Shortly after assuming the HARDI presidency in December, I sent copies of the book “The Ideal Team Player” by Patrick Lencioni to all of HARDI’s staff members at the organization’s headquarters in Columbus, Ohio. I had asked everyone on the team to read the book before I visited the HARDI office in early February for the new board member orientation and meeting.

There are two main messages in the book that go hand-in-hand. The first is developing and maintaining a company mission, and the second is cultivating a winning team, either through recruitment or development. Based on Lencioni’s model for hiring the “ideal team player,” each individual must fulfill three crucial criteria: They must be humble, hungry, and smart.

We at ACR Supply adopted Humble, Hungry, and Smart as some of our guiding principles and tied them to our mission of “Caring for People, Passionate about Solutions.” It is my intention to apply some of those principles to the HARDI team to help keep the association building upward in a strong and powerful direction. HARDI already has a fantastic team running the association and after meeting with each of the staff individually, I’m confident that we are in the best of hands. But, as we all know, continued development is key to sustained success.

HARDI has a great mission that it builds every single service, benefit, and program toward, and that is making wholesale distributors the channel of choice for HVACR manufacturers and contractors. As the association grows, the value of membership and the benefits the organization provides to the HVACR industry continue to increase.

Building upon the great company culture that’s tied to the mission at HARDI is just another way the association can continue to improve and grow for the benefit of our members. The same goes for your own teams, as I can attest to the success it’s brought ACR Supply. I would encourage all of you to check out “The Ideal Team Player,” and to think about implementing a Humble, Hungry, and Smart mantra to your own teams — all in pursuit of building an attractive and winning company culture, fulfilling professional employee development, and, of course, achieving sustained success.