April, 2007

No Wooden Ceiling

Tell your employees advancement in this industry is all up to them.

By Steve Easley

One of the best-kept secrets in the lumber and building supply industry is that there is no limit as to how high a person can go professionally; the potential of an individual depends only on them.

I know that the concept of a person being in charge of his or her own growth is not a new finding for any business. However, for us, retaining empowered employee partners begins when they—and we—realize that career advancement is a very real possibility.

When presenting programs, I usually ask the question, “Would those people who are currently doing a different job or holding a different position than they were hired to do raise your hand?” The number of hands in the air is always astounding!

The ability to become “all that you can be” in our industry is a great motivator and retention tool.  It’s important that our folks know that they too can ascend to any position in the company. It is an earmark of our business.

Many times, we actually spend more time at work than at home. Knowing that, why wouldn’t we want our workplace to be a bastion of opportunity? Why wouldn’t we want our future to be in our own hands?

It is important for the gang to know that Mr./Ms. Manager was not just born into that position. Consider how it would improve peoples’ thinking if they knew what upward mobility looked like, and understood both how possible it is, and what it takes in terms of commitment, energy, vision, and positive thought, instead of fault-finding, excuse-making, and complaining.

Share the road to leadership with others in your companies. You can do this at an employee meeting or in any company forum that you have for honest information sharing. Help your employees understand that the concept of “no wooden ceilings” could be as real for them as it was for you.

Let your workforce know how and where you started.  Go around the room with everyone and let them hear the stories and history of the leaders. Let the new hires and hopefuls gain confidence as they hear of opportunity, empowerment, and the manifesting of their own personal destiny.

My own story is a good example.  I was hired into our industry as a bin stocker. I moved on to the receiving department and headed that up before I hopped over to driving trucks. I took my turn at load building, which then allowed me to become a yard foreman. All those jobs rounded me out enough to become production manager. An opportunity for operations manager came up and I was chosen and given office personnel as a kicker. Those positions set me up to take advantage of opportunities and become the manager of the company.

My story is not an oddity; it is the norm for our industry, which provides for growth and advancement depending in large part on the person themselves.

Let the possible future be known, and let your employees know that that future is for every person to sculpt by their skills, talents, and work ethic. Thinking like an owner and knowing and believing that there are “no wooden ceilings” in this industry is a truth worth touting.

We work hard to find quality people, so arm them with the knowledge that their positions do not necessarily equal their destiny, but that any position can be a stepping stone on the path to success.

Get the team involved and explain how lucky they are to be in this industry, lest they not realize that and move on to another. You have worked hard and gained growth and wealth by doing precisely what your employees are now being asked to do.  They can reach for the stars too because it is all there for them to grasp.

If I can help, just holler.