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Last week, everyone at Cydcor participated in a team building exercise where we had to create a device that would protect a raw egg from breaking when dropped about 10 feet. We divided into groups of about 8-10 people and given a box of supplies to create the device. We had a limited amount of time and the pressure was on. As we were working on our design, gathering all of our ideas and getting all of our brains in the game, we noticed that other groups were creating a parachute-type tissue. We did not have the tissue. We assumed every team got something different in their box.
We ended up creatively using materials such as straws, string and rubber bands to enable our egg to drop as if unwinding a yoyo. What we learned was this: If we lured down the egg, it would never break. As we had seen earlier, many of the other groups had created parachutes. We realized after the time was up that our parachute material was stuck inside the top of the box and we had not noticed.
The lesson that was reinforced in the exercise is that it is possible to come up with superior solutions with fewer resources than we think we need. By putting our brains together, we will surprise ourselves by how creative we can be.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, has announced that they have been ranked one of the “Best Places to Work” by the Los Angeles Business Journal. Cydcor was one of the 28 top mid-size companies that ranked the highest in Los Angeles County, one of Southern California’s major metropolitan areas.
Cydcor team members participated in a confidential assessment to rank Cydcor in workplace experience, culture, benefits, and policies. Each year, the Los Angeles Business Journal recognizes the best public and privately-held employers in Los Angeles County. All of the companies recognized have more than a 92.7 percent employee engagement level; on average, only 33 percent employee engagement is considered typical.
“This achievement demonstrates Cydcor’s commitment to the overall success and well-being of our team members,” saidVera Quinn, chief operations officer. “We have created a variety of programs, services, and initiatives that make us a great place to work. We also provide self-development programs so that team members can continue to learn and grow in their areas of expertise.”
Cydcor team members are offered a variety of competitive health benefits and have one paid volunteer day available per year. They also have numerous opportunities to raise money for issues that are important to them, such as Operation Smile, a children’s charity that treats facial deformities such as cleft lips and palates all around the world. Cydcor also recently entered into a partnership with BetterWorks, a company perks platform that rewards and motivates employees with top brand services.
“We’re honored to be recognized by the Los Angeles Business Journal because we’re constantly taking measures to ensure that we create the best work environment for team members, including valuable programs and services,” said Cydcor President Jim Majeski.
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc., is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to approximately 3,000 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6837811&lang=en.
Cydcor, Inc.
Gail Michalak, 805-277-5500
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, has announced that the company recently held two conferences in Nashville, Tennessee and Montreal, Quebec to recognize and celebrate its network of nearly 200 independently-owned offices throughout the United States and Canada.
With the theme of “Dream XTreme,” the events were attended by sales representatives and office owners throughout each area. In Nashville, more than 1,700 were in attendance; in Canada, almost 300 were at the event. Attendees heard presentations from leaders in the business, attended invaluable training sessions, and participated in an awards ceremony. Awards were distributed to those who were achieving above and beyond sales targets and performing at high rates.
“The two conferences were an incredible success, and I’m so proud of all the sales representatives and office owners who work tirelessly each day selling on behalf of our clients,” said Gary Polson, chief executive officer. “We recognized dozens of sales representatives and office owners who have demonstrated excellence and growth. Both events were extremely exciting – and watching the award winners step up to the podium to be recognized for their achievements was inspiring.”
During the Nashville event, Cydcor recognized a top performing sales office owner with a 2011 Range Rover Sport. Nominees spoke to the group with great messages revolving around passion, commitment, and hard work. A video about Operation Smile, a children’s medical charity that provides free cleft lip and cleft palate reconstructive surgeries worldwide, was also shown to the group; field high rollers who have raised significant funds were recognized. Cydcor is one of the highest corporate givers to the organization and an official corporate ambassador for the organization.
“Our network of sales offices is the backbone of our business. Without them selling door-to-door and business-to-business for our clients, we wouldn’t be successful,” said Polson. “Our sales reps and office owners are our business. It was a pleasure seeing them receive their hard-earned recognition and watch their energy during the two events – everyone was enthusiastic and energized.”
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc., is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to approximately 3,000 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based in Westlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor, log on to www.cydcor.com.
In late June, more than 1,700 sales representatives and 200-plus office owners from Cydcor’s network of independently-owned sales offices came together at the 2011 U.S. National Conference, held in Nashville, Tennessee. Attendees had an opportunity to attend informative breakout sessions, organizational lunches, and an awards dinner that recognized their hard work and stellar achievements.
Other exciting highlights: A presentation from one of Cydcor’s top clients, who spoke about growth and the quality sales that Cydcor’s independently-owned offices have demonstrated, the “Promoting Owner of the Year” award winner, who received a 2011 Range Rover Sport, and numerous recognitions that were given to top performers across the U.S.
“The client excited the crowd by explaining all of the potential opportunity on his campaign,” said Vera Quinn, chief operations officer. “He comes from a sales background and was rejuvenated by the energy of our people.”
The conference was a great opportunity for sales offices throughout the country to learn, network, and be recognized for their contributions over the past year. Each day, in states across the U.S., they work tirelessly on behalf of Cydcor’s clients, going door-to-door and business-to-business to deliver tremendous results. The exciting, event-filled weekend was just an example of the excitement and passion that each office has for their clients.
Cydcor has been named among the “Best Places to Work” for area mid-sized companies by the Los Angeles Business Journal! The Los Angeles Business Journal and the Best Companies Group worked together to identify and recognize area companies with a strong commitment to workplace excellence. Both publicly and privately held organizations were selected based on benefits, corporate philanthropy, policies, work-life balance, camaraderie and support of employees’ personal growth. Selections were made based on company surveys and employee comments.
“We are deeply proud to be recognized as one of Los Angeles’s Best Places to Work,” said Vera Quinn, chief operations officer. “Cydcor’s culture is one of dedication to the well-being of our team members – including investing in their professional development, as well as to giving back to the communities in which they live. Our commitment to our employees reflects in the results they deliver for our clients and the service work they do in our local communities.”
Most people make excuses. They are usually very logical and true. Winners, however, find a way to win no matter what the obstacles and difficulties. The U.S. women’s national soccer team exemplified this fact yesterday in its comeback win over the tough Brazilian team.
The U.S. team had many circumstances that could have been viewed as excuses for losing that game. There was a controversial red card given to one of the American players that on replay looked very questionable. So for much of the game, the U.S. had to play with one fewer player. Although Hope Solo, the U.S. goalkeeper, saved the resulting penalty kick, it was retaken because of another controversial call in which the referee said she had left the goal line too quickly.
Being a first player down and having some controversial calls going against them would have been legitimate reasons for the players not to give their utmost. However, the team never gave up. Abby Wambach kept pointing her index finger, indicating that only one more play would tie the game. It happened in the last minute of the game when Megan Rapinoe made a brilliant cross to Wambach, who made an equally brilliant header for the tying goal. It was done.
The U.S. wound up winning the game in penalty kicks and taught the world a lesson: Regardless of the bad calls we may get or of the obstacles in the way, we must dig deep down to our inner strength and find a way to succeed.
Walter Payton, aka "Sweetness," played with the Chicago Bears from 1975 to 1987 and missed only one game in his career. He was elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993 and is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in American football history. Hall of Fame NFL player and coach, Mike Ditka, described Payton as the greatest football player he had ever seen—and the greatest human being he had ever known. Payton’s incredible work ethic and humility earned him the respect of players and fans everywhere.
Payton had a 5-feet-10-inch, 200-pound frame and worked out every day, even in the off-season. He was acrobatic and quick but not fast, so he developed his signature "stutter-step" to help break runs and give him the edge on his opponents. He did not believe in running out of bounds and maintained a “never die easy” mentality. He played hard to win, and his determination led him to become the all-time leader in rushing with 16,726 yards and all-purpose yards until 2002, when Emmitt Smith broke his record. Payton also held the single game rushing record until 2000.
What gave Payton the will to achieve such great success? In the following excerpt from his autobiography, Never Die Easy, he attributes his work ethic to how his parents raised him:
"Competing in sports back then was everything. No matter what the game was or how much older and stronger the other kids were, we were taught to give it everything we had until it was over. Never give less than one hundred percent. If you start something, you shouldn't quit, that is what we were taught. If you're going to play, you might as well play to be your best.
My mother was a yard person and every summer to keep us out of trouble she'd have this guy to come in and dump this hundred pounds of topsoil in the driveway. She'd want us to spread the topsoil all over the yard. We had one shovel and a wheelbarrow... It was hard work and we were so small then, I was six, seven, eight, Eddie was a couple of years older. But there we were, trying to shovel and push all of this topsoil everywhere... If you want my opinion, there was no reason to spread all that topsoil except to keep us occupied and around the house.
I look back on it now, though and I think that yard work taught me a lot. I learned about working hard and staying with something even though the project seemed overwhelming... You have to imagine how big that huge pile of dirt appeared to a seven-year-old. I used to think we would never finish. We'd just try to make dents in it every day. Which is how you have to approach any kind of work. You have to take things one day at a time... You work as hard as you can for as long as you can and the small gains you make will eventually pay off. Eventually that mountain of dirt will be gone and you can go play baseball or go hunting."
We can apply Payton’s simple yet powerful formula for success on our own work and lives: Work hard, persevere and commit to do and be our best.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., July 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Cydcor, the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face sales teams, announced that Jim Erickson has joined the team as Vice President of Business Development.
In this role, Erickson works closely with Cydcor's Senior Vice President of Business Development and various members of the business development team to identify, pitch, and negotiate contracts with various cable and telecom companies to enlist Cydcor's outsourced sales services.
In addition to Erickson's primary focus on these industries, he is assisting the business development team in sourcing and negotiating opportunities in other industries as well. Upon signing new clients to contracts with Cydcor, Erickson works closely with Cydcor's campaign management team to help grow the campaign. For the past year, Erickson has worked as a consultant for Cydcor as the company explored opportunities in the cable industry – making him well-versed in Cydcor's practices, procedures, and goals.
"We're very excited to have Jim Erickson join our business development team. Jim's experience at Comcast and Qwest provides us with another high quality vice president who has a deep understanding of the cable and telecom industries, which are the cornerstones of our business," said Jim Siegrist, senior vice president of business development. "While Jim will focus much of his attention on these industries, his professional relationships will enable us to leverage his experience across multiple industries."
About Cydcor, Inc.
Cydcor, Inc., is the leading provider of outsourced, face-to-face Cydcor sales teams to a diverse client base of companies in a range of industries, including telecommunications, office products, retail energy, and financial services. Serving Fortune 500 and emerging market clients in the business-to-business, residential, and retail channels through in-store marketing initiatives, Cydcor works with a network of independently owned corporate licensee (ICL) Cydcor sales offices providing clients with access to more than 2,700 sales professionals and nearly 200 offices in North America. The privately held company is based inWestlake Village, California. For more information about Cydcor , log on to www.cydcor.com.
SOURCE Cydcor, Inc.
A colleague recently asked me who was the greatest influence in my life. Without hesitation, I replied, “my grandparents.”
I recall that my grandfather and grandmother came over every Sunday to be with my family. This was important to me because my dad worked every weekend. They taught me how to read, helped me develop a love of learning and took me to my first ball games.
It was their example, however, that inspired me the most. They were selfless in how they treated my each of us. They thought the best of everyone, listened well and never judged. They were nurturing toward my siblings and me, and their kindness shaped our characters. They were there for all of us, and nothing was more important to them than family.
My grandparents never lectured us on the importance of these values. They simply lived them and became our role models.
I aspire to be like these two amazing individuals, taking care to remember that the example I set through my character and actions speak louder than any words.
I believe that you may belong to one of the greatest generations of our time. You follow in the footsteps of other individuals who accomplished amazing things before they were 30. Steve Jobs co-founded Apple at age 21. Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft at age 20, and fellow Millennial Mark Zuckerberg co-founded Facebook at age 19.
So be proud of your considerable talents and ambition. Use your mastery of technology, your competitive spirit and intensity, your creativity and your aptitude for collaboration and communication. These gifts prepare you well for success in life and work.
It is important to remember, too, that all great people have had great mentors who have inspired and guided them. Bill Gates views legendary investor, Warren Buffet, as a mentor, and Gates himself has been an important influence on Mark Zuckerberg. Similarly, you should find people from whose knowledge and wisdom you could learn. Buffet said the key to success is to know who to be the batboy for. Good mentors can teach you how to avoid the mistakes and landmines that can harm your reputation and career prospects. Additionally, they can arm you with the knowledge and skills to perform at your best.
Certain concepts are timeless: sacrifice and struggle for long-term success; going the extra mile to reach your goals; if you get knocked down seven times, get back up eight; and so on. Mentors can help you with these vital lessons, especially when you are struggling. They can give you the support and guidance to help you get back on your feet and embrace something Abraham Lincoln once said: “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
In my previous post, I wrote about the great potential of Millennials. How do we help them reach this potential and motivate them to perform at their best? I think it starts with respect. They have lots of ideas that they will want to share. They are not afraid to go to the CEO during their first week of work and to make suggestions. This happened to me recently, and the suggestions were good. Listen to them. Hear them out. You may need to advise them on the “how” and “when,” but do not dismiss them. Keep them engaged.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Millennials are not patient. They want a lot of responsibility fast, so give it to them. They will surprise you with what they can do. Empower them or risk losing them to another employer or losing their full commitment and energy. Approaches like Ken Blanchard’s Situational Leadership® II and Situational Self Leadership are structured ways that can help both managers and their Millennial team members. Managers can learn how best to lead and develop their people according to their needs. And Millennial team members can learn to develop effective self-leadership and self-reliance.
Here are a few tips for mentoring and coaching your Millennial team members: