A Message to Our Leaders
There’s a scene in the movie “Jerry Maguire” where everything comes to a head – not with numbers or contracts, but with conviction. It centers on a mission statement, a plea, a line in the sand that says, “This is who we are – or at least who we’re supposed to be.” That’s where I believe we are today as an industry.
For decades, medical supply manufacturing and distribution have been built on two pillars: relationships and culture. The relationships, thankfully, remain strong. They have been forged over years on sales calls, at national meetings, on ride days and, yes, sometimes over a drink after a long day. Trust still matters, and people still buy from people.
But our culture is starting to slip, and that should concern every leader reading this.
Culture is not a tagline on a website or a slide in a kickoff meeting. It is what your organization feels like on a Tuesday morning when no one is watching. It is how your teams treat each other, how they show up for customers and how they carry your brand into the field. It is the difference between a company people work for and one they believe in.
A pivotal moment
After speaking with leaders and sales representatives across the industry, it is clear we are at a crossroads. A significant portion of the industry’s leadership and experienced sales professionals are approaching retirement. This group built something special. They created environments where mentorship mattered, hard work was recognized, and relationships were not transactional – they were personal. They understood culture was not optional; it was the engine. In many ways, the industry was built on a culture rooted in pride and a genuine sense of enjoyment in the work.
At the same time, a new generation is stepping in. They are talented, driven and full of potential. But they are also watching closely. They are asking, “What kind of industry am I stepping into? What kind of culture am I inheriting?” Leaders should ask themselves: Why would someone want to work for this organization and follow me into battle?
The answer is being written right now. If culture is allowed to erode, and short-term metrics take priority over long-term meaning, the industry risks losing what made it great in the first place. It risks becoming just another transactional business in a world already full of them.
Our industry – and the young representatives entering it – deserve what we inherited from leaders such as John Sasen,
Cindy Juhas, Gary Keeler, Pat Kelly, DeWight Titus, Mark Seitz,
John Moran, Scott Fanning, Gary Corless, Jim Stover, Rob Saron and Ted Almon, among many others. Take a moment to reflect on those names and the gift they left behind.
Leaders, this is the moment to be intentional – to invest in your people beyond quotas and dashboards; to celebrate wins the right way; to mentor, teach and listen. Create environments where young professionals do not just build careers, but build pride in what they do. Simply put, if your people are not having fun and finding fulfillment within your organization, they will not remain your people.
Credit is due to Jack and Dennis at MTMC for the regional meetings they have hosted in recent years. Culture and winning teams are not built on a Zoom call, but through face-to-face interaction, with a little fun along the way. These live meetings are the breeding grounds for culture and relationships.
Rediscovering our swagger
Our industry needs sales teams with swagger again. That potential exists in every organization, but it is up to leaders to develop it and create an environment where teams can thrive. The work is important and should be taken seriously, but that does not mean taking ourselves too seriously. Teams should celebrate wins and enjoy working together. Culture builds strong teams, and when people genuinely care about one another, the rest often takes care of itself.
Teams need to have fun again. One day, leaders will hand over the keys, and the question will not be how fast the business grew, but whether the culture was strong enough to sustain it.
Billy Harris often told new hires that if they were not having fun, they should find another career path. He would joke that the day should start with “two scoops of fun” before anything else. The most important part was that he meant it.
So here is the challenge – our own version of “show me the money”: Show the culture. Protect it. Strengthen it.
And have some fun again.
Dedicated to the Industry,
R. Scott Adams
Publisher