Meet Jason Greer, Employee Relations Expert, and Best Selling Author
Jason Greer is a labor-relations and diversity-management consulting expert who works with client organizations and leaders to address challenges and solve problems caused by the complexities in the workforce.
Jason has been recognized as an Employee/Labor Relations and Diversity expert by Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, ABC, CBS, and Fox News. He was named one of the Top Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2020 by Thrive Global and Yahoo News. He is also the author of the Amazon #1 Bestselling book, People Matter Most.
I caught up with Jason to ask him some questions about his journey toward becoming an industry mogul.
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Please tell us a little about yourself and what got you started
I am the President of Greer Consulting, Inc., a labor- and employee-relations consulting company based in St. Louis, Missouri. We rank in the top 5% of labor- and employee-relations consulting companies in the country.
I fell in love with labor relations while working in the training department at Quaker Oats during my time as a graduate student at the University of Illinois. I fell in love with the constant check and balances that existed between companies and labor unions.
This led to my accepting a position as a federal agent with the National Labor Relations Board immediately after I graduated with a Master’s in Human Resources Management. I proudly served as a Board Agent, learning about labor law and negotiations.
After a couple of years with the National Labor Relations Board, I decided to take a leap of faith and I entered the consulting world; I haven’t looked back since!
Where did the idea for your business come from?
It came from the idea that I could have a larger impact on the business world by actually being in the proverbial fight.
I have always had this belief that I could teach companies how to be more empathetic in their dealings with employees, but I’m amazed to this day at how much of an impact my company has had on the employee-relations field.
What have been the biggest challenges you faced during the Covid-19 pandemic and how did you overcome them?
Great question! The biggest challenge that I faced during the Covid-19 pandemic was silencing the inner critic that said, “You’re going to lose your business because you can’t do consulting through a virtual call.” Covid shook my world up just like it did every industry, both domestically and internationally.
I learned to lean in on what I do best and interact with others in a way that allowed my desire to connect to translate into the virtual space. My company actually had a record-breaking year in 2020, which means that there will always be opportunities if you are willing to grow, change, and adapt.
What piece of advice do you wish someone had given you at the start of your career?
I wish someone had told me that striving for greatness can be rewarding, but it also can be incredibly lonely at the same time. The bulk of my friends and family work jobs. They are all successful in their own right, but they work for companies and state agencies that have multiple departments to handle multiple tasks that allow them to focus on the jobs they were hired to do.
As a business owner, I am the President, but I also oversee a team of consultants who are spread throughout the country handling our client’s needs.
There have been times that I haven’t slept for 48 hours, I’ve worked in five different cities in five days, I’ve done business on my honeymoon (blessedly I’m married to an incredibly loving and patient woman!), and I’ve left vacations to tend to client issues. The process of running your own business means that you never have an off moment.
You are always on, and not everyone is built for this type of grind, and that’s okay. The bottom line is if you want the rewards, then you better be willing to accept the pain and discomfort that comes with it.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business? Please explain how
Relationships. Building and developing relationships have been the linchpins of my business because I learned early on that people want to do business with someone they like. If I could add one more thing, be willing to do the work other people won’t.
At the beginning of my career, I did a ton of work that most people would never have touched. I’m talking about giving away free services or services at a reduced rate.
I did this because no one had ever heard of me, and I was starting from scratch. There was no way I was going to turn down an opportunity if it meant that I was going to grow as a professional because I saw every consulting experience as an opportunity to build my clientele. Be humble, but be hungry at the same time!
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