Josh Truscott Runs On Integrity

Josh Truscott shows up to work each day equipped with a strong sense of integrity, transparency and dedication to his accounting team. Set apart by his empathetic leadership style, Josh’s top priority is empowering his team members by anticipating their needs and encouraging input from each individual. During our interview, Josh shared with us his favorite things about Campus Advantage, insight into his musical inclinations, and a dose of motivational wisdom.

Describe your current role at Campus Advantage.

As Accounting Manager I oversee accounting tasks for between 16 and 20 properties at any given time. My team supports each property in a variety of ways — from performing precise tasks to presenting final projects to owners. We support the operations team by providing them with the numbers they need for reporting.

What three words best describe you (inside or outside of work)?

• Honest: I consider this my best and worst quality as I can be honest to a fault, but I see it as an overall positive trait.
• Caring: This characteristic is most apparent when I’m supporting my team. I genuinely care about each person I work with.
• Passionate: Passion plays a major role in everything that I do – I am passionate about performing my best and staying true to my values.

If your life had a soundtrack, name one song that would be on it.

My choice for this question surprises me a bit as I’m not a huge “POP” guy, but I’m going with “The Bones” by Maren Morris. This song is all about the importance of building a strong foundation in order to maintain structure during tough times. I let a similar mindset drive my daily decisions — if you take care of what’s important first, the rest will fall into place.

What are three words you would use to describe our culture and why?

• Inclusive: Our inclusive culture at Campus Advantage ensures everyone is equally valued and heard.
• Family First: Our culture has a “family first” attitude that applies to both your at- work family and your at-home family. It’s a very supportive environment to work in.
• Hardworking: Everyone at Campus Advantage works hard to do their best and is always willing to lend a helping hand.

What are you doing to ensure that Campus Advantage remains a leader in the student housing industry?

I ensure Campus Advantage remains a leader in the student housing industry by empowering and supporting my team. I do this by explaining the “why” behind processes and procedures, and going out of my way to ensure that the work being done is visible and re-creatable. These steps ensure that our team has a strong foundation, and allows insight into each other’s projects so that if someone needs help, resources are available. Building a sturdy foundation in accounting and setting my team up for success helps Campus Advantage as a whole to remain a leader.

What is one of your favorite moments at Campus Advantage thus far?

I had been at Campus Advantage for only two weeks when my director, Brant Fylling, reached out to ask my opinion regarding a promotion for a new manager. Although I had only been working there for a short period of time, I had worked with the individual being offered the promotion, and Brant valued that insight. Being included and involved, especially after coming from a company where employees didn’t usually have a voice, meant the world to me.

What motivates you to get up and come to work every day?

Keeping our goals in mind makes me motivated to come to work each day. Knowing that we’re aiming to reach new heights and improve operations on a monthly basis fuels my drive. I’m also enthusiastic about the growth of my team — I want to help my staff get to the next level within their desired timeframe because I believe that promoting your workers leads to company stability. Knowing that I can help make a difference for them by challenging them and listening to them keeps me motivated to show up each day.

If you had to choose one company value that best represents you, what would it be and why?

Definitely integrity. Every time you face the challenge of doing the right thing when nobody’s watching and choose to act with integrity, your character grows and you become stronger. The past few months of remote working has put our team’s integrity to the test — and every single team member is making good choices. I try to lead with integrity so that my team knows they can rely on me, and in turn, they offer me the same courtesy.

How do you empower your team to go the extra mile? (OR) What motivates you to go the extra mile?

I believe that personal interaction is a necessary component for team empowerment. For example, I strive to meet with my team and discuss assignments verbally, rather than passing items along through email without connecting for questions and clarification. Brainstorming is another key example of this – the more room I give my team to grow and express their ideas, the more empowered they feel to take on their assignments with integrity and enthusiasm.