It’s simple human nature to seek growth. We all want to be better versions of ourselves. Whether it be in our personal lives or our careers.
According to a study performed in 2018, a good chunk of employees that quit their jobs do so because of a critical lack of career opportunity — with around 26% saying that they quit because of the lack of growth opportunities. And so, today, we’ll be talking to Jed Morley, the CEO of Platinum Payment Systems, to get some insight on how he’s able to keep his employees engaged and motivated to continue working at their best.
What does it take to build a successful team? Find out below!
Hello! Thank you for dropping by to answer some of our questions. Please introduce yourself (and Platinum Payment Systems) to get us started.
Jed Morley: Hello, my name is Jed Morley! One of the owners of the company Platinum Payment Systems (PlatPay or PPS). We’ve been around since 2002, with our headquarters stationed in Spanish Fork, Utah. Onboard, we have an especially devoted team with a wide array of experiences from different backgrounds. Together, we built Platinum up completely from scratch, starting with absolutely zero accounts on our name and growing to thousands of accounts all over the country and internationally.
What is Platinum Payment Systems best known for?
Jed Morley: We built PlatPay to be a fierce challenger in the Card-Not-Present (CNP) merchant processing space — with full intention of supporting high-risk merchants that regularly deal with higher chargebacks, returns, refunds, and other processing risks.
Please tell us a little more about how you got your start!
Jed Morley: Hm. Starting out? I’d say that we were probably a bit ‘odd.’ The team that we built around Platinum Payment Systems was made up of people from a vast (nay, unique) set of backgrounds — and, ironically, very little correlative working experience in the banking world. As an example, before Platinum, I was working as a real estate broker — selling new and existing homes, developing my own buildings, and managing land and property.
I turned away from that (though I do still own and manage land even now), after being enlightened about the payment processing industry. And, given the chance to get involved, I took it with every intention of creating something big and, more importantly, something new to keep things fresh and exciting.
By your definition, what makes a great leader?
Jed Morley: When I think of great leadership, the person that comes to mind is Ed. Ed was someone that I worked with in college. He owned a mechanical contractor and commercial plumbing company, and through him, I saw, first-hand, how a great leader should be.
Ed was the kind of guy who knew everything about his job. He knew every single pertinent detail about the job, about his team, and if at any point he was uncertain about something… he’d go and find answers himself. I still remember the times when he’d come up to me and ask me how things were going. He liked to do that a lot. Not only to make sure that he was always available to teach us how to do things right, but to support us through the process.
Under his leadership, I was confident that I knew what I was doing. I never had to ever second-guess myself because he was there, every step of the way, leading by example. And the result speaks for themselves. Even though our crew was relatively small (in comparison to other companies), he built us up to be one of the largest mechanical contractors in the region.
How does your definition of a great leader determine how you lead your own team now?
Jed Morley: I’ve been saying this a lot more lately, but it’s always been my favorite quote: “A rising tide lifts all boats.” It’s a quote from John F. Kennedy, I believe, and it’s always resonated with me. At least, when it comes to how I strive to be as a leader.
What I took away the most from Ed’s leadership capabilities was his determination to push his team forward. He never once hesitated to lend a helping hand, and never once made us feel as if we weren’t getting anywhere. I do my best to follow his example even today. Mostly, by talking to the younger people in my team whenever I can. Either at work or somewhere where we can just relax and just get to know each other.
It helps that I honestly do like mentoring people and pushing them to create opportunities for themselves. So yeah, I think, as a leader, it’s our job to make sure that our team understands the unexplained aspects of the job that they might not have learned in school. And, perhaps most importantly, we should never hold them back. It’s by building up everyone’s skills and confidence that a team can grow strong. And, whenever possible that’s what I strive to do.
