Winning through Stewardship.

This time last year marked the beginning of a new financial year at the company I work for in my day job. I distinctly remember taking a long hard look at my sales strategy spreadsheet wondering who would buy in the midst of such disruption and uncertainty.

Would our products be at the forefront of our customers’ minds as they tried to make head or tail of their operating environment in the midst of the pandemic-induced chaos, I wondered?

It was a big question, as the disruption that the world faced was unparalleled and quite unprecedented (at least in living memory). How would the year pan out? And what could I do to deliver great results for both my customers and my employer?

Practicing What I Preach

I have long preached what I refer to as the gospel of stewardship, which I define as voluntarily taking responsibility to care for someone or something. Stewardship goes beyond any job description or formal role – and it cannot be enforced in others from on high. Imagine trying to force someone to care! It just doesn’t work.

Stewardship means identifying and meeting needs on a deeper level than anyone who merely works for their own reward will ever do. In the wake of covid-19, it was even more important for me to practice what I preach.

Best Part of the Job

With that in mind, I took a long hard look at how I could care for my customers more effectively in the current context. It was clear that online teaching and learning was the order of the day for customers and end-users alike, so I leaned into that. I’d already pioneered going into physical classrooms to teach students how to make the most of our products years earlier, so I shifted that approach to the online space, offering academics up and down the land online sessions for their students.

Many academics who I’ve known for years were very grateful for the offer and quickly took me up on it, some even forwarded the invitation to colleagues. Others who hadn’t had me visit their classrooms before were less certain, understandably unsure of how much extra work it might create for them in an already challenging period. “Just give me a time that works for you and your class, I’ll send you a link to share and then we’re all set!” Showing them how easy it was for them to take advantage of my offer, which cost them absolutely nothing, preempted and allayed any concerns.

As it happened, I did more student sessions within the last financial year than within any other financial year since I first started doing them several years ago. And they were very well received by both staff and students. Nobody had told me, much less pressured me, to do the sessions whatsoever. They were my way of practicing what I preach about stewardship. Simple. But highly effective. And, actually, my favourite part of the job. An unequivocal win-win!

Stewardship for the Win

The uncertainty of this time last year feels like a distant memory now. I’m now reflecting on a year in which I exceeded my sales target by, perhaps, a record margin. That is no accident. It’s a natural consequence of the stewardship mindset in action. Caring for others is neither softheaded idealism or mercantilistic quid pro quo (I can’t always draw a neat line between those I run sessions for and those who buy). Stewardship is simply a principle that is found at the heart of doing well by doing good. I liken it to a key that will never rust. It builds honour and it drives results for all parties – the sort of results that are central to long lasting partnerships and sustainable success.

“If the rascals really knew how well honor worked, they would come to it.” – Charlie Munger (quoting his friend Peter Kaufman at the Berkshire Annual Meeting in 2011)

Preaching the Gospel (of Stewardship) to the World

If this has read like a sales brag in any way then I haven’t been clear enough. (I’m not posturing for another sales job.) My intention is to communicate a principle, stewardship, that is central to sustainable success. I have used this principle to consistently achieve top sales results – it really does work.

My intention is to take this principle and teach it to others, so that they can apply it to great effect in their own work for sustainable success. It applies to each and every context, regardless of job role or industry.

I was fortunate enough to recently complete a course at Columbia Business School, which, through the exceptional guidance of Dr. Jack McGourty, empowered me to expand my vision for 3 Stewardships. I can now see how what I have to offer through this business can add significant value to both individuals and organisations alike. And I’m excited to move forward on the journey and climb the mountains necessary to realise my vision and aspirations for the business.

Although the climb may be steep I know that with guiding principles like stewardship in practice, I will reach the summits that I aspire to. As the slogan of 3 Stewardships puts it, stewardship is for sustainable success.

If you’d like to learn more about how you, or your team, can achieve your own version of sustainable success through stewardship then drop me a line: tom@3stewardships.com.