Brady Nash: Leading With Integrity

“Serve Them — A great leader once said, the higher you get in an organization the more it is your duty to serve the people below you rather than having the people below serve you. The key is to serve their growth, their future, their career, and their spirits…” -Jon Gordon Energy Bus

Jesus, Gandhi, Mother Tereasa: although they are all respected as some of the greatest spiritual leaders their M.O. in life wasn’t to receive, but to give. They rendered massive followings in part because they answered deep-seated questions about life and meaning, but also because they served their followers.

Not that business and religion should intermingle, but the underlying concepts certainly apply in both circumstances. Why do corporations exist? Like religion, because they solve a problem, or answer a question that people need. How do company’s thrive? The simple answer: profit. But, how do you make a business profitable? This question has been answered in a few different ways over the generations.

The methods that have launched established companies, or even start-ups, might be enough to get these organizations off the ground, but with the changing entrepreneurial and cultural landscape in corporations old school tactics could kill the growth and longevity of these companies.

Let’s go back to the roaring ’20s when for the first time, people were flocking from farms to the city. World War I had ended a few years prior, and the country was coming out of a recession to a newly booming economy. The culture in the United States was shifting. People were spending money and wanting to live large. Businesses didn’t need to prioritize servitude because demand was so high. Not only that, but the needs of the country were different. Automobile, gasoline, housing, and tourism were all prospering industries making blue-collar work common. Those industries needed people to build their products. The economy of fueled by commerce over connection.

Fast forward to the ’70s and ’80s. Now, with cars, tourism, and travel all as staples of American life white-collar professions emerge. The motto was to work hard and stay disciplined. A good education was thought to be paramount to contributing to society, and many people began trading their time for a paycheck. Businesses became big, and everyone answered to a boss.

How foreign is that image now? Millennials and Gen-Z, who make up the majority of the workforce, won’t settle for strict hierarchy in the workplace. And, with the advent of the internet and continuously advancing technology the younger generations value experience over traditional education. Because of this, it is more important than ever to build connection-based businesses.

We are transitioning from a manufacturing and industrial economy to a service-based economy, where the “the customer is always right” narrative is no longer sufficient to fuel a business. Businesses now thrive from the inside out. It starts with the company culture, empowering teams, and genuinely caring about creating a workspace where everyone chooses to be. Because in the 21st century no one “has” to work for anyone. The workforce has choices, so companies must become attractive options.

That’s the core of Brady Nash’s business philosophy: to empower businesses from within. How does he do this? With energy, accountability, and giving. Energy is contagious, and Brady navigates how to generate good energy within yourself and bring it out of others. Accountability to make sure you are giving yourself what you would expect from others, whether it’s a colleague, manager, spouse, or friend. And maybe, most importantly, giving us the most lucrative business skill. Perhaps, it’s counter-intuitive. But it also makes a huge impact.