A compliment can have the same impact as food. Sometimes, it’s a sweet, transitory experience that’s soon digested and forgotten. Other times, it can make one’s eyes light up, like a rich piece of chocolate, and stay with you for a long time (in the case of candy, that’s where the gym comes in).
Take Denise Miller, the senior HR consultant for GreatAmerica Financial Services’ PathShare HR Services division. One customer client comment that not only resonated with Miller but provided validation for her efforts was the observation that she was a “trusted advisor.” At that moment, she felt that she had truly made a difference.
“Solving business problems for office equipment dealers is the most rewarding thing for me,” said Miller, a 2022 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “I enjoy hearing what they wish they had time for or the current challenges they face and then spending some time thinking about how to solve that for them. When PathShare can customize a solution that specifically addresses a need, saves time, or helps them get more done with the resources they have and puts in place a strong process they can use going forward, I feel like we’ve contributed to their success.”
Ironically, as the business world finds itself in an age when companies are fighting to establish points of differentiation that aid the hiring and retention process, Miller’s near 20-year journey with GreatAmerica originated simply by word of mouth, and in an unlikely scenario that can’t be attained through LinkedIn or Indeed. She had met several GreatAmerica employees whose children attended the same daycare as her own children.
“They were all so friendly and happy, even at the end of each day,” she said of the GreatAmerica employees. “I thought, ‘I want to work there.’”
Her initial role with GreatAmerica was in sales with the office equipment group, her first professional venture into outside sales. Miller valued that GreatAmerica places an emphasis on a sales process and the training to support it, while tasking its employees to know as much about the industry as they do about their own business and services. It was through her clients that Miller was able to build the acumen necessary to enjoy success at a higher level while building lasting relationships.
Continuous Education
A self-professed “lifetime learner,” Miller’s educational process helps keep her attuned to the evolving challenges her clients face. She notes that when she joined the PathShare HR team nine years ago, the hiring climate was starkly different than it is today, which puts the onus on her and the team to address finding, assessing and retaining the necessary talent for clients to be successful.
“My approach aligns very closely with the GreatAmerica mission—we help our customers achieve greater success,” Miller noted. “When I speak with business owners and leaders within our customers’ organizations, I look for ways to have a long-term impact. In order to accomplish that, I turn to processes, including the infrastructure that runs their business. I investigate whether there is something we can add to or change in their process (hiring for example) that will result in a different, more desirable outcome. My approach focuses on the outcome and results.”
She has had the benefit of reaping knowledge from a large repository of sources, from her initial Florida dealer clients to GreatAmerica leaders including Tony Golobic, Jennie Fisher, David Pohlman and Doug Grimm. It was Grimm who first turned Miller on to the idea that cold calling could be enjoyable—not an easy sell by any stretch of the imagination.
And in fellow Difference Maker Sally Brause, Miller has found a kindred spirit. “Sally saw in me the desire to do more, learn more, and who is still a daily difference maker in my career with PathShare,” she added.
Building Blocks
As 2022 shifts into the second half, Miller and the PathShare team remain committed to providing subject-matter expertise in the HR/organizational development disciplines while keeping close tabs on the industries it serves, including the office technology sector. Looking beyond, it comes down to continuous improvement…and education.
“I rely on my quest for continuous learning,” Miller said. “What else can I learn that would help our customers? How should it be customized for this business? This industry? How can that be developed and delivered?”
Miller and her husband, Randy, are parents to two grown sons. When not hitting the links, they enjoy long walks on the trail around their lake, although “my husband would prefer a boat ride.” She loves being on the water in various forms, including boating and kayaking.
