by Jon M. Casey
PITTSBURGH, PA — An aggregate industry presentation at the recent Pennsylvania Aggregates and Concrete Association (PACA) Summer Meeting focused attention on “people” issues, especially management leadership and employee retention. Noting that the current economic times call for new and often courageous changes, Don Eshleman executive vice president with Oldcastle Materials, outlined new and important ways for producers to more effectively manage their people.  | Don Eshelman, Oldcastle Materials, explained how his company is rethinking their approach to maintaining morale at all levels of employment. |
Retaining your quality employees in these crazy times
Eshleman began by asking attendees what sorts of problems quarry operators experienced on a regular basis. In the ensuing discussion, he acknowledged that most everyone has the same kind of “people problems,” irrespective of their specific role in the Aggregate and Concrete Industry. He related how Oldcastle Materials has begun to take an entirely new approach to acquiring and retaining quality employees. He said that they are focusing on leadership development as their foremost goal. While this is a relatively new program, in existence just over two years, the idea for the program comes with a five year commitment to its implementation and success. According to Eshleman, it is extremely important to know what employees are thinking. “They need to ‘take some ownership’ in what the company’s future plans might be,” he said. “The ultimate corporate advantage that a company can have over its competitors is the quality of its own employees.” Citing a survey published in a book entitled “Kiss Theory Goodbye,” by Bob Prosen, Eshleman said that superior leadership is the number one attribute of a highly profitable company. “You are the leaders,” he said. “The characteristics that go into superior leadership are many. One of the first ways to lead in a superior way, is to inspire loyalty and trust.” Eshleman continued by saying that superior leaders develop a vision, they communicate that vision and then they are passionate about the results.
Superior leaders are able to stay focused on the “Big Picture.” They are able to do that with an entrepreneurial spirit. “Understand that you are in the “people business,” down to the (delivery truck) driver,” he said. “Leaders need to be decisive, stay the course and at the same time, they need to be flexible.” Leaders need to remove obstacles that prevent employees from being successful in their jobs. “Build a culture on ownership and accountability,” said Eshleman. “Recognize and reward excellence.” “So many of us think that we need to have a ceremony or a banquet to recognize longevity or superior performance,” he said. “However, a ‘Thank You,’ a pat on the back, or just some simple recognition by you, their leaders, for a job well done, means more than you could possibly imagine.” “Don’t walk by that opportunity,” he added. “Recognizing them and letting them know that you DID see what they did, and that you appreciate what they did, are the simple kind of things that last a lot longer (in the minds of the employees).” With superior leadership setting the standard, Eshleman said that there are several important elements in keeping quality employees. “These are difficult times,” he said. “Many of you have taken significant steps to reducing costs. Some may include employees.” “Keep focused on ‘the Positive,’ to keep your best people,” said Eshleman. “There are still good things happening in your companies. Communicate with your employees so that they know what is going on. Keeping them informed lets them know that they are a part of what is happening. Do what it takes to communicate with everyone.” Eshleman said that a good rule of thumb is to hire people that demonstrate good people skills. “Set high standards and expect excellence,” he said. “Take action on the ‘C and D’ players. These people are not the quality ‘A and B’ employees. This will vary from company to company, but you will lose your ‘A and B’ employees if you do not take action on the ‘C and D’ players. That does not mean that you have to fire all of those employees,” he added. “But, you may.” He said that employers may want to outline their expectations for the workers and if they are unable to achieve those objectives, then the result would be the workers being released. “It takes courage. The quality employees will respect you for taking action, and they will work harder as a result,” he said. Often, good “equipment people” are promoted into positions of responsibility dealing with people, and those employees are not skilled in ways to deal with others. “When we go out to hire people, hire people with demonstrable people skills,” he said. “While we are looking for good workers to operate equipment, we need to also be looking for workers with people skills. Build a team that has skills to deal with (others).” Eshleman went on to say that, there is a better way to identify and develop quality people other than by relying on “one’s gut instincts.” “Create an evaluation system that you can use to identify these people,” he said. “There are assessment tools available to help you to determine who these people are. Once you get these people identified, then, develop them. Goals and competencies help management to develop workers. We have designated five to eight competencies that help us to develop leadership in our organization. This is beyond the skills that they need for their jobs. You need a development plan to help your key employees get to the next level.” “Hold everyone accountable,” he said. “By holding everyone accountable for all sorts of aspects of the job, your people will appreciate it when you do hold them accountable.” He said that by building relationships with your entire team, you can have the kind of success that everyone desires. “Are you prepared to take action to keep your quality employee?” he concluded. “It just doesn’t happen that they stay. You need to take some action to help them to stay.” To comment on this story or for additional details click on the related button above. |