IN THIS ISSUE: WWW.MORRISONCO.NET NEWSLETTER | SUMMER 2022
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MO RRISON CELEBRATES TWE NTY YEA RS ON PAGETO KNOW ANA KLEIN more about Ana Klein, Morrison’s newest Principal, leading our Business and Accounting Advisory practice line. COACHING necessary tool for your organization’s long-term success, leadership coaching is growing approach to team development many benefits for long-term CORNER is always something new happening, so catch up on the latest news from our and colleagues!
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Surrounded by clients and colleagues who have supported us for the past twenty years, the Morrison team was honored to celebrate our 20th anniversary in June and commemorate two successful decades in Sharingbusiness.in appetizers and cocktails featuring our beloved clients—including among others Blue Diamond Growers, Stepladder Creamery, Five Marys Farms, Almendra Winery and Distillery, and Mooney Farms—more than 150 guests joined our team to recount highlights of the past 20 years and to look forward to the future of the company.
Founder and Principal Brent Morrison, Morrison Managing Principal Toni Scott, and Morrison Principal Ana Klein shared memories of Morrison’s client engagements, with special thanks to Sunsweet Growers Inc. for being a client who has been with us since day one! The team also recognized the incredible growth of Morrison the last several years (now boasting 16 team members and counting!) and shared the company’s plans for the future, which includes a new 5,000+ square foot office space to accommodate our growing team and clientele (pictured above).
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Take that definition and couple it with the aforementioned types of coaches, and the combinations start to make more sense.
Similar to how Fogerty’s song is fondly remembered by many, the idea of a childhood coach is something that often sticks with individuals as having made a positive impact. If you ask people if they can think of a positive experience they had growing up where someone came alongside them and coached them in something— sports, school, life—most people will be able to think of something impactful. However, when you ask people if they can think of a positive experience they have had as an adult—specifically in the workplace— where someone came alongside them and coached them in something, you’ll likely receive a vastly different response, and not always one for the better. Why is that? Why does it seem that once we “graduate” into adulthood and enter the working world, the concept (and importance) of coaching others seems to be diminished? Well, it’s likely for many reasons, but one main reason is that adults can easily neglect to remember the importance of coming alongside colleagues and direct reports to coach them into success due to the vast number of responsibilities that seem to pull them in multiple directions.
The familiar line “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play” was sung long ago by musician John Fogerty as part of his popular song “Centerfield”. Whether the listener was a baseball fan or simply thought the tune was catchy, the song has stayed popular to this day. Fogerty’s song may not be the first thing you think of when you think of the word ‘coach’ but it was amongst the top things that came to mind when penning this article. Regardless of whether you are a sports fan or not, the idea of a coach is one that is familiar with most everyone. Coaches are individuals that come alongside [typically] younger, less developed or accomplished individuals and help them to become more developed, more skilled, and more accomplished in their sport of choice. At least this is the typical understanding of what a coach is and what a coach does.
In more recent years, other disciplines and professional areas have started to attach the word coach to their work. There are now reading coaches, life coaches, acting coaches, happiness coaches, and even birth coaches. The Merriam Webster’s definition of coach is “one who instructs or trains.”
NECESSARY FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION’S LONG-TERM SUCCESS LEADERSHIP COACHING
• What knowledge and skills do you need to get to the next stage of your career?
• How would you like to use your strengths in the future?
A leadership coaching culture can also help organizations to clearly define employee performance by way of identifying three important dimensions: individual work and achievements, teamwork and collaboration with other team members, and customer Ultimately,focus. a leadership coaching culture creates pathways for open communication where supervisors come alongside their direct reports and provide support and direction, while simultaneously relaying expectations and clearly defined goals and objectives.
• How are you using your strengths in your current role?
• What are you most proud of?
The authors go on to say that, “managers should ask themselves: ‘How can I encourage individuals to make more discoveries about themselves?’” A leadership coaching culture helps employees to discover more about themselves and their skills, abilities, and aspirations by way of asking questions rather than dictating terms; by coming alongside and providing support rather than hierarchical, top-down leadership. This form of leadership is not always appropriate or applicable, but when it is, it provides an alternate way of leading and coaching that produces results. It is also worth remembering that different employees respond differently and have different ideas of what growth and development look like for them. A leadership coaching culture allows space for leaders and managers to get to know their employees and provide necessary support and direction in order to drive short-term and long-term results—for the individual and the Whenorganization.thinkingabout the practical ‘nuts and bolts’ of what a leadership coaching culture entails, leaders can consider asking the following questions in order to encourage meaningful dialogue between leaders and their direct reports:
• What are your recent successes?
Jim Clifton and Jim Harter share, “Employees develop through the discoveries they make as they perform—and as they are coached.”
• How would you like to make a bigger difference?
Okay, so adults are busy and neglect to focus on coaching employees. That can’t really be all that big of a deal, can it? Well, actually it can be … and it is. According to a recent report from SHRM (The Society for Human Resource Management), April 2022 marked “the 11th consecutive month that more than four million workers left their job.” Read that again! Four million people have left their jobs in the U.S. alone every single month for the past 11 months. That is a truly staggering number. Though the reasons people leave their jobs are plentiful, there are some constants. Money, of course, can play a role, but surprisingly to some, it is not usually the main driver for why people leave their jobs. Not too long ago, Gallup completed their largest ever global study of the future of work and published their findings in a book titled “It’s the Manager”. They found that the “quality of managers and team leaders is the single biggest factor in your organization’s long-term success.”
Of course long-term success and employee retention are not identical issues, but it’s not too far a stretch to make the connection that if an organization is not able to hold onto their talent, they will not be successful—in the short-term or the long-term. So, how does an organization increase employee engagement, which in turn increases employee retention, which in turn increases overall organizational success? Well, there is no one right answer to the question, but one great approach is the development and instillation of a leadership coaching culture within the organization. What is a leadership coaching culture? How does it work? How will it help to develop longterm success? These are all great questions. How they’re answered will make a difference in how an organization implements the creation of a leadership coaching culture. According to Jeffrey Gaines, in his writing for PositivePsychology.com, “Leadership coaching has a two-fold meaning: it refers to working with the leaders of an organization to help them maximize their abilities and lead their teams well, and it also refers to a leadership style that executives use when working with their teams.” Additionally, leadership coaching “emphasizes active listening rather than lecturing, asking the right questions rather than providing answers, and presenting leaders with various options rather than giving directions.” Ultimately, a leadership coaching culture looks like a culture of trust, respect, humility, and putting the needs of the organization first. Additionally, leadership coaching places emphasis on the development of others’ strengths and abilities. As part of empowered leaders empowering others, a leadership coaching culture also focuses on developing employees, which in turn can create an increased desire to stay with the organization.
• How does your role make a difference?
• What rewards and recognition matter most to you?
A leadership coaching culture takes time to develop and even more time to implement. It’s not a quick and easy fix. It takes an investment of time and careful attention to the needs of the individuals and the organization. It is an investment of time and attention that is worth it. As stated, it develops trust and where trust abounds, psychological safety exists, and where employees feel safe, they are more committed and willing to take chances that can lead to new, innovative ideas and success.
It has been said that “Nothing elevates performance more than coaching.” While the merit of this statement can be debated, results tend to speak for themselves. There are multiple factors that lead to success but leadership coaching is certainly a major one.
According to Gallup, three key elements of career growth are providing employees with the opportunity to make a difference, clearly defined parameters for what success looks like, and allowing for the right fit with individual career aspirations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Jeff Boian is a manager at Morrison working primarily in our People Solutions practice. To get in touch with Jeff, reach out to him by email at jboian@morrisonco.net or by phone at (530) 809-4679.
The next time someone in your organization is asked about a coach that came alongside them and helped to develop them, hopefully they will point to a leader within their organization and say they not only identified their potential, but allowed them to put it into practice and helped them become more successful, which in turn helped the organization to become all the more successful as well.
One of the most enjoyable points of the celebration was surprising Brent with a video featuring friends and colleagues that have been an important part of the Morrison journey. Among others, Karen Ross, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary of Agriculture; Karissa Kruse, President of the Sonoma County Winegrowers; and Gabe Olmos, President of Ventura Pacific Company, shared the impact Morrison has had on the organizations it serves (see photo at the bottom left). Morrison was also recognized at the event by Congressman Doug LaMalfa’s Office, California Assemblymember James Gallagher’s Office, and California State Senator Jim Nielsen’s office. The entire Morrison team is overjoyed to have shared in this incredible milestone for the business and we look forward to what the next two decades may hold for our firm!
MORRISON CELEBRATES 20 YEARS, CONTINUED
GETTING TO KNOW ANA KLEIN
Before Morrison, Ana began her career at Sunsweet Growers in Yuba City, California in August of 1999. She started as the Finance Manager and rose through the ranks to become the youngest and first female Chief Financial Officer at Sunsweet Growers.
TEAM MEMBER PROFILE
• Grants
Q&A WITH ANA
I would say tennis. Started in 2016 never having played. I am now rated a 4.0. Just took a love to the sport. It is my way to destress as well as good exercise and have met really good people through tennis. I have captained two tennis teams to Nationals. Once in 2018 and once in 2021. Unlike most sports, tennis can be played at any age.
For the past 16 years she has held the title of Vice President/Chief Financial Officer, and has been instrumental in growing the cooperative’s operations in Chile, including managing finance and grower relations. Ana began her career with the accounting firm Arthur Andersen. She holds a bachelor of science degree in accounting as well as an MBA from California State University, Sacramento.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT MORRISON? My favorite part of Morrison is the culture and the people. It’s more like a family and starts at the top with Brent, the founder, and our managing partner, Toni Scott. I am amazed by the talent of the team that goes along with our three service areas:
WHAT GAME ARE YOU REALLY GOOD AT?
• People MorrisonSolutionshastheteam, tools, and expertise to bring meaningful and lasting success to organizations.
• Business and Accounting Advisory
WHAT ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF?
Being a mother and grandmother to my daughter Brittany and granddaughter Reina. Reina just turned three and brings us such joy. It’s true what they say about being a grandparent: Grandma’s, or Nani as I am called by Reina, are moms with lots of frosting. WHAT IS THE DUMBEST WAY YOU’VE BEEN INJURED? Playing tennis. I was running backwards for a high lob my opponent hit and I ran out of room to run. I hit the fence and my foot got stuck between the fence and the tennis court. I couldn’t pull it out for a while, but when I finally did it hurt like heck! I had to ice and wrap it for over a week. I was more upset about losing the point then my foot in that moment.
Ana Klein leads Morrison’s Business & Accounting Advisory (B&A) Service line. As a Principal and Owner, Ana provides services and oversees the B&A team, serving clients in food, agribusiness, trade associations, manufacturing and processing, distribution, and the non-profit sector. Ana also oversees B&A practice development.
WELCOME NEW CLIENTS 10 Landing Circle, Suite 5 Chico, California 95973 BUSINESS & ACCOUNTING ADVISORY • PEOPLE SOLUTIONS • GRANTS FOLLOW US 530-893-4764 • WWW.MORRISONCO.NET WWW.MORRISONCO.NET NEWSLETTER | SUMMER 2022 FIRST CLASS U.S. POSTAGE PAID CHICO, CA PERMIT NO. CORNER The Morrison Client Corner is a regular feature of our newsletter. Here, you’ll find updates on what a number of our clients are up to, their achievements and milestones, and the generally great things happening in their companies or organizations. If you’re a client of ours, we’d love to stay up to date with what is going on within your organization and invite you to share your highlights in this space. Feel free to send any press releases, newsletters, or happenings to Michelle at mgenova@morrisonco.net CLIENT SONOMA WITHWINEGROWERSCOUNTYPARTNERSFORD
RASHELL DISTINGUISHEDRECOGNIZEDBROBSTASALUMNI
Rashell Brobst, CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the North Valley, was recently recognized as a distinguished alum by California State University, Chico. Rashell has long served the Boys and Girls Club initially joining as Director of Program services more than twenty years ago. Over the years she has brought her heart of service to youth into her various roles as Area Director, Director of Operations, and most recently, CEO. Morrison is honored to have worked with Rashell and the Boys and Girls Club on various projects, and we could not be more thrilled that Rashell has been recognized for her efforts.
NATIONAL GARLIC FESTIVAL
HOSTS 1ST ANNUAL FESTIVAL
The National Garlic Festival recently held their first festival in Fresno. Run by National Foods Festivals, Inc., the festival brought amazing garlic foods, live performances, nightly fireworks, garlic products, carnival rides, nationally acclaimed chef performances, and even a vampire run to the Fresno community. Hailed as the garlic capital of the United States, Fresno grows 77 percent of all garlic grown in the nation. Morrison is grateful to have worked with National Food Festivals and we are delighted to see the amazing success the festival brought to the garlic industry.
Sonoma County Winegrowers has partnered with Ford Motor Company to launch their “Farm of the Future” Initiative. Pursuing sustainable practices in all areas of farming in Sonoma County, Sonoma County Winegrowers President Karissa Kruse sought out Ford after they announced the introduction of a new electric truck. Together they have launched their initiative and are working with select farms to pilot an electric vehicle program to track and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Morrison is thrilled for Sonoma County Winegrowers and their new found partnership with Ford and we are excited to see the success that comes from this initiative.
