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Sleep Country is Wide Awake
Sleep Country USA is, on the surface, a mattress retailer in Washington and Oregon. Not only are they great retailers, but they're also focused on giving back to the community (as every company should be). Other great stuff, though, is going on under the surface--or the sheets, if you will.
This is a company of Extreme Leaders who've incorporated--among other things--Love, Energy, Audacity and Proof into the very...um...fabric of their culture. Their CEO, Joe Paviglianti, said it to me this way:
I pay so little attention to [what others would call] the 'real business.' I spend my time on the people, the culture, the development of our leadership.
Other CEOs take note: employee turnover at Sleep Country was at 200% four years ago--high even for retail.
And Today?
How does under 6% strike you?
Seems to me that Joe and his team know the real meaning of "real business."
Posted by steve at 05.10.2006 | Comments (6)
Comments: Sleep Country is Wide Awake
Always am encouraged when I read stories like this. For a long time I had no interest in the business world because it seemed to me such a limited world view - all about bottom lines and little about people.
Even when people get paychecks they remain volunteers. When you invest in people the way Joe Paviglianti appears to, I bet not only do people stay but they "volunteer" their best in a way that other retailers only wished they could see in their employees.
Thanks for sharing this encouraging story!
Posted by Michael Wagner at May 21, 2006 09:19 AM
Great to see you again Steve. As a member of the Sleep Country team, I agree with Michael Wagner. We all have a choice and we choose to "volunteer" passionately at Sleep Country. I have worked for other retailers that are considered the gold standard and they do not come close to the "Wowmazing" culture at Sleep Country.
It is an amazing thing to wake up every morning and actually look forward to going to work. Joe has given us the gift of going first and choosing to be a Radical Leader and also helping all of us become one as well.
I hope other companies will follow suit and give the gift of Radical Leadership to their people.
Take Care,
Mark
Posted by Mark Wong at June 17, 2006 12:07 AM
During the late 1980's early 1990's, I remember hearing Sleep Country USA commercials on Seattle's Classical Music station King FM 98.1 - featuring the President who was a woman. Her name was - phonetic spelling - Sunny Koby Coke. What ever happened to her? A successful business woman. Was she responsible for expanding Sleep Country into British Columbia where I happen to live?
Posted by Croft Woodruff at September 12, 2007 05:24 PM
Whoa, sleep country USA sucks, no joke. Horrible company to work for.
Posted by Killa at November 26, 2007 03:32 AM
Do some fact checking? Sleep Country USA is a monopolistic monster that spends its time trying to destroy competition thru unjust litigation. Ask what happened to Mattress Outlet? Ask yourself why is their not much competition to Sleep Country? Its because they sue everyone that trys to compete with them and since they have more money they win! This is not good for the consumer or general population.
Posted by David Smith at April 27, 2008 06:11 PM
Sleep country is only interested in moving merchandise. After some sucker has picked out a bed and had a different model dumped at their house (floor models are specially made and NEVER, EVER, EVER match the one delivered) they're forgotten about.
Don't be fooled by the slick marketing or the happy-go-lucky sales people. They make all their money on commission so if you're not strong willed and know what you're buying, you're going to get taken for a ride.
SleepCountry moves merchandise, they don't care if you die tomorrow.
Posted by Sammy Wowmazing at July 13, 2008 05:27 AM