How Wright Service Corp. (WSC) and MAP Consulting Have Collaborated to Stay the Course and Get Results

Many employees at WSC have heard of MAP, which stands for Management Action Programs. MAP is a business and executive leadership coaching firm that has collaborated with WSC in the implementation of the MAP Management System, which helps accelerate the performance of individuals, teams, and entire organizations.

MAP’s relationship with WSC started back in the fall of 2007, when Executive Consultant Joe Mohorovich made a prospective sales call to WSC Chairman and CEO Scott Packard. That call led to Scott attending one of my two and a half day Executive Leadership Workshops in Newport Beach, California. At that point, I did not know that we would be building a long-term collaboration and that the MAP System would become one of the tools and processes that WSC uses to manage a large, complex and successful organization.

Scott recognized that WSC needed a disciplined and systematic approach to leadership, management and operations, one that was backed by a proven record of success with other organizations and based on the business fundamentals that are vital for the long-term success of a business.

After attending my MAP workshop, Scott learned a lot about what he needed to do to empower and support his own people. He also got strong, honest feedback around his own leadership style and how he could take his leadership and vision to the next level.

Not wanting to make such an important decision alone, and knowing that a key to success would be to secure the buy-in from the senior team, Scott sent all of his direct reports to the MAP Executive Development Workshop to get their assessment as well.

The team was impressed by MAP’s sophisticated training and was supportive of bringing MAP on board to roll out the MAP System, starting with WSC’s founding company, WTS. Although a number of factors were involved, WSC’s business results improved and with that improvement came greater organizational alignment and improved morale. This also resulted in a more accountable culture backed by a disciplined system for goal-setting and measuring results.

So what was (and still is) this collaboration based on?

Results and success don’t just happen with any business relationship you have. A number of aspects must be in alignment for a sustainable, productive and mutually beneficial partnership to last. Here is my view of why the WSC and MAP relationship works and continues to be strong today:

1. Values, first and foremost. Values are the guideposts that shape our behavior as individuals and as organizations. In partnerships, it’s vital for the parties involved to share similar values or be in alignment with what each entity’s values are. One of the first things that we did with WTS at the start of our collaboration was to define the vision, mission, and values. In doing so, this exercise simply formalized the values that WTS had already been living and practicing for over seven decades:

SAFETY – INTEGRITY – QUALITY – TEAMWORK – INNOVATION – FAMILY

That said, before you can build a long-lasting relationship of any kind, be it personal or business in nature, complete alignment is essential when it comes to values. So what are MAP’s values?

INTEGRITY – TEAMWORK – ACCOUNTABILITY – COMMITMENT – PASSION

As you can see, the WTS values and the MAP values, although not identical, are clearly in alignment with each other.

2. Management philosophy. The MAP System and management philosophy are based on three fundamental principles: focus, accountability and teamwork. Each of these three principles is rooted in a foundation of transparency and candor. As we have built our working relationship over the years, this management philosophy has not only gotten stronger, but it has reached deeper into WSC and its subsidiaries and is now applied throughout all areas of the company.

3. Mutual trust and respect. Created over time, mutual trust and respect are vital to the health of any long-term relationship. In the partnership between WSC and MAP, these principles have been essential. Without mutual trust and respect, a relationship will break down and collapse. With WSC’s proven commitment to the MAP System and MAP’s commitment to provide WSC with our complete support, we have together built a long-lasting relationship based on mutual trust and respect.

4. A mutually beneficial relationship. A successful partnership works because both parties benefit from the relationship. This not only applies to the business, but potentially to every team member within all the WSC operations and companies. Each team member can also personally experience clear benefits from MAP, growing both as professionals as well as individuals. MAP’s value proposition is “A Proven System for Transforming Your Business and Your Life.”

5. Likeability — as in, you have to like each other! Finally, for a relationship to last, I believe you have to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, one of the most important criteria I use when choosing to work with a client. My clients wouldn’t be working with me now if they didn’t like me. It may sound a bit trite to say it, but in addition to sharing similar values, our management philosophy, a sense of respect and trust, and a mutually beneficial relationship, the partnership between MAP and WSC works simply because we also like each other.

Jose R. “Pepe” Charles is an executive coach with MAP Consulting. Pepe’s diverse professional background spans over 40 years and includes experience in international business management. Pepe has lived and worked in six different countries and takes particular pride in the long-term relationships he has developed with his clients as well as the results they have achieved with the help of his coaching, expertise and commitment to disciplined leadership through the MAP System. Pepe is the author of C’est La Vie, a collection of short personal stories that contain everyday lessons for business and for life. This article was published in “An Outside Perspective,” a section of the Wright Service Corp. biannual newsletter, The Wright Perspective.