Thomas Atchison believes that a company doesn’t have growth if their employer is the smartest one in the room. “As the employer, leadership and guidance should be the main goal while it should be a goal to hire the smartest and innovative individuals to help our company stand strong,” he said.
That’s why he continues to empower and encourage his staff to grow as the CEO of National Corporate Housing. Noting that 2020 was a year of learning, transition and evaluation, Atchison said he powered the company with success. “When the virus first came out, we had to make our team as outstanding as possible to make the company strive forward,” said Atchison, a two-time Titan. “This included keeping the individuals who bled National Corporate Housing from their soul while focusing on the strengths that these individuals provided for the company.”
As a result, National Corporate Housing experienced significant growth during the pandemic, with three acquisitions within two months. He credits the growth with the company culture. “Our biggest challenge this year was having everyone at home,” said Atchison. “At National, our company culture stems from employee engagement and when you step in our office, you instantly know that it is a company that values collaboration.”
Atchison tackled this problem by improving virtual communication and implementing an internal app for communication. “Communication is key when it comes to change,” he said. “From the start of COVID-19, it has been critical to maintain frequent dialogue to ensure our employees feel supported and understand our goals for the year.”
This support gave employees the opportunity to share ideas, concerns, comments and suggestions. “At National, we consider us one big family and having fluid communication allows us to show our people the amount of value they bring,” said Atchison.
He said he measures success in many variations but focuses primarily on employee satisfaction. “Happy employees mean a happy and successful business,” said Atchison. “These happy employees continue to strive for the highest customer satisfaction by reaching for a satisfaction rate of 95%, always responding to housing requests within two hours and always providing a housing option.”
Atchison said that he believes his employees are his company. “To push your company to the next level, you need to hire the right people for the positions that their qualities align with,” he said. “We look to hire diverse thinkers to bring together new perspectives.”
For his continued focus on employee satisfaction as a leader, Atchison has been named a two-time Titan of industry.
