People - Execution Excellence Part I
As the level of activity within the energy industry begins to rise, hiring managers have a unique opportunity to make a dramatic, positive impact to their company. This is an opportunity to rethink, retool and rebuild how work is performed. Automation is only one part of the equation. People, process and tools are the formula to delivering exceptional productivity and quality.
The scale of team rebuilding that will be required in the coming year is unprecedented in the industry. Therefore, hiring manages need to take advantage of this opportunity. Building a highly productive team requires instinct, analytical thinking, patience and bold action.
Reviewing resumes, interviewing, selecting and hiring a new employee are only the first steps in the multifaceted process of building a highly productive team. An experienced manager knows the few hours spent reviewing a resume and interviewing is not enough time to truly assess and define what kind of employee any candidate will become. Only after working alongside, observing interactions & behaviors and evaluating work quality & productivity can a manager have an accurate perspective of a new employee. This approach provides the opportunity to reassess first impressions. Time is required to assess the strengths and weaknesses of individual team members. Time is required to better understand what motivates and impedes individual team members.
Upon assessing their team, one should not limit roles and assignments based on resumes. A good manager creates opportunities and encourages staff to grow, develop and advance. New team members bring different skillsets and experiences, which are assets to be capitalized upon. Managers and staff should not be afraid to fail, provided they fail forward and learn from the experience. Encouraging team input and adjusting or adopting new technology and processes can lead to step-change improvements for the company.
As previously mentioned, process and tools are equally critical to delivering exceptional productivity and quality. A good process without proper documentation and training is incomplete and potentially not repeatable. Effective deliverable production requires automation tools to be competitive in today’s market. Future posts will focus on these latter pillars of executional excellence.
