At Hughes Marino, we take inspiration a step further with our “HM-isms”—phrases that we’ve cultivated over the past 14 years from our teammates and guest speakers, and from influences around the world. Designed to inspire, these HM-isms motivate and provide valuable life lessons across all aspects of our days, both professionally and personally. As a team that is constantly on the lookout for new inspiration, this ever-growing list (currently at 40+!) has also evolved into an important aspect of our culture that we’ve been building since we first opened our doors. As a result, our HM-isms have become a unique, common language we share as a high-performing, tight-knit team. We all know what they mean, and we refer to them to level-set when we’re trying to convey a point we all understand. They come up during casual hallway conversations, within team meetings, at company retreats, as phrases on our very own Hughes Marino gear and even as concepts discussed in client meetings. You never know when an HM-ism will pop into our everyday life at Hughes Marino!
We hand-picked these nine specific HM-isms to share in hopes that these phrases and the background behind them could be a jumping off point for you as a business leader to share with your own team, or even with clients. You might even want to develop your own company-isms to highlight what makes your own company culture so unique and a category of one. We hope you find a few nuggets that resonate with you and your leadership style, and that you can use them to help fuel your team, as they have fueled ours for over a decade.
- Success is not an entitlement. You have to earn it every day.
Starbucks is known as one of the most successful global businesses, but in 1971, it was just starting as a small operation in Seattle, riddled with challenges, obstacles and learning curves. The success of the Starbucks organization as we know it is a result of years of painstakingly hard work, business strategy and a dedication to excellence, earned each and every day. Coined by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz, this defining statement is a great reminder to continue to strive for excellence, earn it every day and never take success for granted. Jason, Shay and their family had the opportunity to spend a private morning with Howard in Seattle while he was still Chairman & CEO, so this particular HM-ism has a very special meaning.
- Hardest Workers In The Room
Who doesn’t want to be known as one of the hardest workers in the room? Inspired by one of Jason’s favorite icons, when Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was asked about his secret to success, he simply replied, “Be humble. Be hungry. And always be the hardest worker in the room.” As one of the most famous professional wrestlers and actors in the world, one could say he definitely leads by example! Everyone on our team always strives to be the hardest worker in the room (and in our industry) so this quote of his resonates with us.
- Relentless Offensive Attack
On or off the court, we believe in this motto from NBA great and friend to Hughes Marino, the late Bill Walton. When asked about his time learning from coaching legend John Wooden, he relayed fascinating details regarding how little Wooden cared about what their opponents were doing: “We never watched film, we never tried to study other teams. We focused on relentless offensive attack.” Success in business is won through relentless offensive attack. Just like it sounds: don’t let up. Don’t stand by the sidelines. Be out there every day, earning success and outrunning the competition. Be relentless, and never get comfortable after a win.
- Champions of the Underdog
In movies, in sports, in life—who doesn’t love rooting for the underdog? But even more importantly, what do you do to support the underdog? We’re not shy to admit it: Hughes Marino is proud to be the company that’s changing the commercial real estate industry that has traditionally worked in favor of landlords. We are committed to serving tenants, who are the lifeblood of the industry and who truly are the underdogs when negotiating with huge corporate landlords. No matter the size of the client, we fiercely advocate for all tenants, and consider it our mission to protect them. How is your company disrupting your own industry to fight for the underdog?
- Never Wing Anything
Professional athletes, especially those at the top of their league, prepare incessantly and are intentional with every single thing that they do. Kobe Bryant’s work ethic was unmatched—in high school he would show up to school at 5am to practice for two hours before class, and during his career, he famously worked out and trained six hours a day, six days a week, for six months straight. Michael Jordan was quoted as saying: “My whole life had always been about being the best basketball player I could be. I had absolute tunnel vision—everything was channeled toward that.” Tom Brady had an unbelievably meticulous preparation routine before every practice and every game. The amount of preparation that champions do to win is unmatched, and the same can be said in the business world. Never wing anything—come prepared and ready for anything.
- Handle Hard Better
Kara Lawson, the head coach of Duke’s women’s basketball team, shared a philosophy with her team that went viral. “We all wait in life for things to get easier. It will never get easier. What happens is you handle hard better…so make yourself a person that handles hard well.” How often do we think that if we just hit the next milestone in life, things will get easier? The harsh reality is that things never get easier. Through determination, time, courage and effort, we learn to handle the hard things better. Our mind gets sharper, our body gets stronger, we learn new skills and we become more resilient, all in the pursuit of life’s meaningful goals. Know that with every challenge we overcome, we will be even more equipped to handle hard better next time. Don’t get discouraged if it’s hard—it’s supposed to be.
- Onward
This adventurous word is often also used by Starbucks founder Howard Schultz. Before his success with Starbucks, Howard owned a small Seattle coffee shop where he signed off the company’s first memo to his team of two employees with “Onward,” a phrase that he felt embodied their ambition for the future. Since our team shares this same passion to revolutionize our own industry, “Onward” has blossomed into an HM-ism that we love to end emails and meetings with, as a positive way to look toward the future with passion and teamwork, and enjoy the journey together while doing so.
- Run The Hill
In every industry, it’s essential to never get complacent. One of our teammates shared a story of his time playing football for the University of San Diego under head coach Jim Harbaugh, former NFL quarterback and current head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. In the spirit of never giving up and working harder for their goals, Coach Harbaugh would routinely ask: “How can I make things suck more?” He answered by setting an example every day for the players he coached by running—not walking, or riding in a cart—up a steep hill from the practice field to the locker room, just to “make things suck more.” It was his way of demonstrating to his players that you never stop putting in your full measure of effort, even if you think you already gave it your all. Growth is often made when we push ourselves to go the extra mile. Always be ready to make that full measure of effort, even if the last thing you want to do is run up thathill. Doing so will pay off in the long run, and will build character along the way!
- Federer It
While we need to give it our all in life and at work, we also can’t forget that we need to take time to rest and reset. A Wall Street Journal article by Jason Gay entitled “We Need to Relax Like Roger Federer,” has elevated the way our team enjoys the journey (our core value #3) outside of work. The article examined the correlation between tennis champion Roger Federer’s continued amazing success and extensive rest, both physically and mentally. This also can be said about workplace success, as ample time off for teammates helps them to rest, recharge, and ultimately become more inspired and innovative in life and at work. It’s a great reminder for any business to give their valued team time to “Federer it” to help boost company energy and morale!
We hope this serves as inspirational fuel for you and your team as much as it does for us. Onward!
