Today is Thanksgiving, and while many holidays tend to lose some of their sincerity as they evolve, the spirit of seeing loved ones and giving thanks seems to have been retained over the past 300+ years.  For some, the holiday season is a time to give back to their family, friends or community.  For others, Thanksgiving is a time to thank their family, friends or community for the generosity that they have exhibited during the other 364 days of the year. 

Yesterday, someone asked me about my philosophies on recruiting sales professionals.  I mentioned that the person's track record of performance and their aptitude are certainly important, but equally important are his/her values, ethics, attitude, and leadership style.  Those are obviously difficult criteria to study during a simple resume-review and interview process, and that is why I place such high importance on personal recommendations.  I think people only enjoy working in a culture that matches their own personal virtues, so value-matching is one of the most important aspects of building a team.

When a company is made up of people who value community service, giving doesn't have to be enforced or coordinated by the company.  For example, I know a lot of people who work at Salesforce.com, where each employee is very strongly encouraged to take part in philanthropic projects in their local area.  I salute the concept and the end-result is wonderful, but I wonder if that culture could have been perpetuated without the company's direct involvement?

At WhatCounts, I am thankful for having joined a group of individuals who greatly value philanthropy.  David blogged last month about Lynda Wilkes, a WhatCounts Project Manager who participated in the Nike Women's Marathon to raise money for leukemia/lymphoma research, and Brian Ratzliff, a WhatCounts co-Founder who recently traveled to Ethiopia to perform HIV/AIDS relief work.  I have also been elated to see the serviceable work that sales team members like Peggy McGrath (autism and local community organizations), Frank Dale (mentorship of college students and local community organizations) and Justin Johnson (local community organizations) have done over the years.  Our customers are no different.  In the spirit of the season, we released press this week about the best practices of philanthropic customers like the Michael J. Fox Foundation, United Way of King County, ONE/Northwest, Farestart, Pura Vida Coffee, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.  The work of organizations like these could forever change the lives of our children and grandchildren. 

So, today I give thanks to the employees, customers and partners in the WhatCounts family for the service that they have been doing during the other 364 days of the year.