President’s Day, also known as George Washington’s birthday, originated to celebrate our first president’s birthday. Congress declared it to be a national holiday in 1880, making it the first national holiday named after an individual. While the holiday never falls on his actual birthday, February 22, the U.S. Senate has set aside time every year to read his Farewell Address aloud since 1888.

In honor of President’s day, we wanted to celebrate MAU’s first President and help you become the leader you always wanted to be. We will share some of the traits MAU’s Founding Father, William G. Hatcher, Sr.,  displayed in his own daily life that helped turn one man’s dream into one of the largest staffing agencies in the country.

William G. Hatcher, Sr., known as Mr. Hatcher around the office, was an honest man that found joy in helping others. He took his traits from his personal life and instilled them into MAU’s business model through the MAU Mission, Core Values, and the way MAU conducts business every day. Here are five leadership traits that Mr. Hatcher portrayed in his life that now play out in MAU offices every day.

As a Christian, Mr. Hatcher strived to honor God in all that he did. With his faith came a strong sense of honesty and integrity from the biblical teachings he learned. He brought this trait to his business model through the MAU Core Value that MAU and its employees will “conduct [themselves] with honesty and integrity at all times and at all costs.”

Because Mr. Hatcher remained open and honest with his employees, a rapport of trust was built between him and his team. With no hidden motives or agenda, MAU family members knew that he was keeping their best interest in mind when making business decisions. This trait also helped MAU gain and retain clients over the years. The open door policy MAU has in place has allowed conversations to flow that may not have otherwise. This increases trust and willingness to give MAU more of their business.

Mr. Hatcher was not afraid to “get his hands dirty” and work alongside his team members as they pushed to meet all of a client’s needs. During one of the early days of MAU, Mr. Hatcher received a request late on a Friday afternoon for more than 20 associates to be ready to start the following Monday. Mr. Hatcher worked beside his team throughout the weekend to see that all the positions were filled.

When you love your job and are committed to seeing a project through to the end, you will inspire those around you to give their all. Without passion and commitment, you will lack the drive to see a task through. This will show to your team, and they will feel less inclined to do their best.

Members of the MAU Family remember Mr. Hatcher coming into their offices every day just to talk. Carl Henson, the VP of Marketing and Business Development, recollects Mr. Hatcher coming in to talk to him about his work, home life, and education as Carl was going through his Master’s program shortly after he began working for MAU.

By coming in and talking to his staff, Mr. Hatcher developed a stronger relationship with his team members. They learned to open up to him, and, in turn, Mr. Hatcher learned of their pain points. He knew what they struggled with, what could be diverting their attention, and/or what their top priorities were. He was then able to help provide his team with suitable solutions.

In 1975, MAU expanded from strictly offering staffing services for industrial clients into the office staffing services market by forming Ms. Power and Ms. Temp, what we now know as the Augusta Office Services branch.

Some may have questioned why he would try to take a new sector so soon after opening his business, but Mr. Hatcher stood by his decision. He was confident his team would be able to fill the orders for multiple industries. As a leader, Mr. Hatcher had to research before making a decision. However, once his decision was made, Mr. Hatcher had to be confident and stand by his choice. Without that confidence, his team may have wavered. By being confident in his decision, Mr. Hatcher instilled confidence in his team as well.

Mr. Hatcher knew that we are humans and we will make mistakes. However, he was a man of his word and always held himself accountable. To help him remember his responsibilities and promises, Mr. Hatcher wrote everything down so he would not forget it.

To honor his memory and uphold his promise of always being accountable for our actions and getting things done, MAU distributes a small, blue notebook to every employee on their first day of work.

During the MAU 40th Anniversary celebration, Mr. Hatcher’s son, MAU’s current president, Randy (Randall) Hatcher, explains the history of MAU’s former tag line: Consider It Done. While this is no longer a tag line that MAU promotes, it is an attitude we embody as a company. Click here to hear what Randy has to say about Considering It Done and being accountable to your commitments.

If you would like to learn more about Mr. Hatcher’s life, check out one of our MAU News blogs below!

{{cta(‘6ba00282-9d48-482c-bb57-09f79a03db25’)}}