Recent Engage Federal Health Honoree and Former CMS Advisor, Swami Swaminathan, Shares His Tips for Leading with Your Ears Instead of Your Mouth

The CEO of RELI Group, Swami Swaminathan, who was named an Engage Federal Health Honoree, sat down with OrangeSlices to catch up on what he’s thinking about going into 2024.

Having served with CMS on its Technical Review Board, Swami has had a wealth of experience meeting with companies interested in working with the government who don’t first put in the work to really understand how their shiny solution or premise supports the agency’s mission. “You really have to understand what government wants to accomplish and the greatest need they have to fill before you begin that conversation,” explained Swami. “Government agencies have huge and important priorities. Their goals are very specific and the constraints they face are very real.”

Founded on Respect

Swami was appointed as the CEO in 2022, but has been with the company for seven years. He’s witnessed the company’s evolution and growth, both of which have focused on the belief that relationships are the key to success in govcon. “Part of our cultural framework is focused on how we create that relationship between our employees, our customers and our partners,” he shared.

While talent and connections matter, RELI leans on respect for the individual, the client, and the ultimate mission to build a company of committed individuals. “Within our personal lives and our families, there are values we hold dear, values we pass along to our children, live by in our daily lives. That same is true within RELI Group. Our culture keeps us straight and keeps us honest to ourselves.”

Swami continued, “As just one example, when we think about supporting CMS, we are really there to support our families, our friends and our neighbours who may be Medicare beneficiaries. Same with our work at TSA, where we support various programs. We think deeper on those TSA programs as supporting ourselves, our families and friends who travel to various destinations. Our employees are not just working on a project – they are working on something they can care about personally and believe in.”

Truly understanding the people behind the missions of their focus agencies, the RELI team is engaged to go the extra mile and do what is needed to ensure they deliver. Culturally, as a company, knowing what they do makes a difference to the lives of so many creates a higher level of buy-in and of employee satisfaction in the work being done.

Sustaining Culture through Growth

With more than 600 employees and continuing to grow, RELI’s leadership is intentional about sustaining the company culture. Making sure a potential employee will be a good cultural fit is a key component of the hiring process. Once hired, the company culture plays a key role from day one, as tenured employees instill the RELI culture in every aspect of the onboarding and training process.

To put it in Swami’s words, “It is like when you teach values to your children, and then they pass it along to their children, and so on. You realize those same beliefs came to you from your parents, and theirs before. It establishes a continuity that stays long after any one individual is gone.”

Of course, it’s essential to continue reinforcing that culture throughout an employee’s career. Swami believes a focus on retention and building a culture that recognizes the contributions of each employee helps them want to stay to protect and grow what they have helped build. “If you hire someone and they leave after five years, you have lost five years of knowledge and experience. You cannot put a price on that loss.”

Of course, that same loss can exist for government as people retire or move on. “When industry can fill that gap, can support the knowledge transfer from someone who left to someone who may be stepping in to fill the role, there is a new opportunity to serve government beyond the details of any requirement, beyond fulfilling the letter of a contract,” Swami explained.

A supportive culture is reflected in the annual employee satisfaction survey, where leaders engage with employees across the company to receive and hear their feedback. Nearly all employees said they were proud to work for RELI Group, and more than 80% highlighted a feeling of personal accomplishment through their work.

To Swami, leaders must be good listeners if they hope to be successful – and those who struggle and ultimately fail are often trying to move forward with blinders on, simply following their own ideas. “When you close your mouth and listen to the concerns, the ideas of those around you, they can help you move forward and avoid challenges you may not have considered,” he explained. “We are all people with common sense, and when you can listen and let someone articulate the ‘why’ behind an idea or a concern, everyone wins. Though the idea might not get implemented for various reasons, you have the opportunity yourself to explain and articulate, to create a meaningful dialogue.”

Personal Commitment to Giving Back

Modeling his father, a kind man who did whatever he could to help whomever he could, Swami has dedicated his time to serving on the Board of the National Kidney Foundation. “I don’t know that any one individual should worry about changing the world, but instead think of how you might be able to make a difference to one person or one group,” he said. “Of course, every organization needs donations, but donating your time and asking, ‘What can I do to help?’ is just as important.”

Swami applies that same notion of giving back across his professional realm, lifting others up so they can do more than they are and step into roles of greater responsibility that bring greater satisfaction. He uses the same approach to his engagement with industry and business owners. “We have lessons we learned as a small business, mistakes we made that we can pass on so we can shorten the learning curve for others. We can plant that seed so they can then grow,” he explained.

One general piece of advice Swami says he shares often is to not burn bridges and treat everyone with respect, because in the end you never know who will help you grow and achieve success. He also tells people to always listen to their employees. “Just because you founded a company does not mean you have all the answers. Listen to the ideas of the people around you. When your people are invested, when you listen to them, they can really take things apart and make great things happen.”

The Sauce is Not So Secret

While readers may look to Swami to share the secret sauce behind RELI Group’s success, he says common sense is the only secret. “Government contracting is not rocket-science. You know if you eat well, exercise, take care of yourself, you will be healthy. Everyone knows what they should do to succeed in business – take care of their employees, respect them, listen to them, give them opportunities to grow. Go above and beyond in meeting the missions of your clients. Treat others in the industry with respect. Everyone knows these things. When you just take care of the fundamental things and you do it right, your employees will stay with you, your partners will continue to work with you, and your customers will stay with you.”

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