“We believe that happiness at work is not only a possibility, it is an obligation.”

Emory Mulling is Chairman of Mulling Corporation, a Lincolnshire International/ Arbora Global Partner with over 172 talent management offices worldwide. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Mulling Corporation provides services that include Executive Coaching, Career Transition/Outplacement, Team Integration, Cultural Change and Conflict Resolution. A former Vice President of Human Resources, Emory has 25+ years of talent management experience with Fortune 500 companies which he draws on to help individuals take control of their career and find the best fit for their working styles.

Emory wrote the nationally syndicated management advice column “People Smarts” for the American City Business Journals for five years. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, Time, Fortune, Kiplinger’s, Entrepreneur, Newsweek and The New York Times. He has also appeared on radio, television and online and is a noted lecturer on workplace issues.

MO: With over 25 years of experience in your industry, what advice would you give to a new start up entering your field?

Emory: Providing Career Transition/Executive Coaching services is an industry that usually requires a long term consultative sale. In other words, you have to have relationships and contacts in the Human Resources profession in order to have a shorter start up time. Before starting a new business, I always recommend that a person should learn on someone else’s nickel. It is best to work for an existing firm on a contract basis, in order to gain experience that can later prevent you from making costly mistakes. I started Mulling Corporation by working 3 years on the side while in Corporate America providing consulting services. This allowed me a shorter launch time and greater financial security.

MO: You served in the U.S. Army as a Military Intelligence Analyst and were closely involved with counter-intelligence and national security issues. What kinds of transferrable skills did you gain in the Army that you were able to apply when you founded Mulling Corporation?

Emory: Being in Military Intelligence taught me how critical it is to maintain confidentiality as a Human Resource professional in Corporate America. Confidentiality is just as critical in the Human Capital space. Being in Counter-Intelligence, I gained critical skill sets dealing with many different kinds of people from different cultures. This gave me a broad view of the world, which has become a global economy. Also, I was required to give presentations while in Military Intelligence where I was provided excellent training. This has allowed me to be more effective not only in sales presentations but group training sessions as well.

MO: Congratulations on being named the #1 Best Place to Work (Small Company) in Atlanta by the Atlanta Business Chronicle. How are you able to create such a positive work environment which people obviously love to be a part of?

Emory: My philosophy in managing Mulling Corporation for 25 years has been “take care of your employees and your employees will take care of your clients.” This is true in tangible as well as intangible services. When an organization meets the needs of an employee and lets them know that they are truly an important part of the team, they will go the extra mile to meet the needs of your clients. You cannot buy this type of conscientious behavior because this comes from within an employee who wants to provide a service to retain clients and grow an organization. At Mulling Corporation, this is evidence by a loss of only nine consultants in 25 years in business.

MO: With over 172 talent management offices worldwide how are you able to successfully manage such a huge global empire?

Emory: Lincolnshire International, the affiliation to which Mulling Corporation belongs has local ownership in each of our offices worldwide. The entrepreneurial spirit is the common incentive for each of our affiliates to provide the same level of outstanding service which you require of your own consultants. This provides confidence to all our offices when they are referring business to another affiliate. Belonging to an affiliation is the best of both worlds, which we market. We have global scope while having local ownership.

MO: In your long and impressive career, is there any one thing that you’re most proud of?

Emory: It was my good fortune to become the youngest Vice President of Human Resources in Atlanta at that time in my early 30’s, which was the proudest I had been while in Corporate America. Also, for a few years in a row, Mulling Corporation has been on a finalist on the top ten list for the “Best Places to Work in Atlanta.” This designation is based on employee surveys. The first year we were named to this list, we had been in business for 19 years, which made me the proudest I had previously been as a business owner.

MO: Is there anything new on the horizon for Mulling Corporation that you’re excited to share with our readers?

Emory: For the last four years I have been working on a new venture that will be launched in early 2012. This is an additional service currently not being provided by Mulling Corporation. We have outstanding talent lined up to join our firm in order to develop a national brand. It has been exciting to see this new service develop while working with the team that will grow and manage the business. Mulling Corporation has been assisting individuals in their careers. We believe that happiness at work is not only a possibility, it is an obligation. This new venture will allow us to instill this philosophy in a much greater number of people on a national scale.