{"id":18010,"date":"2023-10-19T08:00:32","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T08:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/leadership\/how-alabama-football-player-turned-ceo-stan-moss-competes-to-win\/"},"modified":"2023-10-19T08:00:33","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T08:00:33","slug":"how-alabama-football-player-turned-ceo-stan-moss-competes-to-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysourcefunding.com\/?p=18010","title":{"rendered":"How Alabama Football Player-Turned-CEO Stan Moss Competes To Win"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Stan Moss isn\u2019t your typical CEO, which may explain why Polen Capital isn\u2019t your typical global investment management firm. Let\u2019s start with the results the firm has seen over the past decade, or the fact that Polen has been named among the best places to work by Pensions & Investments each of the last seven years. Then, there\u2019s the transformation: When Moss took over the role of CEO in 2012, after holding a variety of leadership roles since 2003, the firm managed under $5B of AUM with a single strategy out of a regional location. Today, Polen has 250 professionals and advises more than $65B in client assets across four continents, serving institutions, intermediaries, and individuals through multiple equity and credit strategies.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an exceptional growth story, but what makes Polen\u2019s history even more unique is Moss himself, who was raised in a small Alabama town, where his parents served as educators and ran their family farm. \u201cMy father was a principal and the head football coach at our high school, and my mom was a fourth-grade teacher. I grew up around people who dedicated their lives to serving others, and it had a great influence on who I am today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Outworking the Competition <\/strong><\/p>\n

Eventually, Moss played football for the University of Alabama, and remembers the financial hardships he faced at that time: \u201cI had a partial scholarship, but tuition was due, and I was short. I was working two manual jobs and I remember sitting on the floor counting change to pay my bills, but I still didn\u2019t have enough. So, I drove home and sold the cows I had bought for our farm years earlier to cover my tuition.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a story Moss shared with his employees at a recent meeting, highlighting why he does what he does: \u201cI\u2019ve been working since the first grade, whether it was harvesting potatoes or cutting firewood that we could use on the farm. When I got my first real job in corporate America as an accountant, I was grateful to the extreme. This job was the most important thing I had ever received, and a way out of my life of being broke. Being able to pay the bills was my first why.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/fbs-ad><\/p>\n

He adds this: \u201cI\u2019ve met a lot of smart, talented leaders, but the question is, what are you willing to sacrifice, will you put in the work? If there\u2019s one thing I know about myself, it\u2019s that I have put in the work throughout my career and I have sacrificed which has put me and our organization in the best position to compete and win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starting With \u201cWhy\u201d and Inspiring Others to Do the Same<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moss makes a point of sharing personal stories with his team, and he encourages others to do the same. At firmwide events, Polen employees take turns sharing lessons and examples from their own lives as a regular practice. He\u2019s set aside time for the entire firm to develop their personal why statements, and the commitment to purpose goes beyond a team exercise: \u201cWhen you come to our office, you\u2019ll see our Why Wall that features pictures and stories of our clients. Some of our clients are public servants, policemen, firefighters, or teachers like my parents. It reminds us why we\u2019re here and the difference we can make, whether you\u2019re an employee, a client, or a member of our community.\u201d<\/p>\n

As CEO, Moss sees his role as leading the type of firm where others can define their why and realize a greater purpose for themselves: \u201cNow, my ultimate why is to inspire others to continuously learn and grow by creating an environment that enables their best selves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reverse Engineering Performance: Focusing on People <\/strong><\/p>\n

Moss takes a reverse engineering approach to creating growth and client results: \u201cIt would be easy to focus solely on our strategies or the numbers. Of course, that\u2019s essential, but that isn\u2019t where we start. The better we are as people, the better we collaborate with our colleagues and the better we perform for our global clients. It\u2019s why we provide so many ways for employees to grow and develop at Polen. Beyond training, coaching, and development, we give each employee thousands of dollars to invest in their own learning and growth as people, not just as employees. Each year, we select a book as a firm to read together, and we invite authors and experts to teach us and help us live our purpose and personal whys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moss underscores the point: \u201cI once read that when asked for a stock tip, Warren Buffet said, \u2018I\u2019ll tell you what\u2019s much better than investing in a stock. The best investment you can make by far is investing in yourself.\u2019 It\u2019s easy for a company to say that their employees come first, but you have to put your money where your mouth is and walk your talk. Investing in our people is a huge priority here and I\u2019m convinced its why we\u2019ve had such strong outcomes for clients over the years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Growing Brick by Brick<\/strong><\/p>\n

Moss remembers how his father coached him during his high school football days: \u201cAfter practice, we\u2019d look at the film together and break down the tape. He\u2019d help me see how very small changes, over time, could make a big difference in my game.\u201d Those lessons have stayed with Moss, who believes that putting in small changes, over time, is the difference-maker for Polen: \u201cWe refer to this as a brick-by-brick approach to growth. At Polen Capital, one way we do this is through marginal improvements. Each year, every employee identifies 3 marginal improvements for the year. If 250 employees are each making 3 improvements, that adds up. If our firm is making 750 improvements a year and this is compounding over time, that creates a large impact.\u201d<\/p>\n

He adds: \u201cThe brick-by-brick approach is also used with business strategy and diversification. Each brick represents a deliberate decision to expand how we serve clients. For example, we added credit to our investment offerings, we\u2019ve grown globally, we have made important acquisitions, we\u2019ve hired incredible talent, and made key upgrades to our internal systems and technology.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making the Choice to Change<\/strong><\/p>\n

As Moss looks to the future, he acknowledges that change isn\u2019t easy, but change is necessary. \u201cNature teaches us that the species that are the most adaptable to change are the ones that thrive. If you want to be a CEO, get a degree in psychology, because you have to understand what truly motivates and inspires people in a deep way to help them navigate change.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concludes: \u201cThe days of fixed mindset \u2018command and control\u2019 leadership are numbered. What counts is how you take care of people and help them become all that they can be. If we do that, we\u2019ll have a high-performing team positioned to win for our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Read the full article here<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stan Moss isn\u2019t your typical CEO, which may explain why Polen Capital isn\u2019t your typical global investment management firm. Let\u2019s start with the results the firm has seen over the past decade, or the fact that Polen has been named among the best places to work by Pensions & Investments each of the last seven […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-18010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-leadership"},"yoast_head":"\nHow Alabama Football Player-Turned-CEO Stan Moss Competes To Win | Brandiary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Stan Moss isn\u2019t your typical CEO, which may explain why Polen Capital isn\u2019t your typical global investment management firm. 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