The Perfect Employee

As management personnel, I have had a lot of recent conversation about employees and finding and retaining employees.   It’s hard to explain to hires what they are getting into.  Being part of a precast plant and small business is a different entity.  You aren't putting part A into part B, you aren't on an assembly line, your job is different everyday and the work is tough.  I push my employees hard and I expect perfection.  But my definition of perfection is different than most.  I don’t expect everything to go flawless, every product to come out perfect.  How do you define “perfect”?  Perfect is about your relationship with your family, your God and your co-workers.  Being able to be true to your family, true to your religion, and true to your co-workers is perfect.  I always tell my guys family comes first, than Dalmaray.  But when you come to work I expect them to leave nothing unturned to end the day saying there was not one more thing I could have done to be better.  Now it’s easy to relate this motivational speech to sports, but how does it apply to business.  To me business is about succeeding not only for me, for my company, but for my employees as well. It’s about being the best and employing the best. When I wake up every morning, it’s a new game, a new Championship, a new Super Bowl and I’m going to win.  Why do I feel this way?  Simple I have a legacy to carry on, this is my company.  I have more on my shoulders than employees, but I wish everyone would see what I see and feel how I feel.  It’s hard to change mindset, but I wish every day would start with this speech, start with this motivation.  I want people to stay motivated; I want everyone to know that I do everything I do, not for me, not for the company, but for everyone at Dalmaray, for the guy next to you and I want employees to feel that way to.  That’s what the perfect employee is.  I realize it is hard for the guy making the low wage to feel that way, but I think that if everyone looked at a job with honesty in their eyes and say I will do the best job possible and make this happen then we as a company would be perfect.  Eventually good things will happen and times will be better, but for now if we do everything we can to make the day easier on each other with truth and love we will move forward in unison and be perfect. 

-- I will not stop fighting and turning over the stones

Leadership

Good leadership is hard to find these days.  I mean good core leadership.  There are several folks who care about their job and are dedicated, but few possess the leadership qualities that can drive companies and inspire change.  Look back and some of the greatest leaders in history Washington, Lincoln, more modern I think former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.  What is it that possesses these people to lead.  Some may say it was the positions they were in.  Wrong I say.  Look back at Washington, what made him great.  His guidance across the Potomac River on a blistery cold night, or his persistence to lead a country with no leader.  Either way you look at it, Washington posses the trait of drive.  When the world said no, Washington said yes.  When Washington’s troops said no, he said push.  It’s this instinct to drive until you can’t drive anymore and then go even further that makes a good leader.   That is leadership. 

Look at Lincoln.  What made Lincoln great?  Lincoln to me had empathy and resiliency.  Lincoln’s leading the battle in civil rights showed his empathy toward the common man and his resiliency amongst doubters.  Lincoln believed in one thing, equality.  Equality amongst all men.  This is one of the greatest leadership traits.  Without empathy, how can a leader really relate to those that follow him or her?  It is impossible.  To be a leader is to be a true maverick.  It means pushing boundaries that haven’t been pushed.  You will have those that don’t want to follow.  As a leader it is your job is to make them believe or move on without them.  But you cannot listen to the nay sayers. 

Lastly, let’s look at Rudy Giuliani.  When you think of Rudy, you think 9/11.  We all do.  We all remember those that were lost and we continue to pray for those families that were forever changed that day.  That being said, imagine being a leader and your world coming to screeching halt.  What do you do?  There are thousands looking to you for answers? What do you do?  That brings me to my last trait humility.  Mayor Giuliani states humility is one the greatest traits of leaders today.  Those that have a sense of realization and aren’t afraid to make decisions are those that make great leaders.  Do you think Mayor Giuliani felt good about every decision he made post 9/11.  Probably not.  But he learned from them and stood by them day and day out and now he is one of the most recognized leader in the modern age. 

So like I said before, good core leadership is hard to find.  Personally I think it is really lacking in industry today.  You can’t grow leaders, you can’t find them online.  Leaders come for the situations that make them.  Those that have mind set and the drive will excel in any situation.  Look at the leaders we have had over time Washington, Lincoln, Giuliani, and many more.  Look at yourself, can you put your name in that sentence.  If you want to call yourself a leader, you better think you can. 

I Am Asking for Help

For those of you that read my blog and are part of a large company I need help.  We are a small company (less than 15 employees) and we have been struggling with taking the next step.  We have some in the company like myself who want to bigger and want to better.  Then we have those that are content with where we at right now, staying small and not growing, just remaining stagnant.  I will say that we have this problem up and down the organization.  Take for instance, we implement a new policy, there is an initial buzz and everything goes well.  Then as time goes by employees get lacking and we find that we have to remind and remind and remind.  Does anyone else feel this way sometime?  I think we suffer from that small shop attitude sickness.  I like to think that I really get along with everyone well, but maybe it’s me.  Maybe I should be more of a dictator and less of a friend.  Same the other direction we have higher positioning employees/directors who feel the changes we implement are unnecessary.  “Why do we need to improve?” is a common comment.  Again asking does anyone else have this problem?  Do I feel what we do taking the next step is premature? No.  Maybe it’s the staff.  Maybe we need to re-staff, or find that one member who can step up.  I don’t know.  This has caused me great frustration as of late as I feel we are on the brink of the next step.  I am very goal oriented and I feel that if I don’t have goals I really don’t have any other reason to work.  I have done my research, I know what we need to do, and it’s just a matter of keeping the wheels turning.  I don’t quit, I don’t walk away, I’m just curious if anyone else out there has dealt with this type of sickness and has any suggestions.  Anyone made that transition from a small shop to a larger shop or even industry leader.  Or maybe the better quesiton to ask when do you know you are ready for the transition?