Reel Video & Stills
Morgan Tiller, Director of Operations, North America, AMECO
With 22 years of experience in finance and operations, Morgan Tiller, AMECO's director of operations for North America, says "listening" is his best leadership tactic. BIC Magazine recently spoke with Tiller to learn more about his effective yet humble management approach to his position.
Q: What led to your position at AMECO?
A: I started at AMECO in 2010 after transferring from a business services manager (finance and administration) position on a Fluor construction project. At the time, AMECO was looking for help in finance and accounting, so I filled that role, first with North America and later in our international region. After working in almost all of the regional finance roles, I had the chance to work in corporate asset management, managing AMECO's global fleet, and from there got the desire to work in operations. I started my current position in October 2019. Since AMECO's business is managing assets for our clients, my background puts me in a good spot to manage our North America operations.
Q: What is your best management tactic?
A: Whether it's an employee, a friend, a manager or anyone else, my ability to listen and not respond to every comment has helped me become someone people trust when they need to vent, seek counsel or just chat. From a business perspective, listening enables me to get input from different people within our clients' organizations and internally at AMECO so the best game plan can be developed. By listening to others, I inevitably learn something and grow from each conversation I have.
Q: How do you plan to address workforce changes in the coming year?
A: AMECO has been fortunate amid the pandemic this year because the industries we work with are deemed essential, which means our work can continue. On the jobsites, we're seeing rigorous standards to keep projects safe, and we support that. For example, we're working to make sure tools are cleaned and sanitized appropriately and people can get sanitized as they enter and leave a jobsite. Where we can, we're providing these solutions to our clients to keep them, their employees and jobsites safe. Through our diverse and broad vendor base, we have also been able to help our clients fulfill emergency orders for PPE and safety supplies they probably never thought they would need.
Q: What is your biggest lesson learned?
A: On my team, we've all had different experiences, lived in different places, worked on different projects and have different educational backgrounds, so I'm able to lean on them and learn from them every day, which makes it enjoyable to come to work. I'm never going to know it all, so I have to depend on and learn from those around me.
Q: How do you maintain a good work/home life balance?
A: It starts with planning. On Sundays, I look at the calendar for the upcoming week so I know what big meetings or travel I have coming up, and I make sure to plan around those. On a day-to-day basis, I make checklists of the tasks I know I have to get done, and I work to check those off throughout the day. I also take the time to exercise, which not only keeps me healthy and reduces stress, but also gives me an opportunity to focus and get a better balance. With family life, work life and taking care of myself, it can be a challenge to keep everything balanced, so I find having a plan gives me the best chance to get it all done.
