Grateful for what I learned from Jeremy Abel

Earlier this week when Jeremy gave his notice, I admit I cried as I’m going to miss him. But at the same time, I’m utterly grateful that we had five fabulous years with this brilliant young man, that taught me so much.

Never Settle on a Hire … Ever

You see, when I first interviewed Jeremy Abel, I literally left the conference room to jump up and down. I was so excited as I knew he was perfect for the job. He was well spoken, intelligent, self-educated in inbound marketing and most importantly passionate. The first thing I learned from Jeremy was how to hire - I learned that if you look hard enough and know what you are looking for, you will find exceptional people who will change your life. Hiring became an obsession. I ended up being the bad guy rejecting 98% of the candidates that made it to the final round as they didn’t pass the “Jeremy” test in my mind. I am extremely grateful for the outstanding people who are still with me today after so many years who preceded Jeremy - they are exceptional and superstars but I did not always make “right fit” hires and the team evolved over time. But now because of Jeremy, I hire with a new confidence and it’s very rare someone doesn’t work out because we wait as long as it takes to hire the exact right fit the first time. The quality of our team today is the best it has ever been.  

Mentoring, Sharing and Daily Learning - the Joy of Podcasts

When he accepted the position, I was not disappointed. For that first year, we met weekly where he mentored me, he says I mentored him but it was truly the other way around. He read so much on culture, listened to podcasts and was so far ahead of his time, that those weekly meetings were a two way street of learning for both of us. I learned to embrace podcasts and have since become a podcast junkie- listening on my way to and from work every day.

On Core Values and Culture 

His passion for learning was contagious and when he brought the importance of revising our company’s core values to make them relevant and guide all we do with our clients, community and the foundation for our company culture. They are now spot-on and a passion for learning also became a core value. What he taught me was that culture is intentional. Although I learned about Traction (a business must read) for creating a culture and process for business from the Digital Mastermind Group, I don’t think I would have been as ready to embrace such a tough process had it not been for the weekly co-mentoring sessions.

An Early Start on the Inbound Movement 

He brought us in on the ground floor of the inbound movement. Due to his passion for all things HubSpot and inbound marketing, we attended HubSpot’s first Inbound conference in 2012 (prior to 2012 there were HUGS and the Inbound Marketing Summit). Five years ago, the first Inbound attracted 2,800 attendees; by 2016, it grew to 19,000 attendees. We’ve attended this conference every year to learn, recharge, grow, and learn from other passionate people. I’ve always loved conferences, but this one was different than strictly being about skill development- it was really more about culture, understanding your employees, and learning about tools and opportunities.

Former Employees as Alumni

From Jeremy, I first heard the concept that former employees should be considered alumni.  This was such a foreign concept. In the beginning, goodbyes were never easy for me and I was devastated when people left, only thinking of our loss. The concept of an employee as an alumnus - part of your network, someone to be exceedingly proud of- was thrown at me both by Jeremy and at my Digital Masterminds Group, and I realized the profoundness of this perspective. What a great thing it is to teach someone, help them grow, and if it’s right for them, see them move on in a positive way. Thank you, Jeremy, for helping me rise above who I was and become a better person. So, when I was called upon for a reference, I glowed about Jeremy, the lady laughed and said, the last person she called (for a different candidate) refused to give her any information as they didn’t want that employee to leave their company… she said she liked my perspective- this perspective is one I owe to a future alum… Jeremy. 

Best wishes Jeremy on your journey, I know you will do great things, these past five years have been a gift and I’m so grateful for you.