tim Spiker: As we're talking about structure and strategy and the linkages there, you mentioned the couple of times, but we got to have the right people. What do you interview for and how are you finding those right people to go along with that structure and strategy? Kevin Gearheart: I will say our interview process is it's always a work in progress. And so I think if in an ideal world and what we're really trying to focus is just that old mindset of hire slowly. And I think the reason for that is obvious. Somebody comes in, they can have a great interview, 30, 45-minute slot. But the more you see them, the more you pick up on things and understand who they are as a person and what their focus and motivation is. Kevin Gearheart: And for us, we talked about culture being really important. A lot of it comes down to fit. And this is where I was talking about those training positions. We can train people for are certain attributes of their job. I can't change someone's personality. I can't change their personal motivation. And so for me I'm always looking for how are they going to fit within our organization? Are they aligned with our core values? Are they aligned with our mission? Kevin Gearheart: And so really trying to slow down that process. Make sure that multiple people interview that candidate multiple different scenarios. And I think we do a really good job in some areas. Sometimes it gets sped up and then we notice when it does. And then all of a sudden it's like we made a hire too quickly and we didn't truly understand if that was the right person. And so we really got to go back and be diligent in following our process. Tim Spiker: Hiring for cultural fit is something that I think a fair number of people think about, but how do you really pull it off in an interviewing process? Because you're talking about trying to understand not what somebody's skills are or what their resume says, but you're really trying to get in there and understand them as a person a little bit more. How do you do that? Kevin Gearheart: One of the ways that we do it is we really focus on our core values. And I think the reason that's important is because if you don't know what you're looking for you're not going to get it, not consistently. And so for us, we have three core values. One is energetic to achieve, second one is hard work with balance and the third one is compassion. And so I think that defining it upfront so now I know what I'm looking for. I think that's really important. Otherwise, you're going to get off path. Kevin Gearheart: And then the next thing is really just trying to dig in and it, it's not easy, but trying to understand is this the kind of person that they get motivated by that energetic to achieve core value? If they're not, they certainly aren't going to fit in our organization because we're trying to grow rapidly. And so if growing and being a part of a fast moving environment is not something they're excited about, that's a wrong fit. Kevin Gearheart: And so that's the first part of it. And then the second part is truly just making sure that we have multiple people interviewing those candidates. And I probably interview more than I should really just because and I'm not interviewing for technical skill. I'm truly- Tim Spiker: Wait, let's back up one second, Kevin. I just need to review. Could you please state your role in the organization please? Your title is? Kevin Gearheart: President. Tim Spiker: All right. So I say that jokingly because I know what your title is, but I just want people to pay attention to you're talking about actively participating in the interviewing process. I think that's just really important because there are many people at upper reaches of the organization that have a temptation to separate themselves from the process. And it sounds to me like you're doing and just the opposite of that. Kevin Gearheart: Yeah I am and if I could interview more, I would. And I think it's twofold. One is because I'm really trying to make sure that we're aligned with the hires that we're bringing on board. And obviously I'm very in tune with what I want the culture to look like. And so a lot of that for me is is this person going to fit? Are they going to mesh with our personalities? Are they going to mesh with what we're trying to accomplish? Kevin Gearheart: The other thing is as I interview, I also kind of use it as a guide because now I can go work with someone else that they're interviewing and I say, "Hey, here's why I don't think this person's a fit." And some of it's based on core values. Other times it's a fit for the position. I'll give you a little example. So we have people that have to go collect accounts receivable for insurance payers and it's not an easy job. It's very difficult. It requires someone who is focused on fighting for the company and then they're going to go solve problems. Kevin Gearheart: If you interview a candidate and they just want to send out claims, guess what? They are not going to be good at that job. So really trying to figure out cultural fit, but also what's the right personality and profile that we're looking for? Even though they may have 15 years of experience if they don't have that specific file, that's going to be a miss too. And so sometimes I like to jump in because I'm trying to figure out, "Hey, why are we missing on some of these candidates?" And sometimes it's in that arena. Tim Spiker: So let's talk about the culture. Good transition point there and you talked about three values: Energetic to achieve, hard work with balance and compassion. Can you talk a little bit about what are those three things achieve for an organization? Tim Spiker: They're all interesting, but I have to admit, I'll be very interested when we get to the third one because sometimes it's not always obvious how a value like compassion ultimately makes the organization more effectively. Kevin Gearheart: We came up with these a number of years ago and so it started because we used to be a lot smaller as an organization. And then when we started having rapid growth, I used to be at every meeting. I used to know every single person in the company and now it's not possible anymore. And so what we wanted was really a clarity of message around just really our vision, our mission and our values. And so we defined it because I think now it, it just also kind of gives us some guardrails that aligns us toward, "Hey, who are we and who do we want to be as a company?" Kevin Gearheart: And so when I talk about culture, the first thing really starts with our mission. Our mission is the short version is to improve lives. The longer version is we want to improve and positively impact the lives of our patients, our partners and our employees. And it gives clear guide rails around what are we trying to accomplish? And that's really what drives our culture in terms of, "Hey, we want people that are aligned with that mission." Kevin Gearheart: And then the core values are just how we're going to work together and really trying to make sure that, "Hey, this is who we are as an organization. And this is also who we want to be." And so the energetic to achieve, that's clearly who we are. We've proven that over the years. And so we got to make sure that people fit that one. Kevin Gearheart: Hard work with balance, quite honestly, that's a little aspirational. And I say that because when you're running at the rate, we're running at, that balance piece kind of gets left to the side naturally. And so for us, it's having that core value there to remind us that, "Hey, we're going to work really hard, but we also have to have a level of balance so we don't burn out." Kevin Gearheart: And it's important for us because we're not trying to build this thing up to go flip it. We're trying to build a great company and we're in it for the long haul. And the only way that works is if we don't burn out and there's a level of balance. And so that one is it's there to remind us, "Hey, you got to have balance in your life to be successful in this company." Tim Spiker: All right, so that's one and two. Let's talk about compassion. How does that make it onto the list when you adopt these three and how does that provide Rehab Medical essentially an effective organization a competitive advantage? Kevin Gearheart: We're in healthcare and I think understanding that there are going to be challenges that get in front of you. And the compassion is a reminder to say, "Hey, why are we doing this?" And to go back to when you're frustrated, don't forget why we're doing this. We're doing this to take care of patients that would be bedbound without our help and our assistance and our equipment. Kevin Gearheart: And I also think it's also a reminder because have compassion with your fellow employees. One of the things as you're growing, there are going to be frustrating points. And remember that everyone is dealing with their own challenges and we're all trying to accomplish the same thing. So just remember to be compassionate toward other individuals. And I think that's just really important for us as an organization. Tim Spiker: What would you say to somebody who says, "What about the idea that if I'm compassionate, it's going to lower performance. Compassionate is just kind of a nice way of saying we're not going to hold the standards. We're not going to achieve."? Kevin Gearheart: I can promise you nobody in an organization has that thought. I think people that would think that way if you think about our business and the energetic to achieve, I mean, the reason we have metrics and targets that we have to hit is because we're trying to take care of patients. And this is where we have a level of service excellence that we constantly try and provide. Kevin Gearheart: Because we know that if we are hitting those marks, we're ultimately hitting the compassion piece as well.We're getting people equipment faster than anybody else. They're going to be getting their needs served at a level that is much higher than anybody else. And the compassion is ultimately hit with that motivation or that target of energetic to achieve. Tim Spiker: As everybody's getting a chance to hear this story, there might be some people sitting out here saying, "That sounds like a really good company. I want to be a part of that company. I want to find out more about Rehab Medical." Where is the easiest place for people to track down Rehab Medical or you personally, Kevin? Kevin Gearheart: The easiest place is going to be just go to rehabmedical.com. Find us online. We're on Facebook. We've got a great number of followers there. Also, on LinkedIn we've got a number of spaces socially that people can find us. Tim Spiker: All right. So Kevin offered us a smorgasbord of great thoughts to lean into and think about. But in part as we wrap up today, I want to focus in on this idea of support for people and development. We were talking about in the midst of a very intense growth curve that they're on, which can be very challenging. Even as it's exciting, it can be very taxing. People see them as a preferred employer. People to be there and want to work there and they're moving fast. So how do you manage that, Kevin? And his response was essentially, "We're investing in people. We continue to invest in their growth and development. We see supporting them as they continue to grow as professionals as a way that we can make this a wonderful place for people to be." Tim Spiker: And then as we talked a little bit longer, he talked about a twofold perspective on the payoff of that investment. One, he talked about in the short-term and the other was in the long-term. The longer-term one is that they develop the skills and abilities that they need in order to do the job well and move the company forward. But the shorter-term one is really interesting to me to think about the message that is received by people when we invest in them in a meaningful way. The message being that you are valued. I see potential in you. We care about helping you to do your job well. We're not just going to kind of throw you out there and hope you figure it out. Tim Spiker: We are going to invest time, energy and money in helping you be the most developed professional that you can be. And the loyalty that can create. When we have low retention in organizations, it's very expensive. And so to foster an environment where people love to come to work because you're investing in them, you actually don't have to wait for that investment to kick in in their role for months and years before you get a value out of it as an organization because that loyalty piece shows up the moment that you start investing in people. Tim Spiker: So Rehab Medical is able to be a preferred employer in one part because they are investing so significantly in the people that are there on a regular basis. And that's something that they're going to keep doing over and over again. Tim Spiker: To what extent are you intentionally investing in the growth and development of your people? I'm Tim Spiker reminding you to be worth following. And be sure to follow us wherever you engage with podcasts. If you've heard something valuable today, please share our podcast with your colleagues and friends. And if you're up for it, leave us a five-star review. Thanks for listening.