Why I Joined Lean Solutions Group

Five years ago, I met Robert Cadena, Lean Staffing Solutions' CEO, at a trade show. We began talking and learning more about each other's businesses. As Robert described this "nearshore staffing solution", he provided his customers in Colombia, South America, I couldn't see his vision. At one point, I looked at him and said, "I don't think that's going to work".    

Boy, was I wrong.  

In the past seven years, Robert and his partner David Bell, alongside their incredible team, have assisted over 110 U.S.-based transportation companies in setting up their own satellite office in one of four beautiful cities down in Colombia: Cartagena, Barranquilla, Bogota, and Medellin; totaling more than 1,600 employees. In the past year, Lean Staffing Solutions created three new divisions within the company – Lean Tech, Lean Sales, and Lean Marketing – to meet its customers' growing needs. The future looks very bright for the entire organization.    

But that's not what intrigued me about Lean Staffing Solutions. One can tell a lot about a company by focusing on two simple things:  

• What its customers will say to you.  
• What its employees have to say.  

I've come in contact with many of Lean's customers during my nine years in the transportation industry, all of whom say some combination of the following:  

• We have a great relationship with the guys at Lean.  
• Our team down in Colombia does a great job.  
• They have a top-notch organization throughout, with stable processes.  
• Our Colombian team has a nicer office than our U.S. team.    
• They aren't perfect, but we know they're going to take care of us when something goes wrong.
• We love our Colombian team and love going to visit them.    
• We won't ever go away from Lean.    

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It's that last phrase that I've heard over and over - "We won't ever go away from Lean". That level of loyalty causes one to take notice - to ask, "What is Lean Staffing Solutions doing that would generate such loyalty from its customers?"    

We'll get back to that in a minute.    

I've also had the opportunity to speak with employees of Lean Staffing Solutions, particularly its Sales team and a few Operations team members; the sentiment is the same:  

• Everything here is so professional.  
• The energy is excellent, and we have a lot of fun each day.
• We have so much opportunity to grow.
• There is a buzz in the company.
• Trying new things is a part of the DNA of the company.
• I know my supervisor cares about me.
• I love working at Lean.  

When employees are having fun, making money, and believe there are growth opportunities, it impacts the culture of the company, and that's what Lean has established:

Customer loyalty.  

Enthusiastic team members.  

The foundation of both of these qualities is strong relationships. The adage is true: "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care". And when they know you care, they'll go to the mattresses for you (“The Godfather”).    

So, when I was approached this summer by David and Robert about joining the Lean family to lead Lean Sales, a new division with the vision of transforming sales teams into world-class sales organizations, I jumped at the opportunity. Revenue is the lifeblood of any organization, and I'm thrilled to work with our incredible team to assist our current and future customers to grow their revenue.  

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Visit Lean Solutions Group to learn more about Lean Sales and our family of products.    

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