As CEO of Titus Talent Strategies, and Etho, I have had the privilege and honor of cultivating an organization, along with a group of pioneering individuals. During the last 12 years we have grown from three people with a spark to over 200 dedicated, envisioned and impactful team members who are on fire for our partners. The work we do deeply impacts the world around us, and this was no accident.
From the very beginning we wanted to build the foundation of generosity into the fabric of our culture. We wanted to be intentional about the impact we were having on the world around us and giving our people the opportunity to do the same. There is a truth in the saying, “If you can’t give when you have little you won’t give when you have millions.” Generosity is a mindset that is embedded into our culture, our Titus Catalyst Fund is the vehicle for the outworking of that mindset.
Part of the way we see this at work itself is in the prioritization of our People, Partners, and Profits. If we take care of our people and pour everything we have into their growth, success, and impact then they will do the same for our partners which in turn sees growth in our profits. Those profits then get poured back into our people through bonuses, growth opportunities and access to support for initiatives they personally believe in, have been impacted by or are involved in. If it’s important to our people or our partners, it is important to us!
Each year, starting from the beginning of Titus, we bring the whole company together for a few days to celebrate the progress we’ve made, strengthen our relationships, and plan together for the future. We are always equipped, envisioned, and have a really enjoyable time! We call these gatherings “Progress.”
In 2018, Progress focused on our PEOPLE. We brought speakers in who focused on enhancing the personal lives of our people. In 2019, Progress focused on our PARTNERS. We called it ‘Life by Titus’ and allowed our team to follow the partner journey and look at ways to make it better so that we could WOW our partners at every touch point.
Progress 2020 focused on how we invest our PROFITS to better the world around us.
Inspired by a journey I had taken with my own family in 2019, we went to Ensenada Mexico with the entire company to support the work of Homes of Hope in 2020. Just weeks before the pandemic hit and the world shut down, we took our company to Mexico to do something unique and meaningful. We rolled up our sleeves and served, making a significant impact on the lives of others. These families we served were earning less than $100/week and were living in a shack smaller than some of our bathrooms.
The trip was not only life changing and bonding for our teams, but it completely transformed the lives of three families – and we won’t stop there.
This year, 2022, we’re taking a handful of our partners down to experience what we experienced and to transform the lives of five families. Next year, we’ll be back again with the company.
With our 30-by-30 dream, we aim to give $30M by 2030 back into our people, communities, and the world. Fueled by our people and our partners, this is generosity in action.
For me, and for us, the foundation of the culture we’ve built is in the prioritization of our values. It’s our people, our partners, and then our profits – in that order! The more we have, the more we can give. It’s exciting, it’s wild, and it’s changing the world.