The call center and answering machine business is largely in the hands of private family businesses. In some cases, these companies have second and third generations running these successful operations. This industry is perhaps not known for being the highest paying industry in the corporate world and, for the most part, call center personnel have no post-secondary education. However, it is a business where opportunities for growth within the business, as well as personal growth, can occur and at a very rapid rate. It comes from the level of care, the desire to improve and make our clients feel good. I call it the “School of Common Sense.”

I have learned that the reason people stay in this business is a strong sense of community. To belong. To fit in. It is also a place for them to grow as people. Many of us in positions of responsibility in this business have seen countless new hires enter our world as meek and gentle people who often fear their own shadow. Countless times we see them blossom into happy, amazingly productive individuals.

Why did this happened. I think it’s the cry baby club. Yes, the owners of this industry work hard. They take big financial risks to develop their businesses. It is your leadership style that trumps everything else. They care at the deepest level of their employees. This kind of caring is not commonly seen in the “we’ll measure you to death” business world. The great owners of this industry understand that it is the people who make this business the incredible business that it is. Without their talented staff, they would be nothing. It is not about the latest technology that embraces us. Our customers really don’t care what’s in our server rooms. They just want us to make their customers happy and do it profitably. It’s that easy.

The level of respect goes beyond the relationship between employer and staff. The level of respect between the owners and the top management of the competition is truly astonishing. The knowledge sharing and the desire for our competitors to grow so that we can all grow, I believe is unparalleled in any industry. This year’s convention, like others in the past, sees multiple awards presented to industry leaders for outstanding mentorship, leadership, and giving back to their staff and in their communities. It is during these presentations “The Cry Babies Club” takes hold. I have seen CEOs of large companies with hundreds of employees to supervisors with a team of 10 crying to be recognized for their docks. Each and everyone feels totally humbled. There is no greater honor.

To my readers outside of this industry, I ask that you see our industry with a different light before we are judged in an unfavorable way. Leaders are born into our ranks every day. Yes, right here in North America and not in distant lands.