This post is part of a series of short posts where I highlight just a few attributes of the E-g partners.
Nick is, most of the time, creating the first impression of E-g. Whether he’s meeting with a potential client or a candidate, he represents E-g so well. The foundation behind this is simple: build relationships by caring for people. Nick is not driven by sales targets or commission. Nobody at E-g wants to create or feel that pressure to “sell”. If we care, serve and deliver, we succeed and Nick gets it.
As E-g grows, Nick cannot scale. He’s just one person after all. So, Nick’s superpower of being a great teacher and mentor comes in very handy as he helps expand our business development team. He’s doing a fantastic job of mentoring and growing folks in the E-g way. He often says that if he had to choose another career, he would be a teacher. Teaching is so much more than telling somebody how to do something. Teaching is most effective when a philosophy is lived out through consistent behaviors. Watch Nick work and you’ll learn some valuable stuff.
Nick is truly one of the happiest people I know. He nearly always has a joke at the ready (Thank his dad for that!). A full 50% of Nick’s jokes are pretty corny, but Nick has a contagious laugh that makes you love even the corny jokes. In the nearly 15 years I’ve known Nick, I can’t count on one finger the number of times I’ve seen him angry. He’s occasionally serious, but most of the time the guy is just, well, jovial. Starting a Thursday morning owner’s meeting without a “Nick’s barber shop!” greeting as Andy calls in just doesn’t feel right.
Nick loves the Lord. He is also a great father to three great young men. I remember how choked up and proud Nick was when he first went to hear his oldest son Jessie give a message a church. I also remember thinking that the gifts Jessie displayed that day were certainly attributed to both his unique design as well as the love-filled instruction he received from his mom and pop. Nick has devoted much time to a program based on a book called “Raising a modern day knight”. He has a passion for helping young men reach their full potential as servants and leaders in Christ. His boys were just one of the few that have benefited tremendously from those many hours of study, teaching and bonding.
Nick has taught me how to smile a little more, to look for opportunities to laugh and to just seek joy throughout my day and I’m grateful for him.