Stuart R. Rudnick > Senior Manager

"It was a failed experiment, not a success, that proved I could be a leader at First Investors."

All I ever wanted was a chance and First Investors gave it to me. I always wanted to be the "Boss." After one year in the business, I was given the opportunity to open an experimental office, hiring college students. It didn't work; however, my managers believed I could be a great leader one day and brought me back to manage a traditional office. I never looked back. It was a failed experiment, not a success, that proved I could be a leader at First Investors. When something isn't working, I always blame myself. By that I mean I always make myself accountable to everyone I work with.

September 2006 was the lowest point of my career at First Investors. My group was not performing well and I had become frustrated about it. It became obvious that something needed to change in order for our region to stay independent.

After honestly assessing the problem, I realized that I needed someone else to complement my strengths as a manager. For this I turned to John Golden, with whom I had worked for 24 years and trusted immensely. Together we came up with a plan to save our group.

Logistically, the key to our plan was implementing change from the top down (management/culture) as well as from the bottom up (recruiting). In order to train new recruits more effectively, we decided to introduce a boot camp within the Westbury office. We realized that in order to be successful in this area, we would need the help of someone who was both driven and creative. Again, we looked within our organization to complement our own talents, and began working closely with Jennifer Carroll.

In addition to focusing our efforts on recruiting, we recognized that change was also necessary from the top down. This aspect of our plan was less logistical and had more to do with reforming the attitude and culture within our group—which began with me. I called a meeting with our management team and as their senior manager, took responsibility for the group's recent performance. I also explained what would happen if our group didn't improve. Then, I outlined my plan to rectify the situation. Of course, there were specific things that we all needed to improve upon—communication, follow-up, training, meetings—but at the end of the day, it all boiled down to our attitude and work ethic. I told everyone that going forward, I would no longer tolerate complacency or a lackadaisical attitude—not from myself and not from my colleagues.

After much hard work and constant tweaking, I began to notice a change. Some of it was easy to quantify: there was improved communication, as well as more meetings and more conference calls. However, another part of this change was personal and, to a certain extent, defies description. For example, I began looking forward to Company reports as I used them as a tool for motivation.

Now, thirty-one months later, our group is like nothing I have ever seen—and after more than 30 years at First Investors, I've seen a lot! Because the changes we implemented were truly a group effort, people trust and respect each other more. And most importantly, we take accountability for our successes and failures.

Of course, our success would not have been possible without the support and trust of Bob Flanagan and the Company.

Going forward, it is difficult to predict exactly how far we can go, especially in these uncertain times. However, whatever happens, I know that I will be able to look back on my career and know that I did everything I could to be successful.

Back to Testimonials

Click here for more information about a career at First Investors