Celebrate Your History

As I landed here in Oklahoma last night for my sixth annual trip in which I drive all over the state so Assets International can unite owners with their assets, I reflected on what I have seen during my travels in the Sooner State. No, I have not yet see a single surrey with a fringe on top. I have, however, seen something special about this state.

I have seen a lot of this wonderful country, not just the touristy sites but also many roads less traveled. One thing very endearingly unique about Oklahoma is how, more than any other state I have seen, it celebrates its famous sons and daughters. All over the state are street and highway signs, water towers and billboards proclaiming the hometowns of various celebrities.

It starts when your plane lands in Oklahoma City, where the airport is named for Will Rogers and there is an even a statue of him in the terminal. Having driven thousands of miles around the state, I know that former NFL tight end Jeremy Shockey and bestselling country singer Blake Shelton are both from Ada (pop. 16,810). Baseball legend Mickey Mantle was born in Spavinaw (437), and grew up in Commerce (2,473). My favorite, though, is the billboard in Leedey (435) that brags about being the hometown of the original Darla from the Little Rascals.

I love these signs for a simple yet understated reason. Celebration of accomplishments, whether of a whole group or its members, instills pride in people. This is true of cities, religious institutions, companies and any other entity. People want to be a part of success, even if its just in the role of moral support.

As a business owner, I have learned the importance of this. My company is in the business of finding people and uniting them with money they never knew about, like missing heirs entitled to inheritances from long lost relatives. While our work is rewarding in its own right, I have seen how sharing our victories, both big and small, makes my team members be a little prouder of what we do. When we get a thank you letter from a client that expresses their satisfaction with our service, like the one below, I make sure to share it with everyone in the company.

We have also been fortunate enough to get some positivepress and win someawards over the years. We have assembled a nice collection of plaques and commendations over the years that serve as sources of pride for everyone here.

Now I have to admit to something. We relocated our office a few months ago to a great building. Everyone is much happier with the new location. One thing we have neglected, though, and for which I take the primary blame, is the failure to get all those signs of our past success on display. They are sitting in boxes.

I can blame it on a variety of things, like our being shorthanded this summer--one of our key people was on maternity leave, thereby causing me to shift my focus from bigger picture stuff to more of the nitty gritty--but that would be a cop-out. At the end of the day, maintaining pride in our company is a necessity and starts at the top. This trip is a good wakeup call. As soon as I return to the office next week, I will make it a priority to break all those things out of storage and remind our team that they are a part of something.