Get to Know – Jerome You
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received and why?
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is from my mother who told me “There is always something to learn from every person and every encounter”. We are the sum of our experiences and to develop as a person, I believe you have to expose yourself to different people and their viewpoints with an open mind. There is a significant difference between perspective and perception. You don’t have to always agree with others but differences become less contentious when you do not consider your own viewpoint as the absolute truth. When you view every person and encounter as a learning opportunity, it creates perspective that helps expand the boundaries of your microcosm.
What motivates you?
Becoming the best version of myself motivates me. I once foolishly thought that I could develop into the best version of myself on my own but realized this is not the case. I need lessons and guidance from family, mentors, friends, books, music, travel, etc. to finetune who I am. The greatest regret for me at the end of my life would be to realize that I have not developed my gifts and diminished my faults to the extent possible.
What are you most proud of during your time here?
I am most proud of the tremendous growth that Acumen has gone through by organic means. I have been with other companies whose highest priority is growth and “accomplish” growth by selling a product or a service that does not deliver what is presented. I think this is a backwards approach and, unsurprisingly, this methodology results in customer/client dissatisfaction and the inability to retain customers/clients. Acumen’s number one priority and focus has always been to serve the clients we have by delivering the highest level of service and quality we can. We work day in and day out to improve even the smallest imperfections in our operations so that we don’t only fix issues ad hoc, but we ensure they don’t occur going forward. This pursuit of excellence is the reason why Acumen has grown so much. We create a relationship built on trust and respect which results in our clients becoming advocates and asking us to take care of their friends and family members. This is the greatest testament to our success. Our reputation speaks for itself; no sales pitch needed. Success is a byproduct of hard work and I wish our clients could see the extent of how hard every Acumen employee works for them, their assets, and their future.
What skills or experience have you gained in recent years?
I’ve developed the ability to stay calm in the face of adversity and chaos. When presented with a seemingly insurmountable situation, it’s easy to be driven by negative emotions, knee-jerk reactions, and/or simply give up. What I’ve found is that none of these approaches leads to a productive outcome. What leads to a productive outcome is taking the fear you have and knowing it can be converted to motivation. You take the time necessary to clear your head and to formulate a plan. Drive the fear, don’t let it drive you. I try to no longer focus on the storm itself, but assess at the viable routes to come out on the other side. There is always a way and this too shall pass.