Reduce employee turnover, reduce safety incident rates, attract better employees and increase profit. I am sure that most automotive recycling owners and managers would jump at this combination of win, win, win and win!
I can hear the doubters now; in this industry it won’t work, it will cost too much money, I haven’t got the time and many more objections.
Before we start outlining our ideas lets be honest. This will not be an easy fix, it will take time, commitment and some cash, but the benefits far outweigh the investment that is put in.
We are talking here about Servant Leadership.
In a nutshell, Servant Leadership is described as helping your team (or your staff) be the best that they can be.
Many assume that you cannot serve and lead at the same time, but you can. This concept has been around for 2000 years but came into prominence when Robert K Greenleaf published ‘The Servant as a Leader’ in 1970.
Lets split this into two parts:
Servant - this is an implementation or operational role
Leadership - this is a strategic or visionary role
All good leadership starts with a vision that outlines the purpose of the business, a picture of where the business is going and the values that will guide the business on its journey. This role is very much the traditional pyramid shaped hierarchy, with the bosses at the top of the pyramid and the staff cascading down to the base - it is clear who works for whom and who is responsible.
The servant part flips the pyramid upside down, this puts the customer contact people (and the customers) at the top of the organisation and the boss now becomes the least important person in the business because it is now the customers and the customer facing staff who are the most important and the bosses now have to work for the customers and the staff.
Implemented properly the benefits are massive; employee retention rates rise, staff are happier and satisfied with their work, because staff are happier the customers are better served, happier customers return for more purchases, people want to come and work for the business and profits are lifted.
Waste Connections in the USA were losing over 40% of their employees each year, many of them voluntarily leaving. They introduced a significant change to the management culture of the business that was based on Servant Leadership and over 5 years saw employee turnover rate drop from over 40% to 17%, and safety incident rates drop by 40%, over the same period they saw earnings rise, and Waste Connections became a place where people wanted to be rather than had to be, and they also attracted better employees because of the great culture in the business.
Want to know more - come to the Salvage Insight Launch Day on Wednesday 17 June at Stonebridge Golf Centre, Meriden, Coventry, where Peter Judd, Head of Salvage Insight, can tell you all you need to know.
Full details, please contact Salvage Insight via andy@salvagewire.com
