Retaining Empolyees

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Leadership Is Essential.

As I write this I discover that my 3 year old daughter decided to dump the poop from her potty chair into the bathroom sink. I'm not happy and am challenged on how I will deal with her.

So I take a deep breath and plan my reaction. My goal is to lead her into responsible maturity. A challenge to say the least.

I have no doubt that you all are stand up guys but investing in anything that helps us to become better leaders is well worth it. Also, look for successful leaders and build relationships with them.

And now, I have to go find the Drano...

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Ahhhh, Fatherhood.

Thank God you have the time to bone up on your leadership skillz, now that all of the spam is gone on the buzz!




SZ
 
Ahhhh, Fatherhood.

SZ

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I'm expecting your experiences to be priceless.
ahhhhh.gif
 
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Here is my wish list for any company that I'd work for.

1. Paid training. I wish that a company would care to teach me anything that I desired to learn pertaining to arborculter. Pertaining to certifications, ISA or tcia related certs and there trade shows.

2. Appreciation. Not neccisarily money. Just an all around thank you for all the hard work. Money is nice but it goes quick. True appreciation goes so much further.

3. Future. I am currently stuck and can't possibly make any more money, no matter how much the company brings in. It also seems that there is no way I could buy the company or become a partner. I've peaked at the ripe old age of 27 and I don't make enough money to support a family. That just won't cut it. I love my job but if it can't provide for my future then BAM. i'm a teacher.

4. Appreciation. I know I said this already but I can't stress it enough. When you feel like your on the same team as everyone else and everyone is working toward the same goal nothing can beat that feeling. It is so important to feel apart of a team And to have a common goal and when they become achieved it's important to let everyone know how proud you are of everyone. (I blame my dad for never loving me)

5. Respect. I never yell at my crew. I always listen to their ideas and suggestions. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they aren't. I always explain what and why I choose to do what I do so they can better understand why I chose to do what I did. if they had a good Idea I use it. I'm never so conceded to think that I am always right or to think that I am the only person with the right answers. Yelling never gets the best out of people (most people). I go with positive reinforcement. So far it hasn't let me down.

I think that's it. If I was able to find that in a company I wouldn't ever want to leave. I try my best to make sure that everyone on my team feels appreciated. They make me the climber I am. As the foreman I can only make certain things happen but we have had the same couple of guys for quite a few years and they always tell me that if I wasn't there they would have already moved on ( I can't tall you how much this means to me). The appreciation goes so far around here.

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All the reasons above are why I stay where I am. Anyone in this area will tell you the same whether they work for us or not!
 
Well I am thankful for all the responses, however I'm not really learning anything except maybe I shouldn't invest so much into every employee that comes along and instead wait for the perfect one.

But it sounds like everyone is in the same boat as I am except of course for FamilyTree I wish I could find guys that would give me 100% without modivation.
 
I have to agree that it probably comes down to the type of guys you hire. With some great leadership you can form guys that are willing to learn, but a guy who is unwilling to learn or change will never be a good hire. I def think that the most important question to ask when hiring is; Where do you see your self now/1year, 5 years, and 10 years? Now not everyone is going to be honest maybe just give you what you want to hear but it will show where some guys are headed and their goals.

To retain good help you will def need to be competitive with pay. But you'll have to treat them with respect and loyalty as well. One boss i had, would do whatever it took to get us 40 hours a week. I respected him for that especially when we would get 36 or so and he would put 40 on our checks. He didn't do it every time but enough that we appreciated it but didn't come to expect it. I appreciated that he allowed me to use his equipment for side jobs. I wasn't asking every week, and if i went over the top i would expect him to draw a line. He was always willing to help his guys, which is nice. When he came on the job site he worked as hard if not harder than us. Always was leading by example, that was really great to see and i strived to not be outworked when he was there. LEAD BY EXAMPLE! The other thing that he did which can be questionable but was effective for him, was when he had a guy that was out of line or he felt wasn't appreciative, he sent him home for the day, or just told him not to come in the next day or two. He showed them that he could run the business without them, it kept those trouble makers in line and gave them a wake up call when they got to big for their britches.

I'd still work for him today, if i didn't hate living in NJ so much.

The company i work for now has gone through a lot of guys. They don't seem to have a problem firing guys that aren't up to their standards of work or fit into their work ethic or quality. It will take time but eventually you'll find the guys that you keep are the ones you can count on and have the same work mentality as you. Def helps to build your foreman with the same principles you have. Make sure they know how you would do things and lead by example so they can see how you do things as well. Constant communication between an owner and foreman will help you to build your principles in them and also keep you from having to second guess the work they are doing when your gone.
 
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The other thing that he did which can be questionable but was effective for him, was when he had a guy that was out of line or he felt wasn't appreciative, he sent him home for the day, or just told him not to come in the next day or two. He showed them that he could run the business without them, it kept those trouble makers in line and gave them a wake up call when they got to big for their britches.

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I agree with that style of management, if you are dealing with an unruly employee.


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I'd still work for him today, if i didn't hate living in NJ so much.


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I like you for saying that about NJ.




SZ
 
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Didn't mean you Jim. Sorry for the confusion. I was talkin to ez and luckily he listened or it would have been game over

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Yeah, game over for you Marc. You love it that I am so flippant about using your image on the internets.


"I do what I want!" (in my best Cartman voice)



SZ
 
Classictruckman, you and EVERY small business in EVERY industry has the same problem. It will be part of your operation to expend on many to gain a view, much like a venture capitalist. You really need to scrutinize the persons motivations to work period and then for you specifically. We all need motivation but it comes from within. What you can do is provide a motivating environment. Does it provide the sort of stimulus your people are looking for? Don't hire someone who's looking for job security and benefits if you don't provide those. Understand exactly what your company does provide and be brave enough to tell someone that you don't offer what they're looking for if that is the case. Avoid hiring out of desperation as that is when we'll talk ourselves into a bad hire.

Employee retention in small companies is always an issue no matter what the industry. Sometimes you need to look outside to find a solution or at least an inspiration.
 
James, what I'd be looking for in a hire is a long-term goal that is in line with the direction of the company. If they are looking for constant advancement then it may be hard to offer in a small business. They have to be in sync with the realities of a company your size and not just looking to get the experience they need to go to someone bigger.
 
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