Leaders are facing ambiguity like no other time in our history. The political environment, emerging technologies and societal upheaval are impacting business and employees across not only the United States but also the world. The decisions leaders make today will impact their organizations and define their careers. Consequences are at an all-time high for leaders and the people they lead.
So, as leaders work to navigate the challenges of the current environment, questions prevail: When to grow? When to pull back? When to invest? Where to invest? When to think long-term? When to think short-term? Where to cut costs? How to increase efficiency? When to acquire? Whether to sell? The questions are endless — so, too, are the possibilities the correct answers yield.
Regardless of the question, the right answers are increasingly more important and more challenging to discern. Each answer impacts the organization, its environment, and most of all, its people.
Lost in the change and the challenge of the current economic environment is the constant: the people and the need to keep them positive, productive and, most of all, safe. Apache Industrial Services CEO Mike Knigin shared, “Our people are our only constant. We know that they define us and, in turn, count on us to lead them and provide the safest environment for them to work, to learn and to support customers and each other.”
Great leaders understand that every employee feels some measure of the instability in the market. If the economy does not personally impact them, then someone they know and love may very well be affected. Even the highest-performing employee feels the uncertainty of today, while still knowing that his/her position is safe. They become worried about things outside of their sphere of influence and control. They have momentary lapses concerning the wellbeing of their co-workers, friends or family. They also worry about the focus of the peer working next to them, understanding that a brief lack of focus away from work can have a catastrophic impact. Distractions in and out of work become part of the new normal.
The highest-performing organizations understand the environment and the psyches of their employees. They work to overcome the inherent instability in the mindset of today’s employee. And they work to stay ahead.
They lead with a focus on trust. They are committed to not simply communicating but engaging in a meaningful, two-way conversation. They are committed to understanding those around them and those who work for them. They are also committed to telling the truth — not simply 50 percent of the truth — and letting employees know the real information, good and bad, long before it directly impacts them.
Visionary leaders are focused on protecting their employees — in all environments. All too often, employees become pawns in some perceived game or battle among large companies inside the industry looking to poach talent simply to harm the other company. This impacts the hardworking men and women who are only looking for a better opportunity to improve their lives and provide for their families. When an employer treats a person right the first time, they rarely have to worry about that employee leaving for a shortsighted reason. Employers have an obligation — a moral obligation — to provide the same fight for their employees as their employees provide for them on the front lines. This means making sacrifices where necessary, but never on integrity or safety. This means standing up for them, beside them when they are under siege. This means placing integrity before self-interest and always doing what is right.
Knigin continued, “Our people are the front line of our company. They are the middle line and our back line. They are protecting and giving their all for our customers every day. And we work to support and protect them as they embrace the passion, commitment and pride of being part of our organization. When we genuinely focus on our people and do what is right, we all win.”
Leaders committed to winning in the workplace understand that culture drives performance. They know that culture can be understood, protected and, where necessary, evolved to meet the current and future demands of the organization.
They understand that positivity and optimism embedded in their culture is key to continuing to improve performance, even in a changing business environment.
These same leaders in the safest work environments understand that it is not about creating or perpetuating a safety culture for their people, but rather embracing and supporting a culture that is safe. In those companies, it is about ensuring that their people embrace a culture that values doing what is right — by employees and leaders. It is about encouraging a culture of support and belief that the person next to you will be there for you in the same way you know that the leader will be as well.
With all the change, we know that the basics, performed at the highest levels within the organization, matter. Values matter. Work ethic matters. Protecting the core of what you as a company and leader stand for matters. Doing right by your employees matters. After all, it’s always about your people; they are your only constant.
For more information on performance, contact Brad Deutser, director of performance at Apache Industrial Services, at (713) 899-9766 or bdeutser@apacheip.com, or visit www.apacheip.com.
