Basic HTML Version
May/June 2012 –
BizVoice
/Indiana Chamber
37
SMALL/MEDIUM COMPANIES
What Are the Keys to Leadership of a Best Places to Work Organization?
By Gary M. Bolinger, CAE, President & CEO, Indiana CPA Society
S
o many organizations look at the key to success as being the products or services they offer. In
some cases it is the loyal customer/client base. But it really is about the most important asset of
any organization – people. Without your people – and it makes no difference what kind of
business you are in – you have nothing. No one to design, to implement, to market or to sell. People
are your most important asset and should be invested in accordingly.
We all know that personnel costs are high and going higher. But there are plenty of other
investments that should be made in people. Spend a few minutes walking around your office talking
to your people. All of your people. Ask how the day is going. Ask about the physical space they
occupy – desk, seating, lighting and the technology. Technology is an important aspect of how your
people feel about how much the employer cares about them and their ability to get the job done.
Leaders need to recognize that people have feelings. People like to share and celebrate successes and milestones like
birthdays and employment anniversaries. Make it a point that every birthday, employment anniversary and business success is
celebrated in some way. Do this with the full involvement of as many other people as possible.
People both want and need to learn today. Peter Drucker started talking about “knowledge workers” in the 1960s. The
concept is more important today than ever before. Make sure that everyone on your team has opportunity to learn and grow.
To some young people, this ability to gain knowledge and skills is the most important fringe benefit. You don’t need to send
everyone to an expensive seminar. In-house training works. Buy someone a book that reflects good business practices or
reflects your business philosophy. I ask anyone new to our management team to read
The Effective Executive
.
Finally … COMMUNICATE. The biggest single problem any business has is communications. Make sure
everyone knows what they need to know. Ask questions. Don’t give directives. You will never know if people
understand your philosophy or your business goals if you don’t ask questions. Of course this implies that
you will actually listen. It may be hard to get a straight, complete answer in the beginning. But, the more
you do this, the better the answers will be and the better the organization will become.
A Winner’s
view
Gary Bolinger
coffee, sodas and snacks for employees offer a chance for
appreciation and interaction.
“That’s a relatively minor expense when you look at the
overall corporate budget, yet it does so much for us culturally,”
Broshears points out. “It creates those opportunities for people
to mix and socialize.”
The emphasis on people is one of the things database
administrator Brent Dragoo
likes best about working
for the company.
“I think what really
separates Delivra from
anywhere else I’ve ever
worked is everyone is really
comfortable being who
they are here,” he observes.
“Everybody communicates
really well. I think one of the
dangers of the big corporate
environment is (that)
everybody gets sort of
worried about the internal
politics or knowing who to really follow. ... But here, if you
want to talk to anybody about anything, you can just do it.”
An atmosphere of trust
Family – both internal and outside of Delivra’s walls – is a
priority. Flexible scheduling and the on-site gym are two of the
benefits that assist employees.
“We have a culture that’s all about getting the job done,”
Nelson shares. “We’re very focused on results. If you’re able to
balance some time out of the office with meeting those results,
that’s fine.”
Berman stresses, “We’re open 24/7, 365, which means
that there is time outside the hours of eight to five when
people have to go to
work, and because we’re
asking staff to show up at
two in the morning
without any notice, there
has to be a fairness in the
hours they work Monday
through Friday.”
Nelson sums up the
“secret” to Delivra’s success.
“We have a very
young, creative, talented
staff and we let them
express that however
they want within the
bounds of being professional, and they do a great job,” he
reflects. “I think that’s where a lot of our success comes from.
We find hungry, talented employees, and we help to just kind
of keep pointing them in the right direction and let them run
with their ideas.”
President and CEO Neil Berman (left) serves as the inspiration for the company’s
Fred Delivra mascot and for its talented team.