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A Bluffton firm that makes training a priority has a leader who helps push others to new levels, according to John P. Dortch, president and CEO of The Preston Joan Group Inc.

Dortch submitted the following to acknowledge the leadership he has seen at Alexin LLC, where millennials comprise a large percentage of the workforce.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” John Quincy Adams.

A lot is and has been written about leaders and their management styles. I've had the privilege to be involved the past five years working as a consultant from my company, The Preston Joan Group, and I have been doing leadership development and training for Alexin, which will be eight years old in September. The employee makeup of Alexin is 54 percent millenials, and the supervisors/managers are 34 percent millenials.

The President/CEO of Alexin is Tom Horter, a leader who believes in being results-oriented. Horter inspires staff to dream more, learn more, do more and become more.

There have been many challenges over the last seven years, and I am sure there will be more as Alexin continues to grow. Walter Annenberg said “The test of character is having the ability to meet challenges.” Training has been the No. 1 priority. There have been employee forums, supervisor/manager forums, millennium forums, lunch and learn sessions monthly, and weekly one-on-one sessions. These forums and sessions seek input and recommendations from managers and supervisors on how to be not a good company, but how to be a great company.

Horter, with his leadership style, has instilled a set of values and principles into Alexin, such as accountability, openness to change, doing more with less and being humble. It is because of this leadership there is a work environment where human resources and the supervisors/managers are attracting like-minded candidates who will continue to help Alexin grow and become that great company.

Tom believes the way you get results is through your people. He believes in order to be an effective leader you have to have the desire to grow and excel. This is done in the following ways:

* Having a purpose

* Being a visionary

* Being passionate

* Conviction

* Having the ability to inspire the team

* Being influential

It has been stated many times that leaders are ordinary people who accept, or are placed in extraordinary circumstances that produces a character that inspires confidence and trust with others.

Leadership is the capacity to influence others through inspiration motivated by a passion, generated by a vision, produced by a conviction, and ignited by a purpose. That is Tom Horter.

Article by Lisa Green, Published by the Journal Gazette, June 23, 2016