Establishing who we will be

We have a little mantra here that says 'Do power differently' and that means eliminate hierarchy, love your customers more, admit when you're wrong, this idea of eliminating the distance between me and you, creating a sense of we all rise and fall together, it's more like eliminating separation because… I don't care [about] the colour of my skin, my gender, we're all walking the same human path.”

“So, for me, just to embed that language and cooperation anywhere, especially [at] a utility company, has been my greatest honour.” 

“I always say, if you have a lot of power you have to be 10 times more humble because people don't like it already that you have power over them, so we have to just remind our team that people already feel powerless, so we have to be a lot more respectful, even when people are aggravated with us.”

Kelly Tomblin

Jamaica Observer

June 8, 2017

Will the New JPS culture survive

“We put together a transformation team from throughout the organization that went to every location and asked people 'what is your greatest vision for this company, what do you want with your hearts, what is your heart telling you?'” “It came from here, it wasn't like I brought it, and I think what leaders do, if they do it right, they find what already exists in you that may be covered up, because we got hurt, we've been abandoned, we've been talked down to, whatever reasons. And so I think a lot of what leadership is all about is being able to uncover and take away that baggage from you and say, 'Oh, that's who you really are, let me see that'.

“I think that's what we've been able to do, to say take off your mask, quit trying to be like that person, be your grandest self of what your creator made you to be, and I do think that requires a different language that we've had.”

Kelly Tomblin
Jamaica Observer
June 8, 2017

Sir Richard Branson’s thoughts on why businesses fail

The reason businesses fail is “that management pays no attention to little details.  A lot of big companies don’t listen to their staff or customers to get the little details right.  To run a hotel or if you have a smaller company, listen to your people who buy your products. Listen to your staff who are on the frontline. Write the things down that they tell you and then make sure you sort those things out. Suddenly you will have a fantastic company that everybody likes, because there won’t be anything left to write down. You would have sorted everything out and everybody is loving it, so you can go forward to the next step.”

Sir Richard Bronson

Jamaica Observer, June 7, 2017

Sir Richard Branson’s explanation for how entrepreneurs build businesses

“An entrepreneur is like an artist. You have an idea, so you have a blank sheet and then you start filling in on that sheet of paper as you create a business. To create a business is like getting the perfect picture on that sheet of paper and getting every little detail right, and then you launch your business.  You have your perfect piece of art created.”

Sir Richard Bronson

Jamaica Observer, June 7, 2017