Relates with Others

This week's post was written by Jack Woelber

Let me start with a question. Whose responsibility is it to relate well with others, the leader’s or the “other’s”? I’d like to suggest that, even though both parties have a responsibility, it is up to the leader to take the necessary steps for relating with others. What steps can a leader take to help ensure that they are relating well with others?

Build rapport. It takes time and intentionality to build rapport with someone, but through good listening and being approachable, you can find commonality that allows individuals to connect. Connecting with someone is very helpful in relating to him or her. Through that connection, it is easier to be empathetic when a person is sharing his or her point of view.

Once you have built rapport, a safe environment can be created for people to share their viewpoints, even though they might be different than yours. Seeking out those differing views allows you to think more broadly and possibly achieve a perspective you might not have gotten if you hadn’t tried to understand. I had a customer tell me one time, “Think about it until you agree with me.” While he was just kidding, that kind of attitude creates an unsafe environment and will shut down opportunities to relate well with others.

Phil Quigley, former CEO of Pacific Bell, once said, “I don’t think of leadership as a skill. I think of leadership as a relationship.” This attitude allows everyone you work with to feel important and to know his or her opinion is valued and matters. Thinking of leadership as a relationship magnifies the opportunity to draw out the opinions of others and to glean more candid, honest input and feedback that you would otherwise not get.

As a servant leader, one of your responsibilities is to meet others where they are. You may need to modify your typical approach, or at some level who you are, to be sure to engage others in order to relate well with them. Modifying your typical approach takes humility and emotional intelligence. This self-awareness and ability to adapt is crucial for relating well with others.

When I first came to Interstates, Darrel Ramhorst was my supervisor and mentor. I understood computers and programming, but I didn’t understand PLCs or electricity. Darrel was a master at coming to my level to teach me what I needed to know to be more effective in my role. With his master’s degree in engineering from MIT, it would have been very easy for him to speak well above my head and lose me in the conversation, as well as frustrate me. (He may have been frustrated, but he didn’t show it!) However, Darrel first understood who I was and where I was. He then adjusted so we could relate at an appropriate level for me to learn and grow in my understanding of the industry. He was a great example for me. My hope is that each of us will do what we can to become better at relating well with others.

Continue leading the Interstates Way! Jack Woelber

Talent: Where Does It Really Come From?

This week's post was written by Dave Crumrine.

I once thought attracting, hiring, and retaining was HR's job. Wrong! This element of leadership is so important it was one of the first ones the Sr. Team picked when putting together our leadership model. You see, almost all other pieces of the leadership model can't even start without THE TEAM. You have to get and keep a core team to even begin leading. Aside from some trucks, tools, and computers anybody could buy, we are a people company, pure and simple. The intellectual property we have developed and hold resides mostly within our people.

As a leader, this needs to be crystal clear to you. You need to make sure your team is being found, grown, and retained. This is an every week, constant process you must execute as a leader. HR will be of great assistance to you, but you cannot delegate this responsibility away. Developing your talent is fundamental to leadership!
HR, and anyone else in the potential workforce, will be happy to tell you that people want to sign up for a cause, a mission – not just a job. Generationally, this is truer today than ever before. In trying to find out what an employer is about, prospective employees want to hear from the leaders of the cause! They want to be inspired. They want to "see it." They want to "feel it" when they are interviewing and interacting with us. When you are recruiting team members, you should think of it as very high-stakes deal making. Candidates are offering part of their lives, and you are offering part of our business. This may be one of the biggest win-win setups of all time, and it is high stakes. That’s why leaders must be deeply into the talent game.

Once on the TEAM, team members want to be taught, challenged, and energized. We have started referring to this as "employee engagement." This requires leadership – a lot of it. Whether this leadership comes from front-line supervision, middle management, or the top, it doesn’t matter; the team needs it, the business depends on it. The difference between an engaged team and a disengaged team could very well be the success or failure of the entire business.

Now for the good news: With the right philosophy and intent, growing your Talent Pool can be one of the most energizing and rewarding parts of your job. Finding and feeding a great team feels great and can last for a lifetime. Doing these things well becomes the gift that keeps on giving. Leaders often talk about their greatest achievements being the people they helped bring up. Those brought up often think of their leaders and mentors as family long after the direct work is done. This can be a great way for the servant leader's heart to really shine through.

Interstates has a rich history of cultivating people from varied backgrounds and "stories" into successful, long-term team members. It takes intentional work by leaders, but there is no more foundational thing in a business than building the talent.

Continue leading the Interstates Way! -- Dave Crumrine