Episode 10: Growing Into the Expert

Starting a new job can feel overwhelming, but growth doesn't happen by accident. In this episode of Keepin' It Clean, Mike and Hailey sit down with Garrett Hill to discuss what it takes to succeed as a new team member at Meyer. From asking the right questions and building strong habits to taking ownership of your development, they share practical advice for turning your first days into the foundation of a long-term career. Whether you're brand new to Meyer or looking to continue growing, this episode is packed with insights to help you learn faster, build confidence, and become the expert others can rely on.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:05

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Keepin' It Clean podcast. I'm Haley Dunham alongside Mike Miller.

SPEAKER_01 0:12

Good morning.

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Good morning. How you doing?

SPEAKER_01 0:13

I am great. How are you today?

SPEAKER_00 0:15

I'm fantastic. Um, what has been going on in your world since we last spoke?

SPEAKER_01 0:21

Uh well, this past week I went to the Waste Expo in uh DC. It's a really great show. It's the first time that we participated in it uh as a company. And I I think our organization, to the extent that they haven't, will start here as talking a lot more about the waste industry. It reminds me a lot of our early days in the concrete industry where we really have an opportunity to shape how the industry thinks. And uh so just a great show. I learned a lot, got the chance to hear from multiple CEOs of the big organizations out there about how they're thinking about the future of the industry. And it it was just all in all a great time and a great show and a great learning opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 1:06

Awesome. That is really exciting. I I remember the the buzz and the excitement when concrete and asphalt first started, and so it's exciting to have a potential another opportunity like that.

SPEAKER_01 1:15

Yeah, I I I think we'll we'll start to experience a similar buzz in the waste industry really soon.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

Awesome, that's great. Well, today we have a special guest with us. Um this is the first time we've had someone call in. Um I'm pretending like this is a radio station, longtime listener, first time caller. But our special guest today is Mr. Garrett Hill. Um, so for those who don't know, Garrett is one of our division sales managers. Um, he has been with us for almost six years now. Um, I think it'll be six years in August. But uh, Garrett, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_02 1:47

Um doing great. How are y'all?

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Doing great.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Doing well. Good morning, Garrett. Good morning.

SPEAKER_00 1:54

We're excited to have you with us today. So before we really dive into um our topic and things like that, I would love for you to just uh take a minute to kind of share a little bit about yourself um on a personal level about um you, your family, things like that.

SPEAKER_02 2:08

Absolutely. Um yeah, so I'm from Georgia, been uh been in Georgia my whole life.

SPEAKER_01 2:16

I've are you a uh Georgia Bulldogs fan?

SPEAKER_02 2:19

Absolutely not. I uh I was raised an Auburn fan, so I'm not sure if that's better or worse, but yeah, there you go. Diehard SEC all the way. Okay. Um really not never really got into NFL. So love the Braves, love the Auburn Tigers. Um, those are really the main sports I follow.

SPEAKER_00 2:42

You can be a Chiefs fan.

SPEAKER_02 2:45

Well, I am by default. I I do pull for the Chiefs if I'm flipping through the channels on Sunday and see them playing. We appreciate that. Uh love NASCAR, so that's typically what my Sundays are consumed with. So church and then NASCAR. But yeah, I've got a um wife and three kids. Um lived, uh was pretty much raised in Baldasta, Georgia, which is right there on the Florida line, and then took on uh or went to college in Columbus, Georgia. So that moved me to the Alabama line, which was good because it got me even closer to Auburn, so I can go see football games and stuff a lot easier. But um met my wife in college. We got married, settled down, had three kids, and then um took on my role with Meyer. Um so I didn't start out as a division sales manager, I was in the sales role at first. So um that that kind of kickstarted everything for my career here with Meyer.

SPEAKER_00 3:46

That's awesome. Um tell everyone about kind of the age ranges of your kiddos. Um, I know that they are younger and your lives are very busy with them, but uh tell us about that and kind of what you guys like to do um as a family uh hanging out with the with the babies.

SPEAKER_02 4:01

Yes, busy is an understatement. Um I've got my son Wells, he's eight years old. Um he loves to hunt, loves to fish, a really good baseball player. So our weekends are usually consumed with baseball. Um we don't do travel ball, but like rec league and stuff on the weekends, and then I've got my middle daughter Ava. She just turned six, so she's big into gymnastics. So during the week, she's doing you know gymnastics stuff, and then we've got our first meets coming up with her in the fall. So whereas baseball is winding down, gymnastics is about to pick up, and we've never actually done gymnastics meets, but we're about to find out about it together for the first time. Sounds like fun. Um, and then my youngest Aniston, she um actually just turned three, and she is your typical ball field sibling. She'll disappear for a few minutes and then come back head to toe covered in dirt, looking for snacks. Oh, yeah. And then she keeps the concession stand busy at gymnastics, uh, you know, with all the cheesecrackers that she can get a hold of.

SPEAKER_00 5:14

So that's wonderful. Well, you um you kind of teed this up, uh, kind of my next question. So, as you said, you didn't start with us as a division sales manager. So if you could just briefly kind of tell us about um what role you started in at Meyer and kind of your career progression um with the company.

SPEAKER_02 5:33

Absolutely. So, you know, previous to Meyer, I worked at CentOS and was in sales there. And then COVID hit, things got wonky for everybody. And so I was exploring new career opportunities and landed on Meyer. And so I applied, got obviously got hired. Uh, in fact, Haley, you were probably my toughest interview I've had year to date.

SPEAKER_01 5:58

She's mine every day.

SPEAKER_00 6:02

No, I I don't feel like that's true, but maybe.

SPEAKER_02 6:09

But um, thankfully, got you know, got the position at Meyer as a sales manager. Uh, and this is before bifurcation. So anything we sold, we had to service. Um, and that actually helped me a lot with understanding both sides of the organization. And so um as I developed in that role, uh, was successful, was doing well, and then a position came open for uh a management role and decided I would apply for that, and then took that role on and got accepted into that role about a year and a half, almost two years into my tenure with Meyer, and have been in that role ever since. So uh the team has changed throughout the last you know four or five years, but overall the Southeast is still strong.

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yeah, uh Garrett, uh also for those of you that don't know, within our organization, Garrett was our division sales manager of the year last year and also uh attended President's Club. So again, congrats on that, Garrett. Um you've been a long time achiever and kind of a bleed mire blue kind of guy. So thrilled to see all your success you're having with the company.

SPEAKER_02 7:25

Absolutely. I appreciate that. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 7:28

Yep. Uh so today, you know, we touch base a little bit in advance of the podcast about things that were on your mind that you might want to talk about. And so really uh, you know, I think the the high-level topic here is if you're new at Meyer and you're integrating into our business, really, how to grow and become an expert within the organization. Is it is that a fair way to tee up the topic today?

SPEAKER_02 7:55

Yeah, I think that's that's perfect.

SPEAKER_01 7:58

Okay, that's exactly well, uh maybe just start by, you know, take it anywhere you want. You've obviously onboarded a lot of people within our organization. I always say that um you know, I I've done the same in my time here, and you can kind of start to see really pretty early on who's going to be successful, who's going to be wildly successful, and who's kind of falling behind the curve. So when you think about those three scenarios, maybe just start with um how do you know what what's the difference early on? What do you see differently out of somebody that really starts to uh develop quickly versus somebody that either kind of flatlines or is unsuccessful in our organization?

SPEAKER_02 8:48

Yeah, absolutely. The the main difference I've noticed in folks that uh succeed quickly are the ones that ask the most questions. They're not necessarily trying to figure out how quickly they can get comfortable. Um they're more so trying to figure out how to shorten the curve so that they can be valuable quicker. Um as quick as possible. So the guys that are, you know, like I said, asking the questions, trying to gain better understanding as to how our organization works are typically the guys that we see move to the top a lot quicker. Whereas the ones that are trying to get comfortable, you they'll they'll do the modules, they'll do the training, but you don't really hear from them. Um, and they're just kind of coasting, it seems.

SPEAKER_00 9:40

So Garrett, when you talk about um folks jumping in and asking questions, um, we have so many knowledgeable individuals um throughout our organization and platforms um with ways that we can kind of communicate, even though everybody's uh can feel sometimes like they're on an island in their respective territories. Do you see a difference in folks that are just uh, for example, going only to their manager to asking questions uh versus reaching out to others in their division or others in their new higher class and things like that?

SPEAKER_02 10:11

Absolutely. So one thing that stands out is folks, along with asking questions, more so than just to the manager, as you pointed out, the the people that surround themselves with the experts, they find the experts and they'll attach themselves to them. So from there, they're able to see how they work, they're able to ask questions, get answers, um, listen how they talk, uh, and understand what questions those experts are asking, and then finding the answers and solutions to those questions. And so from there, they're able to take that information and grow with it and learn. Um, and so it's not just, you know, I like to ask the question if if you were brand new in this role all over again, what would you be focusing on? And that's a really good question to ask folks who have been here for a while, because then that's a streamlined answer as you'll get a streamlined answer as to what it is right now that you need to be focusing on as a new hire.

SPEAKER_01 11:14

Yeah, Garrett, when I when I hear you talk about that, and we've had some conversations about this over the years, um, the ideal team player, right, is humble, hungry, and smart. And I think sometimes when people are new to an organization, that humility or being humble is really important to come in uh where some people are worried about being perceived as knowing it all. Those that uh and I think often that prevents people from asking for help or looking to appear for support, it's that humility and being humble enough to to walk into a situation and say, you know, I don't know about this, I need help. And I see that translate also to success in sales where guys go into maybe a new industry that they're unfamiliar with, and instead of walking in and allowing the prospect to educate them on that industry, which more often than not they're thrilled to do, they want to walk in and be perceived as the expert. And expertise comes over a period of time, and certainly we want to be experts in our industry, but also I think you know it's okay to be humble and to walk into a new industry and say, Hey, look, I'm new to this. Can you help me understand why cleaning is important or whatever it might be, what it's important, why it's important to that industry?

SPEAKER_02 12:38

Yeah, and that's um that's a really good point because there are multiple first presentations that I've gone on with people, and usually the person that we're meeting with is very proud of what they do and how their process works. And so by asking that question, hey, walk me through the process, walk me through what it is that y'all do here without even getting into how Meyer can be a benefit. You're understanding what they do, and nine times out of ten, they're more excited to talk to you about that than anything, and so they'll take you through this entire process of what's going on in that particular facility, which brings me to uh another point that I have is you have to allow for yourself time to be new, whether that's being brought on to mire as a new hire or whether you're being promoted within or taking on a new role. You have to allow for yourself to be new, and during that time is when you need to be a sponge, you need to be absorbing information and knowledge and asking the right questions. Uh, you weren't hired or promoted because you knew everything, you were brought on because someone believed that you could learn it, and so that's very important whether you're going on a sales call and trying to learn what the process is for making tires, or whether you're being brought on at mire to sell or become a BDM or a RAM or an account manager.

SPEAKER_01 14:12

So I think that's very well said. Uh and I think you know, allowing for time to be new builds trust in those around you. I would much prefer someone come to me and say again, I need help with something, or can you help me uh understand how you think about whatever scenario it might be, than to come in and fake expertise, right? That erodes professional trust for me. So I think that's very well said. What do you think I agree more? What do you think, Garrett, when when people let's just say joining our company new as an account manager or a sales manager, any role that comes to mind really, what do you think the hardest part about learning our job is, what we do here? What do you think people struggle with the most?

SPEAKER_02 15:06

Uh that's a really good question. I would say probably going back on what I just said, giving themselves the opportunity to be new and absorb as much as they can. Um, because you made a really good point. A lot of folks feel like if they don't have the answer, they're perceived as not knowledgeable or they don't have what it takes. Um by understanding you we've got a vast line of products, we've got all kinds of products, we got all kinds of systems, but absorbing that information and understanding when and where to use it can be tricky. And so uh I would say that's probably the hardest part of taking on any role is understanding the processes and products and when to use them.

SPEAKER_01 15:55

Agreed. So when you think about someone, let's fast forward past the new phase. When you think about people in the field in our organization, which is you know where where your expertise is as of today, what do you see as the difference between people that are good and people that are great?

SPEAKER_02 16:17

To me, that's a very clear um line. The folks that are good do well as far as checking the boxes, getting the job done. The ones that are great have fantastic communication skills and they stay organized. Uh, that's something that I preach to my people, uh, especially during onboarding. It's very clear if you are not organized and you cannot communicate, you will fail in this role, and that's with any role within Meyer. If you can't communicate, whether that's with peers, whether that's with the customer, whether that's with upper management, then nothing's gonna get done the way it needs to get done. And if you're not organized, you're not gonna be able to stay on top of your business, therefore you're gonna lose business, you're gonna show up without the correct parts, you're gonna be um missing orders that need to be keyed. You have to stay organized on top of your business, and you have to be able to communicate efficiently.

SPEAKER_01 17:17

Yeah, that's essentially the basis of business, right? It's like one big circle of communication, and the businesses that do it the best succeed, and those that struggle with it struggle overall as a business. So I think that's uh I agree very key. Uh one more question before we turn it over to Haley for the rapid fire questions at the at the end of the podcast. But um think about somebody that's been here for 18 months, and maybe they're still struggling some or just not quite clicking. They've had some wins, but it's not been consistent yet. Is there anything that comes to mind in the form of advice that you would give someone that's driving down the road today, they're here 18 months, and it's still tough. Things aren't things aren't clicking.

SPEAKER_02 18:08

Yeah, uh the first place I would look would be to find an expert in the field that you're trying to become an expert in. Attach yourself to them. Could like essentially a mentor program, you know. Attach yourself to them, questions they're asking, pick their brains, ask them good questions, um, and understand what it is that they're doing that you're not doing that allows them to be successful. Uh, that's number one. Number two would be um become a student of your own industry, you know. Uh it more so outside of what Meyer offers is training. There's books, there's podcasts, there's all kinds of resources available outside of just what Meyer offers to become an expert, whether that's in selling, whether that's in communicating efficiently, staying organized, figure out what your weaknesses are and invest in yourself to hone in on those skills so that they're no longer your weaknesses.

SPEAKER_01 19:10

Yeah, I think that's uh that that's good feedback. And really in today's world with availability of information, like there's nearly no excuse for not educating yourself, right? Like I think about all the things that you can get out of AI today, whether that's prospecting or learning about an industry, etc., you can get really clear and concise information that can help you close the gap in a hurry. So good feedback.

SPEAKER_00 19:38

Yep. Alrighty. It is my turn, or I guess your turn, Garrett. Um, so in honor of your your Georgian heritage, um, we've got some Southern style rapid fire questions for you today. Um, so first question uh what is your favorite Southern food?

SPEAKER_02 19:58

Ooh, I love fried chicken, but probably crawfish in a touffe, which is probably it's more Cajun than Southern, but we'll count it in Southern.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

That sounds good.

SPEAKER_01 20:07

Haley, have you ever had that?

SPEAKER_00 20:08

I have I have not.

SPEAKER_01 20:10

Have you ever seen a crawfish?

SPEAKER_00 20:11

On the internet, yes. Does that count? Um, okay, next question. Um, as you know or may not know, um we've started doing a question of the day, and you may have missed one because I know you've the answer is pecan. I love that you knew what I was gonna ask you. Um that is not the right way, but we will accept it, George Boy. Um would don't worry.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

My it's it's funny that everybody likes to tell me how to say it.

SPEAKER_00 20:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 20:38

Where my family harvests pecans for many, many years. So say it how you want it. Have you ever harvested pecans?

SPEAKER_00 20:45

Pecan. Pecan pie. Uh, all right, uh sweet tea or coffee.

SPEAKER_02 20:51

Oh, sweet tea.

SPEAKER_00 20:52

Awesome. And then last question uh before we wrap up here, what is something that people would be surprised to learn about you? And it can be fun, it doesn't have to be deep, it can be whatever, but what would uh something what's something that people would be surprised to learn about you?

SPEAKER_02 21:08

I know how to knit and sew.

SPEAKER_00 21:10

Are you serious?

SPEAKER_01 21:11

Impressive.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

Are you surprised?

SPEAKER_00 21:14

I am extremely surprised.

SPEAKER_01 21:16

Um what about uh crochet?

SPEAKER_02 21:19

Never learned that one. Yeah, my cousin is very artistic, and uh we were headed down to the beach one year for a family beach trip, and she was knitting a scarf, and it was about a two-hour drive. So she had extra needles and plenty of yarn, and I said, Let me figure out how to do this. So when I was about 10 or 11 years old, I learned how to knit.

SPEAKER_00 21:42

Is that something you still practice? Because Mike and I would Mike and I would like a scarf for Christmas, please.

SPEAKER_01 21:47

Yeah, I'd like I'd like a Meyer Branded scarf if you don't mind. Thanks.

SPEAKER_02 21:53

See what I can do.

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Well, Garrett, thanks uh for being on the podcast today. Thank you for all the insightful uh information that you shared. Hopefully, you know, the people within our organization can take a nugget from what you've said today and apply it to their to their life and to their business and help them be more successful. And then finally, just thanks for everything you do for our organization. Uh, you're you're a bright light in the culture that we're trying to build here and what we're trying to accomplish, and and I appreciate that and I'm very grateful for it.

SPEAKER_02 22:25

Absolutely appreciate y'all having me on. Uh this this was an honor. Yeah, have a great day. Thank you, you too.