Share This:

Building a Healthy team, and by extension, company

Benefit from actionable leadership tips that have proven effective for Pierce Washington. 

In an industry where rapid employee turnover is the norm, building high-performing teams with low attrition takes more than words. It takes work.  

In Pierce Washington’s (PW’s) 20-year history, we’ve always been very intentional about leadership and team building. We’ve prioritized it, adopted and adapted best practices, and tried to continually perfect our approach. It all starts with a belief that leadership isn’t just a title—it’s a mindset and daily practice. This viewpoint guides our day-to-day decisions, long-term strategies, and everything in between. This is why top-tier talent joins and stays with PW, and why clients trust us with the most complex and high-stakes Q2C implementations. 

In this edition of PW’s Voice of Leadership series, Danny Poling shares a candid, behind-the-scenes look at his and PW’s overall leadership approach. Danny is a veteran of big tech as well as an actual veteran. He’s overflowing with life and work lessons. Above all, Danny’s professional passion is nurturing healthy company culture. His decades-long track record of building elite teams comes from both hard-earned lessons and authentic care for people. “This is my jam,” Danny says. His LinkedIn profile description says it all: People Advocate, Building Successful and Fun Organizations. 

One of Danny’s key management goals is industry-defying tenure. He strives to create an environment where people want to stay long term. “The average Salesforce consultant stays with an SI for 18 to 24 months. That’s just insane to me. In the three-plus years I’ve been here in PW’s US Salesforce practice, I’ve seen zero voluntary attrition.” 

Employee retention is easier said than done. But it’s worth the effort because the highly specialized CPQ and Q2C implementation world is a relatively small community. Top talent is routinely poached by competitors. PW counters this with a formula that isn’t revolutionary but is effective. It’s based on leadership that’s equal parts heart and smart. Following are a few ways that PW has created an exceptional and team-centric business.  

 

1. Put people first, of course.

    Building a healthy company starts with hiring the right people. When selecting, recruiting, and hiring initial employees and foundational roles, “You hire 10s,” Danny says. Get the right people on the bus up front. That means senior talent with priceless experience and flexible dispositions. These founding team leaders will set the bar for performance and lead company culture by example.  

    Once it’s time to fill up the seats on your bus, “Hire people with the potential to be 10s,” Danny said. Employees’ nature is as important as the skills they’ve nurtured. So, it isn’t just about resume credentials. It’s about cultural fit, drive, curiosity, and communication. “We build 10s by investing in comprehensive training, mentorship, and a hands-on approach.” Danny explained. For PW, training isn’t a phase, it’s a continuous process of skill sharpening and support. Our leaders don’t just assign tasks; they’re involved, available, and engaged. Danny continued, “When people do move on in their careers, I want employers to see their resumes and say, oh, this person worked at Pierce Washington. They must be a 10.” 

     

    2. Build culture deliberately. 

    Why? Positive culture is the antidote for attrition. CPQ/Q2C implementations come with high expectations. Employees can easily get worn down by the never-ending pressure to perform and deliver results. We’re all human and naturally susceptible to this, especially if we don’t feel fully supported or part of a strong culture in our work lives. “So, we don’t focus on gimmicky perks, but rather on real, sustaining factors that make people feel valued and seen,” says Danny. Following are some examples of how to keep people engaged and excited about what they’re doing and what they’re part of. 

    Demonstrable Support 

    “People have to feel supported,” Danny emphasized. “That support needs to be both operational and emotional. Whether it’s lending an interested ear or taking action to resource a project appropriately, PW leaders make sure no one feels like they’re out on an island.” 

    No Hamster Wheels 

    Danny warns against what he calls the “hamster wheel” effect—where work becomes a grind with no end, progress, or evolution in sight. Instead, PW builds pathways for its people. Every role is a runway to something higher, if that’s the employees’ goal. 

    Real Growth Potential 

    The best employees are ambitious, so PW creates opportunities for them to stretch and grow. Promotions are earned over time, but growth is encouraged daily at every level. “If somebody is at a certain role making a certain salary, the goal should be to continue to grow them and invest your time in that growth.  I know everyone will not work at PW forever, but if they move on to a higher role to create a better life financially for their family, that’s success,” says Danny. 

    Full Transparency 

    “Be straight with people,” Danny insists. Transparency builds trust, and trust builds retention. PW is honest about goals, challenges, and opportunities. We’re all adults and can take the bad news along with the good. That’s because we’re building this business together.  

    Keep the Business Fun 

    Fun is fun and people like it for good reason. “So, we made ‘Have Fun’ a core competency of PW’s business,” says Danny. The kiss of corporate death is when employees feel that fun only lives outside the office walls. From laughs on Slack to regular team celebrations, virtual happy hours, and group charity work; PW finds ways to make work enjoyable. It bonds the team and keeps things human and fun to be part of.  

    3. Plan Strategically

    “A healthy company needs a vision for its team. So, keep looking up because you have to know where you’re going.” For Danny and PW, strategic planning isn’t an annual event, it’s an operating principle. Following are a few principles PW lives by. 

    Clear Goals 

    “You, your company and everyone in it, have to always know exactly where you’re going,” says Danny. Leadership should stay focused on business objectives and communicating them teamwide with clarity and regularity through things like virtual all-hands meetings and employee-centric LinkedIn posts from the CEO.  

    Standards are Standards 

    Consistency is key. Whether it’s delivery excellence, methodology adherence, or escalation protocols, Danny emphasizes that, “standards are standards. They’re non-negotiable because they’re standards. Simple. Powerful. No gray area.” This is who we are, how we do business, and the high bar we hold our company to. When everyone, top to bottom, exemplifies the standards, we win, employees win, and our clients win.  

    Attack the Cutting Edge 

    Don’t wait for trends to become safe. Go after cutting-edge technology and innovate early. It’s a mindset that attracts high performers who want to do meaningful, modern work. As an example, data and AI is one of PW’s top business priorities for 2025. PW is enabling AI internally and externally to elevate its implementation game and client outcomes.  

    All-In Buy-In 

    At PW, humility and a collaborative spirit isn’t optional, it’s the cultural norm. “We all check our egos at the door,” Danny says. “Everyone rows in the same direction. Once we decide we’re going to do something, whether it was your idea or maybe you opposed it initially, you buy into it.” It’s a refreshing return to the old all-for-one-and-one-for-all mentality.  

     

    4. Make staffing a science. 

      Smart staffing is essential to building an exceptional team and healthy company. PW approaches it this way. 

      Play Chess, Not Checkers  

      “Staffing is chess, not checkers,” Danny says. “It’s not just about filling roles; it’s about putting the right person in the right seat at the right time. Slow down and do it right. Be thoughtful and strategic. Play the long game with every role.” It’s also about not burning out your team. PW has a very specific utilization rate goal that we track intentionally, making sure our billable employees have breaks built into their schedule to focus on things like career growth and training. 

      Build a Core Around Your Niche  

      “Don’t try to be everything to every client,” Danny says. Instead, PW focuses on building deep rather than broad with highly capable teams in specific areas of its two main practices—Salesforce Q2C and Oracle Q2C. 

      Supplement with Outstanding Contractors  

      PW proudly uses a mix of exceptional, highly skilled contractors and full-time employees. That’s a best practice for many service businesses today. The key for PW is approaching outsourcing with a long-term mindset. Strategic vendor relationships keep PW’s core team on the lean side and stable while enabling the company to quickly throttle up bandwidth and specific expertise as needed.  

       

      Takeaway: Adopt & adapt these proven methods to build or elevate your team. 

      “People aren’t a line item, they’re the point,” Danny says. So, don’t think of leadership as theoretical. Incorporate it into every human touchpoint, hiring decision, team meeting, delivery checkpoint, and growth plan. You do this with unwavering commitment to clarity, empathy, discipline, and execution. That consistently leads to healthier teams and companies. 

      Thanks for reading. Contact Danny or PW anytime to discuss this topic further.