Alter EgoMichelle Wright
Base of OperationsDePoe Eye Center, Stockbridge, GA
Before Krypton exploded, Jor El sent his only son, Kal El, to Earth. Kal El became Superman, the man Earth needed when the young alien needed a home. A match so perfect is rarely seen. Unless you’re talking about the woman who changed human resources to Super Human Resources at the DePoe Eye Center in Georgia.
Ms. Match’s street name is Michelle Wright, a former track all-star and Wonder Woman disciple who is now the practice director for DePoe’s soon-to-be seven locations.
Her superhero attributes include proficiency in insurance, teambuilding, purchasing and budgeting. She’s hired. She’s fired. And she’ll do it again. But her gift is matching the right people to the right job. It’s a skill so often championed it has become a cliché. When it works, however, it becomes something more. It becomes super.
“When people are happy they do their best work,” Wright says. “If you put people in a position where they feel challenged they make a difference.”
Wright asks potential hires to describe their magic. Are they organization freaks? Are they good with people? (Truly good with people. Not that fake interview “I’m a people person” BS. She sees right through that.) And Wright doesn’t stop once she hires someone.
“Even people who have been here awhile, sometimes their magic changes,” she says.
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As their magic changes so does their job. It keeps employees happy and loyal. It also keeps DePoe growing.
“We’ve had amazing growth. I’ve been in my position for two years and we added three locations,” Wright says.
Customer retention, satisfaction and growth didn’t happen overnight — despite Wright’s superpowers. But her origin story is as quick as it is inspiring.
“I was hired for the front desk. Dr. DePoe said ‘What do you want to do?’ I said ‘I want to run the company.’ So, I started on my journey and within a year I was running the company.”
This article originally appeared in the March 2017 edition of INVISION.
