By Bill Current, President & Founder
Being Current: 25 Years in the Making—Lessons Learned About Why Drug Testing Is So Valuable
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Author’s Note: I founded the Current Consulting Group (CCG) in 1998, nearly 25 years ago. In the months leading up to our 25th anniversary in September 2023, CCG will produce articles, webinars, and offer discounts on CCG services. Check our website and LinkedIn page for special updates and offerings. Each of our monthly newsletters will feature a special article entitled “Being Current: 25 Years in the Making” on some of the most important lessons I’ve learned and people I’ve met since I started CCG, the #1 consulting firm in the industry, two-and-a-half decades ago.
Lesson #5: The Importance of Teamwork
I played baseball in high school and college and learned early on the importance of teamwork. Baseball, in particular, is a team sport. It takes a full squad to play a game and specialists at each position to make a winning team.
When I founded the Current Consulting Group in 1998, I brought my belief in the importance of teamwork with me. The original concept of Current Consulting was always to assemble and maintain a team of experts, each specializing in specific aspects of the drug testing industry. My first two associates were both legal experts whom I respected greatly. Unfortunately, they did not last long, which was fine at the time. Not everyone has the stomach for self-employment. But over the years I have almost always had teammates, so to speak, to help Current Consulting offer a wide variety of consulting services. Some used their time here as a springboard to full-time employment elsewhere. Again, not everyone has the entrepreneurial spirit.
However, our current team today includes some people who have been with us for many years and have helped grow the company into the #1 recognized consulting company in the drug testing industry.
Recently, I experienced a serious health issue that required me to be in the hospital for two weeks and to undergo major surgery. As fate would have it, it all occurred while we were negotiating consulting contracts for the new year and finalizing agreements with several new clients. My situation prevented me from being involved in the business, which meant that the Current Consulting team had to carry the load without my help. I’m happy to say that every deal came through. A few days after my surgery, I received a text message from one of our biggest clients informing me that their board of directors had decided to renew their agreement with us for 2023. A significant contributing factor, as stated in the text message, was the impressive and diverse team of experts we have at Current Consulting.
If this sounds like I’m doing a little bragging, I suppose it’s true. I’m grateful for our team and the fact that we’ve been able to hire more people each of the last three years, even during the worse part of the pandemic.
It takes a team of experts to offer the complex services involved in drug testing. Managing collection sites, maintaining relationships with laboratories, device manufacturers, Medical Review Officers, and a host of other service providers is no easy task. It also takes a team of experts to manage the business, send out invoices, train employees, and market and sell your services.
Like baseball, drug testing takes a team, and your clients will appreciate knowing your team and being able to rely on the right person for the right job.
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