I
wrote a few weeks back about Robert
W. Baird, a financial services firm with headquarters in Milwaukee, which had
just earned #39 on Fortune’s 2008 list of the best places to work. Fortune’s brief explanation of why they are on
the list emphasized Baird’s no asshole rule. So I added them to my honor
roll.
In
my post, I asked if anyone knew more about the company. I was delighted to
get the note below from Leslie Dixon, Baird Chief Human Resources Officer (That is her picture):
Professor Sutton,
I noticed your recent blog posting about the FORTUNE “100 Best
Companies To Work For” and your reference to Baird and our No-Asshole Rule. You
mentioned you were interested in learning more about Baird, so I’m following up
to provide some detail.
Baird is an employee-owned,
international wealth management, capital markets, private equity and asset
management firm with offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. Established
in 1919, Baird has more than 2,300 associates serving the needs of individual,
corporate, institutional and municipal clients. Baird oversees and manages
client assets of $77 billion. Committed to being a great place to work,
Baird is one of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work
For” in 2008 -- its fifth consecutive year on the list. For additional
information, please click here.
I also thought the following section from our FORTUNE submission
would be of interest. When asked about our hiring process, we included the
following section as part of our response:
Because the Baird culture plays a key role in the success of our
firm, every member of management at Baird understands that every new hire must
be thoroughly evaluated for not only the right knowledge, experience and
education, but also the right fit for the values that make Baird such a special
place. As the Baird culture statements
detail, we seek individuals who value honesty, teamwork, quality work and who
genuinely care about others. This
strategy is often referenced by Chairman, President & CEO Paul Purcell when
he meets all new associates as part of our New Associate Onboarding
Experience. Paul’s presentation and his
openness and willingness to answer any questions are often cited as highlights
by new associates in their evaluations of our welcoming process. To add emphasis to how committed all managers
are to having a respectful, fair work environment, Paul uses a very
down-to-earth way of making his point when he tells new associates: “We have a ‘no asshole rule’ here.” While the
earthy approach is out of character for Paul, it is a statement that clearly
makes an impression and leaves no doubt that everyone is expected to be
respectful of everyone he or she works with. New associates often comment on the “rule” and the fact that it’s
supported by the way they are treated long after the interview process.
Paul is very passionate about Baird’s
No-Asshole Rule and was thrilled that FORTUNE featured it in our “100 Best”
coverage. I’m sure he’d be happy to talk with you about the rule’s importance
to Baird and our success. If you are interested in talking to him or sitting
down with him to learn more, please let me know.
I
am most impressed by how seriously they take the rule, and more important than
the rule alone, the reason Baird is a great place to work is that it reflects a
broader set of values and practices about treating people well. I am looking forward to learning more about
Baird later in the week, when I have a phone conversation scheduled with CEO
Paul Purcell.
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