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OCTOBER 2015 •
PPB
• 31
What is your philosophy
for successfully managing
people?
Hadley:
Managing people is
all about respect. Just keep-
ing that in mind creates a
healthy atmosphere for
everyone.
How do you
create a positive
culture with your
team and those
who report to you?
Hadley:
My door is
always open.
Business is our third
priority after God
and family.
What advice can you share
with other managers to
improve their people-man-
agement skills?
Hadley:
Mistakes are how we
learn. Make sure you take
care of your client as well as
your employee.
Mike Hadley has led distributor Custom Images for 25 years.
Nominator Mark Thigpen worked for a competitor in his early
years in business, but went to work for Hadley 18 years ago.
“Mike has been the ultimate mentor, more of a father figure to
me,” says Thigpen. “He has taught me not to let emotions get
in the way of a business decision; one, if not the best, pieces of
advice ever. Anyone who meets him never forgets him. He is
everything that I can only hope to be as I grow older.”
Mike Hadley
Owner/President, Custom Images, Inc.
(UPIC: C484859)
Greer, South Carolina
Number of direct reports:
8
Cool factor:
He will ask a question to which he
already knows the answer to see if you have a dif-
ferent way of approaching the result.
Nominator:
Mark C. Thigpen
October 16 Is
National Boss’s Day
D
O YOU HAVE A GREAT BOSS?
Remember to thank him or her on National
Boss’s Day, Friday, October 16. A thank-you
goes a long way. Here are a few ideas:
• Leave a handwritten thank-
you note on your boss’s desk
pointing out what you appre-
ciate about him or her. It’s a
refreshing alternative to
emails, tweets and texts.
• Send a note to your boss’s boss pointing out the
attributes that make your boss so terrific.
• Offer to do a small task for your boss to free up
an hour on this special day, such as an errand or
a report.
• Do something unexpected
for your boss such as tidying
up the office space.
• Post a short and simple note
of praise about your boss on
your social media page.
• Bring in a homemade lunch for your boss or get
your boss’s favorite takeout and bring a home-
made dessert.
Nominator Mark Thigpen (right), who works in sales for distributor
Custom Images, Inc., says his boss, Mike Hadley, has been his friend
and mentor for the past 18 years.