Delta Dallas Magazine » Delta Dallas

Fourth Quarter Save

admin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:58:00 +0000

An Interview with the Delta Dallas Accounting Team

We all love it when our home team makes a push to victory in the fourth quarter of a game. My personal favorite is in the movie Hoosiers when Jimmy Chitwood makes the final shot for victory. He didn’t get there by himself, however. He had a team. He had a strong coach and a full team behind him so that he could perform.

It’s the fourth quarter in corporate America right now. Accounting departments want to finish strong and position themselves for the next year. There are challenges, though. Most of us have been working for quite a while with reduced teams. During this final quarter of the year, it may be time to bring in additional team members to support the work that needs to be completed in Q4 and allow you and your team to look forward into Q1.

This week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Keith Beavers, CPC and Amanda Stark, members of the Delta Dallas accounting team, and ask them what trends they see at the beginning of this quarter.

Tabitha: Amanda, this is the final quarter of the year. What are you hearing from your clients as we approach the end of the year?

Amanda: Well, first of all, I have seen a lot more activity than in previous quarters. People are starting to pull in the end of year help they need in the areas of tax, accounts receivable, and collections, and they are hiring both contract and temp-to-hire.

Tabitha: Besides the volume that you have coming in, how does this differ from previous quarters?

Amanda: The primary difference that I am seeing is in the area of direct hires. Although contract employees are still the bulk of the job requests that we work on, the direct hire piece has definitely picked up. Employers are beginning to show signs of confidence when it comes to hiring full-time staff. They are being selective – and they can be with all of the great candidates that are on the market right now! The good news is that they are starting to re-hire some of the positions that had to be eliminated in 2008 and earlier in 2009.

Tabitha: Well, Keith, I know you hire at the senior level – what differences are you seeing this quarter?

Keith: This quarter has been really interesting. The clients that have had the most activity in my specialties this quarter have been wealth management companies, which to me is an indicator that the banks are starting to open up money.

Tabitha: So what does that mean in terms of fourth quarter hiring?

Keith: Well, I have seen more senior level VP positions right now than I have seen in the last 8 months. Senior level staff accountants are in more demand, and direct hires are more prevalent than they have been in quite a while.

Tabitha: How is the hiring dynamic different than it was before the recession?

Keith: In general, people are just running tighter operations. They are not going to over-staff. Here at the end of the year, they are feeling the need to re-hire some of the positions they had to eliminate, but they are not going to stretch the budget to fill positions that are not absolutely vital to operations.

The recession is beginning to ease. Recovery is ahead. Fourth quarter demands can press accounting departments to the brink of insanity, but they can also become an opportunity to focus with vision on the year ahead. You can finish strong by calling in the temporary teammates that you need to meet end of year demands and get ahead of the game by creating sound fiscal strategies for 2010. You can also position yourself for recovery by hiring top-tier employees that are available in this down economy. By the time the recovery is in full swing, these top-tier players can become part of your core group, allowing you to be ahead of the pack and prepared to support your company’s success in the new economy.

The Legacy of Leadership

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 00:54:47 +0000

In 1983, entrepreneur Linda Crawford opened Delta Dallas while Texas was experiencing a recession. Twenty-five years later, Delta Dallas has survived several economic downturns. This is a direct result of strong leadership and a business of passionate people.

Delta Dallas is the only nationally accredited staffing firm in the DFW area and has a full staff of certified, award-winning recruiters. Recently, I met with Linda to discuss her current thoughts on leadership:

Tabitha: Linda, thank you for meeting with me. I‘m truly excited to talk to you about leadership. In today’s world, what characteristics do you like to see in a leader?

Linda: Leaders have integrity, which builds trust within an organization. Leaders are accountable for results and will admit when they are wrong. Leaders keep one foot planted firmly on the ground, and their eyes on the horizon, which is a reflection of a visionary. Leaders embrace the ideas of others and continue to seek new knowledge; leaders beget leaders. In my mind’s eye, leaders in today’s world walk a fine line between managing resources and taking risks.

Tabitha: Who inspired and influenced you?

Linda: So many people… Through the years I have benefited and been gifted through associations with my mentors, business associates, and most of all our Delta Dallas team. The leadership of Delta Dallas, Don, our CEO and President, and Vice Presidents Kim Follis and Michelle Cook, make decisions on behalf of the company every day. They are proven and trusted.

Tabitha: Linda, I met with two of Delta Dallas’ long-term employees to get their perspective on your leadership style, and here is what they said:

When I started working for Linda over 20 years ago, I had no idea what an amazing leader she was. I have learned through her to never give up, believe in your people, use integrity and heart in making decisions, and to be true to yourself. She not only leads others, but leads herself.

~Kim Follis, CPC, CTS, Vice President, Delta Dallas, 20 years

Linda has been an inspiration to me in many ways. I knew people in the industry before I came to Delta Dallas, and the reputation that she built with those people was amazing. I have come to know that the reality far outweighs the reputation. She has built one of the most recognizable staffing companies in the state. Knowing that Linda can take an idea and transform it into such an awesome reality, simply by making that first phone call in November 1983, inspires me to pick up the phone every day. Her leadership and constant encouragement are the reasons that I feel blessed to come to work for Delta Dallas every day!

~Dana Lee, CPC, CTS, Executive Recruiter, Delta Dallas, 7 years

Tabitha: What leadership qualities do you have, Linda, that you believe influence and inspire your employees?

Linda: Wow, it’s very affirming to hear those words from Kim and Dana. They are leaders in their own right and they make me a stronger person. The success of any company comes from the people who are setting the pace. I attribute the success of Delta Dallas in the early years to me taking responsibility, doing things myself, and doing whatever needed to be done. I believe in leading by example, walking the talk, doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes.

I think that one of the greatest successes is when you develop leaders that have the same value system. I trust the staff of Delta Dallas to uphold our reputation. This has served both me and the company well.

Tabitha: Do you believe all people are leaders?

Linda: Absolutely! For Good or Bad. Years ago, I read a book, The Flight of the Buffalo which was the catalyst for leadership training and a leadership team at Delta Dallas. A chapter in the book compares a herd of buffalo with a flock of geese. A herd of buffalo will follow their dominant leader over the edge of a cliff. A flock of geese, though, will fly in a “V” formation and take turns leading the flock. They can fly for miles and miles and miles!

After reading this book, I implemented a leadership team at Delta Dallas. The purpose of our team is to communicate and exemplify the values of our company while mentoring, coaching and training during the course of a normal workday.

Tabitha: How do you encourage your employees to take a role of leadership?

Linda: We constantly seek new knowledge and stay aware of what is happening in business. We read business books. We are students of leadership. The very nature of our work demands that our employees are leaders. Our philosophy is to be on the “inside” what we present to the “outside.”

Tabitha: What advice do you have for leaders during these challenging times?

Linda: To read the poem “IF” written by Rudyard Kipling. I think it perfectly describes survival strategies for any person in business and in any economy. How dull life would be if it wasn’t uncertain.

IF…..
by Rudyard Kipling

-

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

“…Or you’ll be a woman! And most of all you’ll be successful in business and life in general, through thick and thin.” – Linda Crawford

Linda Crawford, CPC, CTS is Founder and Chairman of Delta Dallas. She can be reached at lcrawford@deltadallas.com.

Delta Dallas Services

admin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 04:50:04 +0000

Dallas’ Resource for Staffing Solutions for over 25 Years

Since 1983, we’ve provided hundreds of companies in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex with full-time and supplemental staffing solutions, human resources consulting and training, leadership and customer service training, and workforce consulting.

Our services include:

Accounting and Finance Staffing — Controllers, Accounting Managers, Staff Accountants, Bookkeepers, Accounting Clerks (A/P, A/R, collections), Tax and Payroll Professionals, Analysts (Financial, Budget, Credit), Projects (Revenue, Budget and Forecasting, Financial Reporting, Year-End)
Administrative Staffing — Executive Assistants, Administrative Assistants, Office Managers, Word Processors, Receptionists, Data Entry Clerks, File Clerks, General Office Clerks, Human Resource Professionals, Marketing Professionals
Call Center Staffing — Customer Service Representatives (Inbound, Leads, Supervisors), Call Center Operations, Data Entry Clerks, Sales Representatives (bilingual candidates available for all positions)
Additional Services — Human Resources Consulting and Training, Leadership and Customer Service Training, Call Center Consulting Services

Our process has been refined over the years to ensure that we consistently provide our clients with the right candidates. We’re so confident in our services that we offer a 100% guarantee:

90-day satisfaction guarantee on direct hires.
8-hour guarantee on supplemental/contractors.

We’re committed to the success of both our clients and candidates, and take the necessary steps to ensure that we match the right candidate with the right employer. Contact us today at 972-788-2300 and let us put our experience to work for you.