UnitedAg operates unlike any other healthplans or health insurance carriers. Our members are at the core of UnitedAg, and their needs shape the organization. As a result, leadership at UnitedAg looks different – in fact, it derives from one of our core values: giving from the heart. Chago Martin, the owner and operator of Paragon Personnel and Trilogy Personnel and Land Management, embodies this. His focus is on showing up, and this authenticity requires a level of effort that other businesses do not offer. Chago believes that culminating genuine relationships is substantial when leading. He understands that his employees are more than the work they produce, and so, when he began leading his family’s business, he based the framework on a humanistic approach that requires patience and grace. While this may go against standard business practice, this investment creates a long-term effect. As a leader, the value Chago places in his relationships sustains his family business, and as a result, the business benefits from long-term financial success without sacrificing his belief that leading is “from [the] heart and in consideration of people putting people first.” At the forefront, leadership requires empathy – to treat others how we would like to be treated. Chago Martin truly internalizes this golden rule, and the success of Paragon Personnel and Trilogy Personnel and Land Management is the result of valuing relationships that foster growth, encouraging self-awareness, and creating a space for compassion within the business industry. Please enjoy my conversation with Chago Martin.
UnitedAg operates unlike any other healthplans or health insurance carriers. Our members are at the core of UnitedAg, and their needs shape the organization. As a result, leadership at UnitedAg looks different – in fact, it derives from one of our core values: giving from the heart. Chago Martin, the owner and operator of Paragon Personnel and Trilogy Personnel and Land Management, embodies this. His focus is on showing up, and this authenticity requires a level of effort that other businesses do not offer. Chago believes that culminating genuine relationships is substantial when leading. He understands that his employees are more than the work they produce, and so, when he began leading his family’s business, he based the framework on a humanistic approach that requires patience and grace. While this may go against standard business practice, this investment creates a long-term effect. As a leader, the value Chago places in his relationships sustains his family business, and as a result, the business benefits from long-term financial success without sacrificing his belief that leading is “from [the] heart and in consideration of people putting people first.” At the forefront, leadership requires empathy – to treat others how we would like to be treated. Chago Martin truly internalizes this golden rule, and the success of Paragon Personnel and Trilogy Personnel and Land Management is the result of valuing relationships that foster growth, encouraging self-awareness, and creating a space for compassion within the business industry.
This episode is sponsored by UnitedAg, one of the largest association health plans to offer healthcare to the agriculture industry of California and Arizona.
Kirti Mutatkar, President and CEO of UnitedAg. Reach me kmutatkar@unitedag.org, www.linkedin.com/in/kirtimutatkar
UnitedAg's website - www.unitedag.org
Episode Contributors - Chago Martin, Paul LeCrone, Rhianna Macias, and Kirti Mutatkar
The episode is also sponsored by
Brent Eastman Insurance Services Inc. - https://brenteastman.com/
Blue Shield of California - https://www.blueshieldca.com/
Elite Medical - https://www.elitecorpmed.com/
Gallagher - https://www.ajg.com/
SAIN Medical - https://sainmedical.com/
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:00:11] Hello [00:00:10] listeners. I am super, super excited today to share one of my favorite conversations [00:00:20] with all of you. This conversation is with Shango Martin, the owner and operator of Paragon Personnel and Trilogy personnel and Land [00:00:30] Management. This conversation actually personally resonated with me. Chuck got a little emotional during our conversation. I did too, [00:00:40] and overall it was an amazing conversation. I totally enjoyed it and I hope all of you do too. Please enjoy the conversation. [00:00:50] So this is really exciting. Today, I'm so excited to be chatting with you because this was a couple of week, I think a couple of months ago that [00:01:00] you and I met and that was the first time that you and I met. But when we met, I remember leaving that conversation so, so energized [00:01:10] because it felt like the way you lead your organization is so much very similar to what we do at United. And what I kind [00:01:20] of think leadership should be. So I'm super, super excited to talk to you and for our listeners to see what nuggets that they can get from this conversation.
Chago Martin : [00:01:29] Yeah, [00:01:30] yeah, I do. I recall that conversation and I left the conversation feeling the exact same way. Very positive, very, almost kind of very fortunate [00:01:40] to be doing what I was doing, to be having the conversations we were having.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:01:44] Being in your position as a leader, what is one of the most important thing that we should really think about [00:01:50] when we lead?
Chago Martin : [00:01:51] For me leading, I tried to do it from my heart and in consideration of people putting people first, recognizing the importance of people, [00:02:00] and even more so, the importance of relationship. You know, I don't right or wrong, I don't know. But I just have this perspective of life that not in a necessarily bad [00:02:10] or negative way, but that is just tough, right? Life is tough. We've all got so much piled on so, you know, so much expectation put on us [00:02:20] that we put on ourselves. And I just I recognize just how difficult it is to live up to that. I make decisions from that place, I communicate from that place, [00:02:30] Just trying to recognize that everyone, in my opinion, is has a genuine desire to do the best that they can. And it's just a matter of, you know, figuring out what it's going to take to get [00:02:40] there.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:02:40] And when you really think you lead from that, it actually takes a lot of time because you have to really spend the time. But the time invested in doing that [00:02:50] is more kind of gives long term benefits, right, Don't you think?
Chago Martin : [00:02:53] Yeah. Yeah. You know, that's a great comment for me. You know, just a little background for myself. [00:03:00] The business that I'm a part of it was started in 1995 by my dad and uncle at that point. Right. It was just two gentlemen who had a desire for something greater than what they were currently [00:03:10] doing. And they went to work providing a farm labor contracting service, which essentially is like a staffing agency for AGG. They were very good at what they did, coordinating crews, [00:03:20] getting into the field, doing the harvest, weeding, pruning, whatever it was. Right. It wasn't until 2004, after having graduated where I came to work for our family, [00:03:30] and at that point my dad and uncle were both nice enough to just be accepting of me coming back to work for them, recognizing that I didn't have the background [00:03:40] they had. I didn't grow up in the field. I didn't have the same technical expertise. But I think just out of love for our family, we're very close. They said yes. And I [00:03:50] plugged myself into the business and did what I could. That turned into me spending nearly 20 years just building all the various support services that [00:04:00] at that point, at that early point, we were paying for. So human resource support, payroll services, safety, bookkeeping and accounting. So again, [00:04:10] the last 20 years I spent all my time building those departments. And it wasn't until about two or three years ago where my dad and uncle both kind [00:04:20] of unofficially officially just let us know that, hey, we're ready to to not be so busy. We're ready to not really have to be everyone's last phone call [00:04:30] kind of thing. And so I had to start this transition of essentially taking on that responsibility, which, you know, if I'm honest, [00:04:40] it was one that I kind of assumed would would occur. But, you know, always thinking like, it's later, it's later, it's I'm doing what I'm doing now kind of thing. I [00:04:50] will say that it's been an incredibly difficult transition for me. Incredibly difficult.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:04:55] And why is that? Is that from.
Chago Martin : [00:04:58] I can tell you. Yeah, [00:05:00] exactly why. I'm I spent a lot of time thinking about it, you know? Yeah, I have this really strong, like, desire. I'm very obedient, especially when it comes to my dad and uncle and my [00:05:10] family. And I have this same, um.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:05:14] Expectation. Expectations.
Chago Martin : [00:05:14] Desire. Expectation. Right. To to perform. To contribute. To do the right [00:05:20] thing. The bar that they set right. It's pretty high within our own little world.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:05:25] Right? Right.
Chago Martin : [00:05:26] As far as our family goes, our small community. I [00:05:30] mean, so I kind of accepted those responsibilities just but still recognizing the pressure, you know, of of what it meant to say yes to that. Again, it's been probably three [00:05:40] years in in in the making where I've had to figure out what does that look like for me to lead a business, to lead people. And [00:05:50] I think I spent I know I spent a majority of this last three years doing it, how I thought they would do it. And [00:06:00] my dad and uncle have a huge hearts, great people, but they have an ability to just be very business [00:06:10] minded, right? Driven by, driven by success.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:06:14] Right.
Chago Martin : [00:06:14] By financial success, by profit. In no way not taking [00:06:20] people into consideration, but just driven by just accomplishment and just, you know, figuring things out and doing things. And I respect that and I admire that. And I also appreciate [00:06:30] that. But it was it wasn't like who I was and it wasn't what drove me. And for me, a lot of that decision [00:06:40] making coming from that place with only those things into consideration. You know, looking back, you know, I recognize that they were very it [00:06:50] was very empty for me. You know, it was just kind of robotic, kind of like this is how they did it in the past. This is how it has to be done in the future kind of thing. And I started to [00:07:00] to just take a hard look inward. Right. And I reached out to some people started just asking questions. I had to learn how to allow myself [00:07:10] to be vulnerable, to say, hey, this is not working for me. You know, like, I really don't know why I'm coming walking through these doors every day other than my desire to be obedient to my family and [00:07:20] help continue whatever success they had gotten to experience. It took a lot of work, a lot of conversations, and in no way am I there yet, you know? But I but I have gotten to the point to where I've been able to recognize [00:07:30] how important people are. I'm sorry. I get emotional about how how important people are. Yeah. And relationships. Yeah. Yeah. [00:07:40] I don't know. I don't know why it's so emotional, but I think it goes back to just I do genuinely feel like it's so hard and I and I feel like an emotional attachment [00:07:50] to people and that we're all just trying to figure this out.
Chago Martin : [00:07:52] Right. And I've been given this incredible opportunity to lead people in over time. I recognize how special that is [00:08:00] in so many ways, in ways that for me are apart from the money side, just how much of a connection you can make with someone in recognizing how hard it is [00:08:10] and how much a desire we do have for something better for ourselves, whether it's money, whether it's our kids, whatever it is. But we're all attempting to to achieve some [00:08:20] level of success, accomplish some goal, and how dependent we are on each other to eventually get there. It [00:08:30] changed what my expectation was of myself. It changed [00:08:40] the expectation that I was putting on our organization, on the people that we've asked to support us and help run it. And all of a sudden I found myself with [00:08:50] this. I never lacked a desire. Right. But it was. But now it was for a different reason to do what I was doing. I found myself having this having [00:09:00] an excitement about the conversations I was having, having it really turned from me to my phone would ring and I would I would get [00:09:10] anxious and and really not want to confront whatever it was that I was going to have to deal with. Right. To to, to. Having [00:09:20] this perspective of this is an opportunity for connection. This is an opportunity for me to let this person know how much I desire for their success, just [00:09:30] as much as my success. For whatever reason, I'm not driven as driven by the idea of profit and and money. But I do recognize how [00:09:40] critically important it is. Right. Because without that right, we're not we won't be able to help each other out at all.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:09:47] Correct.
Chago Martin : [00:09:47] Correct. And so I've had to understand [00:09:50] how to recognize that importance and carry it with me.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:09:55] When you're talking through this very, very similar to my struggles, that some of [00:10:00] the struggles and I, I it happens on a daily basis also because I'm looking at it from a compliance standpoint, from an underwriting standpoint, from a financial standpoint, [00:10:10] sometimes even from a human resources standpoint, my thoughts and my processes could come in the way of compliance and that what you just said [00:10:20] is my constant struggle to and I actually did kind of an introspect like sat down for a month every weekend, a couple hours to see [00:10:30] if am I doing the right thing because am I impacting the business? Am I not being making smart decisions because I'm looking at it through the lens of [00:10:40] human beings more than the business? So when you said that I actually had I that's a struggle that each one I mean, people like I [00:10:50] guess you and I go through every day because how do you balance the business side of things? And from our end, it's a compliance side of things. And how do [00:11:00] you do right by the people?
Chago Martin : [00:11:01] It's exhausting, right? Because along with thinking about all of those things, I'm super critical of myself. Right. Right. Because I don't want to make the wrong [00:11:10] decision. And it's not even for my own behalf, right? It's on behalf because it's on behalf of a lot of people that. Right. That I want to do the right thing. And it's exhausting, Right, to to constantly [00:11:20] be existing in that tension between that exists, between what you think is the right way to do things and the way that you think [00:11:30] compliance tells you. You need to do things right. It's very, very tough. Yeah.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:11:34] How so? You come across because you and I seem to be very human centric [00:11:40] people, but for others it comes across that maybe you're too nice or you're a nice people. A nice. Right. So I'm going to you're going to say yes to everything [00:11:50] because whatever. So do you find in any of these situations that you were taken advantage of and that kind of gets you a little jaded because the next time you do something, [00:12:00] you're like, Oh, I got this. This didn't go well. Did you have do you go through that?
Chago Martin : [00:12:05] I do go through that often. I was just having a fairly [00:12:10] difficult conversation earlier this week where the person that I was speaking with flat out pointed that out.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:12:18] That did too nice.
Chago Martin : [00:12:20] That [00:12:20] they didn't want me in later conversations because I was too nice and it push over. I don't know what that means, [00:12:30] right. I mean, I don't I don't concern myself with whether I'm being pushed over or not. I behave the same way either way. And naturally, instinctually, I [00:12:40] give a ton of grace, a ton of patience. And I recognize that for me, and I assume it's the same for [00:12:50] others, that things take time. And I look at myself and I think back on what it took for me to cross the finish line, right? It took me falling. It took me not working [00:13:00] on it. It took me coming back to it. It didn't happen overnight. And so when I'm working with people to try to accomplish a goal, meet an expectation, make a decision. [00:13:10] I try to remember that. And behave in the same way. Give that person the same grace that I give myself. Right. Because [00:13:20] I'm not very hard on myself, you know? When I fall, right, I just kind of pick myself back up. And I try to give people that same space and that same opportunity [00:13:30] to to exist, to function, to decision make, to fall. But to have a safe place to come to right when it occurs [00:13:40] so that we can talk it out, so we can figure out what didn't work.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:13:43] What somebody sees that as a pushover is a strength, right? I mean, you need a very strong person to stand true to [00:13:50] what who they are. So I'll tell you a story. When I came in as the CEO of United Egg. Right. The so people in [00:14:00] the egg industry, if you I mean, here it's a little bit different where we are at the conference. But people don't look like me, don't sound like me. So when I came in, [00:14:10] I had a lot of, um, I struggle with that because my accent do I sound like whatever, right? And the way I look. [00:14:20] And for first couple of months, I actually had an image of what a CEO and a president should look like, because that's what I see around. And I was trying [00:14:30] to be that. And I was it was so stressful and it was really hard. And I was I'm sure I was not making the right decisions because that was not who I was. [00:14:40] I was pretending to be somebody else. And one day I was sitting down at home on a super stressed with this, and one of my older son said, Mom, [00:14:50] you are a better leader when you are a CFO than you are a CEO because you've lost yourself. This is not who you are. Doesn't nobody cares [00:15:00] what you said? Oh, because I used to get caught up on one word. Did I say this right? Is this accent correct? Is this not correct? Am I standing the right way? Am I dressing the right way? He said, [00:15:10] just be you.
Chago Martin : [00:15:11] Yeah, but my goodness, the weight to carry right? When you're walking around trying to be something you're not. I still do it right. And it, it [00:15:20] gives me anxiety. Yeah. It's a big distraction, right, to what I'm trying to accomplish. But that's kind of what I was trying to describe. [00:15:30] I feel like most of us have this just weight that we're carrying around with us and considering who we think we're supposed to be behaving in the way that we think we're supposed to be behaving. Right. And [00:15:40] I think that whenever we give ourselves enough opportunity to be who we are, right, and just to be comfortable and vulnerable, but ourselves, right, [00:15:50] things become very different.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:15:51] It's very different.
Chago Martin : [00:15:52] Very, very different. So much more satisfying.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:15:54] Yeah, Yeah, that is true. And it is even not just from a professional standpoint, but from a personal [00:16:00] standpoint, right? It's we all get caught up in all this, the world around us. And I mean, it's very natural to get caught up with competition [00:16:10] with the kids or which who goes to what school or what car are you driving, Where are you, what purses are you carrying? And you get and not being that way, [00:16:20] but pretending to be. And once you get that thing off and think I it's such a big 100% agree with you, your life becomes suddenly you find that this [00:16:30] is who this is. It's a stretch. And but I find that gives you such a lot of inner confidence once you become who you are, that [00:16:40] I think that shines through who you are. Right? The fakeness is actually makes you more fake when you're truly authentic on who you are that actually makes you. So [00:16:50] when I look at you go and we we were talking about this earlier, you come across as such or such a real person that it feels your it was very the [00:17:00] whole my whole team when they met you that you that came across you shine as a leader.
Chago Martin : [00:17:06] Thank you thanks thanks. You know, I spend, I think, an [00:17:10] unreasonable amount of time in my head, you know, about thinking about all these things. And what am I doing right? What am I doing wrong? But at least at this point, I've gotten to [00:17:20] the point to where I'm measuring my decisions and my behaviors off of how I, I think I should be making them and who I am. Right? [00:17:30] I no longer who someone else wants me to be. And it has been a huge relief. It really, really is. And again, I'm not I haven't figured it out. And I still deal with it [00:17:40] often. Very, very often. It wasn't that long ago where and it wasn't like a light bulb. I didn't all of a sudden go off, but I was speaking with someone and we were just we were talking about this [00:17:50] and whatever it was they said, just almost like it gave me permission to just do things how I think they should be done. And [00:18:00] I remember kind of letting that settle into me and dwelling in that. And again, it was only after much longer conversations that had [00:18:10] taken place over time. But in that moment, I just felt like this this energy, you know, this this motivation to all of a sudden [00:18:20] like like almost like the light had been turned on, almost like at the door had been opened and someone was greeting me in to walk in to do it like you, like you think you can do it or that you think you should [00:18:30] do it. It was all these things that I was imposing on myself, all these feelings that really weren't out there, right? They were just in my head, you know, And whatever it was, you know, whatever work [00:18:40] I did, whatever conversations I had over time, I was able to kind of let those things go or not necessarily let them go, let them hang out. Right? They're there. They're there and they come out. And I [00:18:50] hate when they come out, but just recognize that they're just feelings. Right. And they come and go. But what's important to me is that I'm me.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:18:57] Just from what you do and the way you [00:19:00] lead right now, you you have had tremendous success. Because any time I talk about you to I mentioned your name to a few [00:19:10] board members and staff, everybody respects you from the business aspect to big time because you've grown the company, Right. So being true to [00:19:20] yourself has and has had a big impact on your financial growth. Right, and where you are.
Chago Martin : [00:19:26] Yeah. Yeah, it has. You know, I don't know the numbers off my head, [00:19:30] but most definitely throughout the last, you know, five, 15 years we've had great success and I and I don't take [00:19:40] credit for it. I'm certainly a part of it. This organization, the organization that we lead, that I lead, is built off the back of people [00:19:50] who are so committed to what they do that works so hard for our shared success, you know, And because of that, it's given me the [00:20:00] space, Right? Allowed me the time to do the work that I do. Right. And so, yeah, we've experienced success. We've grown tremendously.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:20:10] One [00:20:10] of the things that I was thinking of. So when you see our listeners write and when people listen to it, or just even from me, what [00:20:20] is what do you think? Is this something that we can tweak a little bit if we have a different style of leading? What can somebody take away and say, Let me [00:20:30] make this one change in the way I do things to see how it works?
Chago Martin : [00:20:34] Gosh, that's a great question. I feel like I've been blessed with maybe an ability to. [00:20:40] Think about the person first. I feel like I'm quickly able to put myself in their shoes while remaining in my [00:20:50] shoes. Write, recognizing the feeling of of having struggled and maybe incorrectly assuming that that's the same feeling they're feeling. Right. And remembering wanting [00:21:00] to so badly to not feel that way. Right. Wanting so badly to be closer to the finish line, to have the answer right. And so maybe that just maybe just [00:21:10] be more considerate, considerate of the fact that that's a person to their they want what you want, believe it they do. Or else they wouldn't be here. We're just we [00:21:20] just haven't figured out how to get there yet. And don't don't assume otherwise.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:21:25] Don't discount them too soon, right?
Chago Martin : [00:21:27] Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:21:28] So when it's all said and done, [00:21:30] um, what would success be? What would you, what would you feel that this is. I'm successful I've been I it's a success. I'm a success.
Chago Martin : [00:21:38] For me, what success means [00:21:40] is genuinely leading from my heart, not someone else's, and really valuing people. My [00:21:50] goodness, if I'm not taking advantage of this opportunity, I have to be so close to people and to build such tight and healthy relationships, [00:22:00] to recognize the struggle, recognize desire, and do something productive with it. I don't think that I would be happy at all. So just maintaining a closeness to [00:22:10] people, right? Understanding goals and getting across the finish line together. Not by myself. Yeah. You know, I had a conversation a while ago and it [00:22:20] was about my dad and uncle, right. And just the idea of all this that I've been talking about. Right. Trying to understand how to do it my way in a sense, you know, and I realized [00:22:30] that I didn't want to do it my way. I wanted to do it our way. Right. And so I constantly remind myself of this conversation because what I want to do is I want [00:22:40] to do it with everyone at my side, right? Not behind me, not full, not in front of me. I want to do it together. Because if it's not right for you, [00:22:50] it's not right for me. And if it's not right for the other person, it's not right for me either. And so I have this desire to just my success is dependent on everyone else's.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:22:59] And [00:23:00] that's the same thing when we're looking at United and we were thinking through this when we are growing. But you do you grow with the right set of people coming in, [00:23:10] right? How are they aligned to the way we think? Because when you're not aligned, actually you met our VP of underwriting and he will actually have data [00:23:20] to show that when you're not employee centric, your utilization is actually higher and you are your health plan. As a health plan, you are higher paying and [00:23:30] higher rates. It's interesting because it is the taking care of your employees, being showing the empathy actually has even from health care data. You see that [00:23:40] every day when we all as employees get up in the morning, as members get up in the morning, board members, you find that I'm in something bigger than myself. I [00:23:50] am not part of just a health plan. I'm not just part of this, but I'm doing something beyond that as a fulfillment. Right. And that makes it exciting to be part of this because it's something you [00:24:00] are. It's a cause. I mean, you yes, you meet, you need your financial goals and you need your bring home the food and all that. But at the when it's all said and done, at the end of the day when we all [00:24:10] sit down, I'm ho. My goal is everybody who's touched united. Dagen has been part of united and when it's all said and done, we'll feel I was part of something really [00:24:20] big.
Chago Martin : [00:24:20] That's super cool, man. And i really admire your desire to lead in that way and to maintain an organization that above most other things, if not above everything. Right prioritizes [00:24:30] that particular aspect of of their business. I feel as though I'm trying to do the same thing with ours. You know, I'm trying to build that same kind of confidence that what I'm trying to [00:24:40] do, the way that I'm trying to do it is right. Yeah. But I'm still trying to figure out what does right mean.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:24:47] Yeah, that's a lifelong journey.
Chago Martin : [00:24:49] Yeah. Yeah, [00:24:50] right. Yeah.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:24:51] We do that every day. Mm hmm. Yeah. Anything else? Struggle that I missed that you want to share with our listeners?
Chago Martin : [00:24:58] No, no. Just thank you for. [00:25:00] For the opportunity to come speak with you. You asked, and inside I said no right away. Right.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:25:08] I remember.
Chago Martin : [00:25:09] That. Yeah. [00:25:10] Um, but, you know, I also immediately kind of recognize how special it was to be asked for something like that, to [00:25:20] be considered in that way. And again, try to try to look at it as an opportunity for something so much bigger than work, an opportunity for for a certain level of connection [00:25:30] that I'm hopeful for and everything that I do. So thank you for asking me to be here. Thank you for listening. Yeah, that's.
Kirti Mutatkar : [00:25:39] It. Thank you for taking [00:25:40] the time. Actually one of the one of my guest, his name is AJC, SNE. I sat down and we had this started this conversation very much aligned to your way of thinking. And [00:25:50] I was as he was talking through it and discussing it at the end of it when we were done, he said, Thank you for giving. I've never really [00:26:00] I do it. I do it every day, but I don't ever go back and reflect and think through this. So this podcast was actually, he said was really [00:26:10] good for me to like, Oh, this is so that's, that's what it was. It was awesome. Thank you. Thank you for taking the time.
Chago Martin : [00:26:16] Absolutely.