In the most recent edition of Franchise Update Magazine, Sean Fitzgerald, brand president of TruBlue Total House Care, was interviewed by Kerry Pipes from Franchising.com for the article “TruBlue Total House Care Wants to be a Household Name.” During the interview Fitzgerald discusses his leadership best practices, his shift in focus due to Covid-19, and his indispensable advice to aspiring future executives.
The following quotes are excerpts from the interview:
What is your role as president?
“I was appointed president in January 2020, just before the Covid-19 pandemic began. Joining an organization during such a difficult time was challenging. However, it drove unity and helped us improve processes and create efficiencies. Since I joined the TruBlue team, we have relaunched the brand’s mission to become a nationally recognized full-service house care company dedicated to helping seniors age in place safely. I am responsible for the brand’s strategic vision, organizational excellence, and franchise development. “
How has Covid-19 affected the way you have led your brand?
“Pre-pandemic, I led with a telescope. I focused on setting long-term goals and objectives for the organization. When the Covid-19 pandemic started two months after it started, I quickly realized that I needed to switch my lens to a microscope and concentrate on the present and what we could control. It was my responsibility to stay positive, provide solutions, and support our franchisees. By shifting my attention to the short term and focusing on what was right in front of us, we were able to create an incredible synergy throughout the entire system. Everyone was working together to overcome the challenges of 2020, and because of the incredible teamwork we increased our revenue 94%.”
How do you transmit your culture from your office to front-line employees?
“Our culture at TruBlue is amazing. The desire to help people is in our DNA and we make sure we are supporting everyone in the organization. From day one, whether someone is in the home office or a thousand miles away at one of our franchise locations, we begin educating them about our mission, who we are, what we do, and why we do it. Communication is the key to transmitting our culture down the ladder. We currently host virtual meetings and send email correspondence to share system updates, best practices, and other information on a regular basis. We make sure our front-line employees know the value they bring to the seniors whose homes they are improving, and ultimately the value they bring to our organization’s mission of helping people.”
Fitzgerald brings over 25 years of franchising experience to his TruBlue executive leadership role. He has a strong vision for the brand and enthusiastically and effectively communicates that to both his internal team and to franchise owners. With Fitzgerald’s “mission to make TruBlue a widely recognized name in the industry,” he has set his sights to expand to more than 200 territories by 2026.