What was once a great place to work, turned into the worst job I ever had.
Pros
You get to build quality relationship with people who become lifelong friends. When I first heard about Lampo, I had heard nothing but excellent things from both current and former employees (team members). I spent a considerable amount of time interviewing, and after a number of phone conversations and in-person interviews I began working there. For the first couple of years it legitimately earned it’s reputation as one of Nashville’s best companies to work for. There was a time when Dave Ramsey’s famous rants during one of our weekly staff meeting showed passion and effectively rallied the troops to a common goal of getting people focused on what is ultimately the most important thing about the mission of the company; to help people.
Cons
After those first few years, things started to unravel. The rants were no longer fun and motivating, they became more and more instruments of leadership through fear. When mistakes were made, or even allegations, people’s reputations were publicly dragged through the mud in front of the entire staff; all in the name of transparency and moral righteousness. It became obvious that self-righteousness and moral superiority were the goal, rather than truly helping and loving people when they needed it most. As for leadership, there were major disconnects with what was preached and what was practiced. The tendency of the majority of leaders was to check their brain at the door. The thought of having an original thought outside of what “Dave thinks”, was highly discouraged and vehemently unwelcome. “Leaders” would take actions by Dave and use them as acceptable examples of “good” leadership. Treating people of all ages with dignity and respect were often sacrificed in the name of being direct and clear. While the “open door” policy was repeatedly stated, fear of being labeled as someone “who’s time to move on had come” often stifled open and honest communication through the “no gossip” policy which was taken to an extreme by leadership and was mostly ignored by everyone else in private. Fear ruled over all communication and clarity was almost never truly present for anyone. Further, EntreLeadership principles are hypocritically ignored under many circumstances. If you are looking to grow professionally, keep in mind that professional development is non-existent at Lampo. The thought of someone going to school and getting an advanced degree with hopes of advancing their career does not exist. The ideas in the EntreLeadership book are given more value than the vast amount of life experiences many employees bring to the table. Past experiences outside of Lampo are thought to be meaningless and without value because it lacks the mission of Lampo to support it. The thought of using knowledge obtained outside of Lampo is discouraged and new leaders are often made to feel dumb for thinking outside of the “Lampo box”. And finally, pay and benefits. Simply put, it is below par, at best. Taking a lesser amount of money is considered the necessary sacrifice to be part of “work that matters”. That, and to make sure Dave and his top leaders become very wealthy men and, on the rare occasion, women. The favorite method of recruitment is to over-promise potential salary and to under-delivery on those promises. When I started I was promised within a few short years I would be paid more money that I had ever made in my entire life. In the end, I never even came close and I wasn’t even one of the worse cases. The reality is, the majority of people working for Lampo struggle to make ends meet and are often required to take second jobs. And, when this is brought to the attention of leadership, they are promptly told it is their own fault for not generating enough income through their own efforts. The cost of healthcare alone for employee is astronomical. Month premiums for families are in the hundreds of dollars and even after the $5,000 deductible, you are required to pay another 20% of cost. If major medical issues arise for you or your family, it literally has the potential to bury you financially. Dental and vision benefits do not exist at any cost through the company. After a few years with the company, it became obvious I could no longer sit in an audience of my co-workers and act like I approved of the way they treated people with the lack of respect that continued to grow in the company. When I first started there I considered it the best job I had ever had, but by the time I left few years later, it had become one of the worst companies I have ever worked for. There is absolutely no job, on any level, I could recommend anyone committing for their career within Lampo. You will never be allowed to realize your full potential and you will never gain enough professional capital to make your time there worth it. My recommendation is to take you career elsewhere and to find work that truly matters to you.
