Dan Puente
Founder and CEO
DP Electric
Tempe, Ariz.
To get people motivated to work together as a team, you must start with the right people in the right places. Involve them in the process from the beginning with full transparency and a clear direction of the goal. Then incentivize them to achieve that goal and celebrate their accomplishments.
Although that may seem quite simple, it is not because people are not machines; they all have personal strengths and weaknesses. At DP Electric, we get to know the person and harness their strengths and help shore up their weaknesses. We do that with honest communication and accountability through our employee development program. As we build trust through actions and dependability, the core of the person shines through because the ego is pushed aside.
When all of this is accomplished, there is no need for constant motivation. They are self-motivated, and the synergy is empowering.
DP Electric is built on these principles. Many of our team members have grown with the company and their dedication and loyalty have helped shape DP Electric for the past 28 years.
Chris Spach
President/CEO
SouthCon Building Group, LLC
Mount Pleasant, S.C.
Any organization not focused on a common objective can never truly perform as a team. To foster a culture of teamwork, it is important to identify and give meaning to what the team strives to accomplish. This game plan can be created via a mission statement, company philosophy or a purpose statement.
First, leadership must create an organizational structure conducive to teamwork. Collaboration within the vertical and horizontal organizational structure should not only be encouraged, but also expected. Employees should be equipped with the tools, resources and support needed to excel in their respective positions.
Next, operational goals and requirements should be clearly understood and embraced by all, regardless of position or title. As individuals work to achieve stated objectives, we must acknowledge and celebrate their contribution to the company’s overall performance (e.g., recognizing a supervisor for achieving project completion with no recordable incidents).
While much of this is common sense, we sometimes lose focus on what’s important. Mastery of the fundamentals is key to success.
Joe Barbone
President & CEO
Methuen Construction Co., Inc.
Plaistow, N.H.
Successful companies create a culture of inclusion, transparency, honest communication and empowerment among employees, whom we refer to as teammates.
We offer our teammates a regular glimpse at the bigger picture to show them how their actions, decision-making and overall performance have a positive and meaningful impact. We accomplish this through a variety of means, including companywide meetings where we reinforce our vision and goals while providing an opportunity to reconnect on a personal level.
When we invest in our teammates, they in turn invest in us, each other and our future. We encourage all teammates to partner with their managers and our internal training and development specialist to produce customized career development plans that meet their individual goals and prepare them to play an active role in Methuen’s future success.
In addition, our leadership development program helps create the ownership and accountability traits that solid teams possess. It also helps bring our teammates closer together and promotes collaboration on challenging issues.
Joanna Masterson. Reprinted from ConstructionExec.com, August 30, 2018, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.
