Never, ever, in the history of industry, has there been a dip in demand for talent.
Regardless of market fluctuations, the need for capable, intelligent employees has, and always will be, a top priority for recruiting organizations.
Though Jamison is certainly a talented individual, he possesses a skill that challenges the value of talent.
Jamison has the incredible ability to bring talent together, and synergistically increase the output of the team, more so than the individuals could accomplish on their own.
Jamison has demonstrated that investment in team is worth more than the talent of all its members, and that ultimately, teamwork trumps talent.
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Entering the industry as a load planner in October of 2015, Jamison quickly promoted to an account manager position, managing several high-profile accounts. Now as a member of the National Sales team, Jamison unites a national body with his natural capacity for leadership.
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EL: Jamison, I know that you’re a big believer in people, and that’s demonstrated through your leadership style. So with that all being said, will you give me just a brief intro on your background at England Logistics (EL), where you started and how you came into the position?
Jamison: I’ve been a part of the England family for almost six years now. I started off as a load planner in 2015, and quickly promoted through the ranks to an account manager, which comes with its own challenges. Knowing our supply-chain management (SCM) value proposition solidified myself in the sales role.
I just love being able to go out and find the big fish that we are looking for. We kill it each week.
EL: Given that enthusiasm, I am curious, what was it about this particular position and the culture that enticed you?
Jamison: I have a huge, huge family. We have eight boys. Coming into the England family, it’s a family owned organization. It definitely stems down to that everyone cares about each other.
We care about everyone’s wellbeing, and we want to see each other succeed.
With that emphasis, you can take some of the political part out of it being a corporate type environment and see the leveraging of the benefit to its workers, and the overall goal of moving logistics forward.
EL: Love and agree with that. We do have a culture where the norm is to pay the goodness forward. So, who is the individual that has shown you that kind of interest and has had an impact on you here at EL?
Jamison: Lisa Hjorth. I mean, I’ve reported to Lisa for about a year now. I’ve always been confident in my approach, confident in my pitch, but when you have somebody like her, that you’re able to bounce ideas off, and get buy-in on something, it makes you feel more confident.
EL: Funny, the last spotlight interview that I conducted also mentioned Lisa as a source of inspiration. She’s loved by a lot of people loved for a good reason.
Given what Lisa’s taught you, and now being a leader yourself, what do you feel is most important?
Jamison: To be a strong leader, you need to be prepared to take ownership of what’s going on.
A leader is somebody that is definitely caring and willing to give their time, give their knowledge, and give their opinion. That’s key to helping a person develop into a leader that they want to be. Specifically, if you’re looking for what Lisa’s done for me, she’s made me more confident in being a leader.
EL: I harmonize and I agree with that. If everybody’s on the same page, then we’re all moving at the same rate.
Have there been any pivotal moments in your career that you can recall that were impactful?
Jamison: Yeah. And I’ll name drop here. Nick.
He’s a young individual within the SCM team. He’s looking to solidify himself as an account manager. When he was given the promotion, I kind of took him under my wing and made it my duty to get him up to speed.
Otherwise, I’ve loved looking at the network, and looking at opportunities to continue to move more product for that customer. At the end of the day, if you’re saving dollars that are above our management fee, both companies are winning.
EL: I love that emphasis on creating a mutualistic relationship. The benefit is definitely two-fold.
Jamison: It’s a marriage! I mean, you’re signing two to three-year deals with these companies, and it really is a marriage license. Unfortunately, it’s not until death do us part.
Again, relationships are key on what we do at SCM. And as long as the relationship solidifies, you can get through anything.
EL: Absolutely. You paint a borderline-comedic picture when we say marriage, in that there’s a funny connotation, but the word also denotes a sincerity and commitment. I appreciate the description, because at England Logistics we value the relationship more than anything.
But to someone who is just starting, what would be your advice in cultivating meaningful relationships?
Jamison: Give yourself something to relate to the customer on, and provide solutions. Come up with a solutions that are tailored to your customers, and aid them in execution. A little but of understanding goes a long way.
EL: Love the idea of creating an engaging experience, and then being empathetic. I appreciate your unique insight there.
So, at England Logistics, we have a holistic culture. We’ve got tenants that we all subscribed to and have helped contribute to. But individually as pieces, we all bring a very different dynamic and flavor to our culture. What is that flavor for you? What would be the attribute that you feel like is most important for you personally to contribute to the culture?
Jamison: I have high expectations and high goals for myself.
I have fallen into a sales manager role that I think can help me make a significant impact to SCM. We have some strong pipeline right now. We have some accounts that are ‘off-the-chain,’ you could say. I’m looking to leave my stamp on it and bring in some critical customers into the SCM realm. I want to continue on with the sales stuff and bring on some big wins for the SCM team.
EL: Those are some noble goals.
And what about your teammates? What do you want to provide to them, and to those that surround you?
Jamison: In 6 years, you develop a certain skill set. When it comes to SCM and what we offer through our transport management system, my knowledge is pretty substantial throughout the system. I want to continue leveraging that and get other team members up to speed on the technology that we’re using.
I think if you’ve been successful and you also share your formula with somebody else on the team, it’s making everybody better at the end of the day. I mean, you’re only as strong as your weakest link.
So, if you do see somebody that’s struggling, then lend a hand– this will obviously benefit them career-wise, but also benefit the overall end goal for SCM and England Logistics as a whole.
EL: We all carry the burden of the vision of the company, but some people hold it to the light, and others are able to see that. I appreciate the person that you’ve been in the contribution you’ve been to our team.
Jamison: Awesome, EL. I appreciate your questions.
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We’re on the search for more senior account managers. If this interview resonated with you, apply at this link: https://www.englandlogistics.com/search-all-available-jobs/