How company culture took us from $2 Million and BEYOND

How company culture took us from $2 Million and BEYOND Art Johnson Canstar Restorations

Meager Beginnings

Today’s Numbers • 180 Personnel • 70 vehicles • 75,000 square feet in 3 locations • Water, Contents, Construction, Hazmat. • Esporta • Fireline • Water Out

Our Locations

We knew that Canstar’s culture began with the management. Your management style • “Good to Great’s” Level 5 leadership • It’s in your blood with passion. • As one of our staff said “He was a good guy first and then he proved to be a good boss later” • Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance? Lou Gerstner • Level 1 to 5 • A clear vision and mission based on values. • What does the future hold for the company? • A business built with direction…not always that way.

Is your “handshake” worth it’s salt? • You have to inspire trust, and once you earn people's trust, you have permission to do some amazing things. Trust gives you the permission to give people direction, get everyone aligned, and give them the energy to go get the job done. Trust enables you to execute with excellence and produce extraordinary results. As you execute with excellence and deliver on your commitments, trust becomes easier to inspire, creating a flywheel of performance.

We determine the Brand.

Rule #1Where are we going?What are we going to build? “Begin with the end in mind.” Stephen Covey

10 Canstar Restorations 6/5/2014

What Do We Want to Be? • No interest in being the biggest…. Just the BEST…. Mission Statement: To be recognized by our clients, our competitors, our peers, our suppliers, and ourselves as being the best in the industry and continually moving toward excellence in everything we do.

Management has to set the pace • You have to engage in the work, and when the challenge gets bigger, you have to pick your game up a notch. • You can't have your tail between your legs, saying, "Woe is me. It's a difficult recession. I don't know what I'm going to do." Who wants to follow a leader with that kind of perspective?

Develop a strong culture. "I used to think culture was part of the game. Now I realize it is the whole game." Lou Gerstner CEO IBM 1993-2000. Everyone must live this culture or it will receive ridicule. It must be true. But Culture is unique to each leader.

Secrets to a Strong Culture • The world's most successful companies live by a clear set of core values. • Put your core values in writing to ensure that everyone is on the same page. • Keep your core values clearly in front of your people and customers at all times, and find ways to make them real. • Your core values should reflect what makes your company unique and distinct. • There’s no magic number of core values you need.

Secrets to a Strong Culture • Implement ways to hold everyone accountable to following and preserving these values. • Make certain that every business decision is guided by your core values. • Come up with a way to reward those employees and teams who best exemplify what your company stands for. • Your core values should include such ideals as listening to your customers, having an open door, rewarding hard work, creating a fun and friendly place to work-in, showing respect for on another.

We will smile for our team, our clients, and ourselves. We will answer the phone in a timely and courteous manner. We will ensure no project is so urgent or important that we neglect safety. We will recognize ourselves as “Ladies and Gentleman” serving “Ladies and Gentleman”. We will recognize the strengths in each individual. We will own every problem until a solution is found. We will strive to understand and be understood, before we act. We will base all of our decisions our values; what is best for our Clients, our Team, and our Company. We will create “cheerleaders”, not simply “satisfied customers”. We will know the team and the company standards have been met when the tick list items are complete. We will stay committed to the security, growth, and goals of each other. We will reflect our mission statement in everything we do. Our Credo

“CREATE A CHEERLEADER AND EVERYTHING ELSE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF” Everyone needs to know how we feel about the customer

A Culture of Respect for the Customer Happy employees create cheerleader customers” • According to one Stat, • 1 percent die • 3 percent move away • 5 percent develop other relationships • 9 percent leave for competitive reasons • 14 percent are dissatisfied with the product • 68 percent go elsewhere because of the poor way they were treated by employees of the company, do you think our employees know this? Posted everywhere.

Someone to share our “Culture of Respect” with Someone to transform into a “Cheerleader” The most important people walking through the door or calling on the phone Not dependant on the company but the company dependant on them Not an interruption of work, but the purpose of it Not an outsider to the business, but a part of it Not cold statistics, or a name on a work order, but are human beings with flesh and blood, likes and dislikes People who bring their wants and needs to us to fulfill and address Canstar’sView of our Customer

A Culture of Respect Internally We are going to talk about another contributor toward our growth. • It’s really, “All about the People”. • Not just any people, but the RIGHTpeople. • But how can you attracted the right people? • And once you have them aboard, keep them there. • Our culture goes well beyond our clients: If you take care of your internal customers everything else looks after itself

To Start with, Hire Right • Selection process • Interviews • Reference checks • Personality profiles (Predix) • Don’t settle • It’s more about the character than the skill

Choose the Right People Your objective? • To hire individuals with the right character that truly are talented, engaged, focused, and superior in the right role. The right people on the bus! • EVERYTIME you move performance of any single job from “average” to “superior” you see a measurable financial impact by boosting productivity.

Have you ever hired or promoted people who were not what they appeared to be?

Have you ever hired or promoted someone who greatly exceeded your expectations?

What was different about the method used to hire these people? What was different about the method used to hire these people?

Here is what you see when you hire and promote…

Here iswhat you get!

Failing to hire right can cause dysfunction.

Put The Right People on the BusThe Fit Test They must: • Share the core values of the organization • You can’t make or create them • Scorpion • You must find and expose their core values • Opened ended questions • They must pass the mars test • Would they carry on the core values

The Interview Continues… They must: • Be the type that do not need constant management • Guide, teach, and lead. • They should take over from there. • “The One Minute Manager” • Set One-Minute Goals to ensure that your people understand perfectly what their duties are, what is expected of them and that there are no surprises. • Give One-Minute Praise. Let the people know when they are doing the right thing or when they are doing something right. • Give One-Minute Reprimands. Do it immediately and talk only about the incorrect behavior only, not the people personally.

Closer to the Right Person… In the seat they hold? • They have the potential to become the very best in the industry? • They already possess the talent. • Could they go out on their own and do well.

Choose the Right People For them: • It’s more than a job, it’s a responsibility? • They have a broader perspective of the job? • They are not “On or off “the clock, they’re there to fill a hole, and they fill it. • Your interview, with the right open-ended questions, should reveal this.

On Finding the Right Ones. • Money doesn’t keep them • Scale of 1 – 10 • Unless, the people have quit but haven’t left, then it’s all about the money, • So the company must act to keep the good ones • It works at keeping them aboard by keeping them totally engaged…..

The Value of Engagement According to Gallup, true engagement results in: 27% less absenteeism 31% less turnover 51% less shrinkage 62% more accidents Engaged employees make “Cheerleader Customers”

The Orientation • Welcome aboard, What’s your story • Canstar’s journey, story • How Canstar feels about the customer • Video • Our culture of respect • Worthwhile work • Respect for their brains • Cheering each other on. How to create cheerleaders

Steps Toward Engagement • Most owners and managers know that strong relationships and frequent praise are vital ingredients of a healthy workplace • Knowing their name and their story is a great compliment and a demonstration of respect.

Steps That we take to promote Engagement • We know that people don’t quit the company they quit the manager. • First, Break All The Rules: • Provides the measuring stick for both you and your managers in management performance resulting in employee engagement and retention.

“Breaking All The Rules” helps keep them engaged. Key Ideas: The best managers reject conventional wisdom: • The best managers treat every employee as an individual. • The best managers never try to fix weaknesses; instead they focus on strengths and talent. • The best managers know they are on stage everyday. They know their people are watching every move they make. • The best managers know that people leave their immediate managers, not the companies they work for. • They know that measuring employee satisfaction with their direct manager is vital information for their company and its future success. • The best managers are those that build a work environment where the employees answer positively to these 12 questions:

First, Break All the Rules • The answers to these questions effect four different outcomes: • Productivity • Profit • Retention • And customer service All results due to engaged employees.

The Twelve Questions • Do I know what is expected of me at work? • Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right? • At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day? • In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work? • Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person? • Is there someone at work who encourages my development?

Continued…. • At work, do my opinions seem to matter? • Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important? • Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work? • Do I have a best friend at work? • In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress? • This last year, have I had opportunities at work to learn and grow?

How to achieve the best results. • Truly engaged employees are motivated to perform? • What do you need to do to achieve 5s?

#1 I know what is expected of me at work. • Orientation • Policies and procedures • Job descriptions • Customer service goals • Goals & Vision (Aircraft Carrier) Effects all 4 outcome objectives.

#2 I have the materials and the equipment I need to do my work right. • Tools? • Tools they were exposed to at school? • Tradeshows. • Equipment? • Disposition? Reduces frustration and shows we care Productivity, Profit, Retention

#3 I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day. • Does the work continue to be challenging • Does my manager know what I do best? • Have they asked me or noticed what I enjoy doing? • Are YOU identifying their strengths? • Are they exposed to different opportunities? Retention, Profit

#4 In the last seven days, I have received recognition or praise for doing good work. • Gung Ho • Are they being cheered on? • Are their talents being recognized? • Is it meaningful and honest? • What works for one does not mean it works for everyone. Productivity, Profit, Retention

Good Managers recognize the basic needs. • Without satisfying an employee’s basic needs first, a manager can never expect the employee to be engaged or give stellar performance. The basic needs are: • knowing what is expected of the employee at work, • giving them the equipment and support to do their work right, • answering their basic questions of self-worth and self-esteem by giving praise for good work and, caring about their development as a person.

#5 My manager seems to care about me as a person. • Fish philosophy • What do you know about them, their families, their lives? • Are you really listening • Are you scouting for their advancement opportunities? • Do you have their interests and goals at heart? • Do they feel that they have a coach? Retention, Productivity

#6 There is someone at work who encourages my development? All of us have had someone in our life that saw more in us than we saw in ourselves. • Do you know their strengths and talents so that you can match them to the right seat? • Is the future of the company and it’s vision clear to you? • Do you see where they fit into the vision? Retention, Productivity, Profit

How company culture took us from $2 Million and BEYOND