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Insights, innovative ideas, and best practices for Truck Driver Retention

What Can You Learn from Drivers Who Don’t Take the Job?

Nothing is more frustrating than spending time, money, and resources on recruiting a driver, taking them through the application process, running the proper background checks, and then offering them the job, only to have them turn you down for another carrier. Did someone make them a better offer? Could the recruiter have done anything different to keep their interest? Why did they continue through the entire process only to then decide not to choose your fleet? All too often these questions are left unanswered. What kinds of things can you learn from drivers who do not take your job offer, and what is the best way to find them out?

As the pioneering company for the phone-based exit interview and the first to market these services in the trucking industry, People Element (formerly Strategic Programs) developed a niche for reaching drivers after they quit and understand why they left, helping their former employers take action and improve turnover. Using this same methodology, we were able to develop something we called a Recruiting Fallout Study to determine why drivers did not accept an offer, why they quit the application process, and why they did not show up for orientation. Think of it as an exit interview from the recruiting process.

Taking a former driver candidate through a recruiting process exit interview can reveal the following information:

Why did they accept another position? Which company beat you out? Why did they feel the other company had a better offer?
Why did they quit the application/recruiting process? Did something scare them away? Did another company move faster while they were eager for work?
Why did they not show up to orientation? Why the last minute cold feet? Will they consider rescheduling for a new orientation date?
What was the experience like with the recruiter? Were they perceived to be honest? Were they timely in moving the process along? Did they build a relationship? Did they establish trust?
How do prospective drivers view the recruiting process at your fleet? Is it too long? Too short?
How do drivers view your pay plan, benefits, mileage offerings, etc.?
How do drivers view your opportunities compared to other fleets?
How is your company perceived in the eyes of prospective drivers?
Are you setting realistic expectations?
Are they happy with their decision? If not, will they consider coming back to give your fleet a try?

With all of the data available in your applicant tracking system such as Tenstreet or EBE, you have the ability to look at this information by recruiter, by previous experience, by geography, etc. to determine if any trends appear by the various demographics and how you can adjust your recruiting strategy accordingly. You will be able to coach each recruiter on their own individual opportunities to improve as well as addressing the overall strategy for the entire department.

Given the high demand and low availability of drivers, sharpening the pencil on your recruiting practices is more important than ever. Given the increasing costs of driver recruiting, why not maximize your investment and learn from those who did not take the job to make sure you do not make the same errors again moving forward? A small investment to learn from past mistakes will keep your company competitive in the tight driver recruiting market in the future.

Are Your Driver Managers Dictating or Managing?

It’s no mystery that quality driver managers pay off in the form of productive, safe drivers who will stay with your company. But how will you know if someone will be a quality manager before they take the role? Should they be a former driver, or someone without driving experience? A recent graduate that can be trained, or someone that already has management experience? The answer is that any of these can be effective managers just as long as personality and proper training are taken into account.

In addition to the hard skills required by managers such as how to dispatch, using internal systems, and making sure drivers are staying safe and productive, they must also have the soft skills necessary to manage the driver-manager relationship since this can have such a big impact on the driver retention. While some fleets realize this and actively invest in their managers with regular soft skills training, a large number of fleets still do not. Studies conducted by us at People Element support the connection between strong driver manager relationships and driver retention, so why don’t more fleets invest in soft skill training?

The answer has to do with management style. We often see that many driver managers who dictate are highly productive, and earn appreciation by their superiors for their efficiencies. Many of these managers’ drivers are fine with how they treat them as they help them make money and get them home when needed. While this works for some drivers, it does not work for everyone. When hearing the recommendation of needing to spend more time building relationships with their drivers, these managers often respond by saying “We don’t have time to do that.” Yet, we find that the high performing companies we have worked with have one thing in common in that they instead make the time to build these critical relationships.

While going over personality test results with a group of driver mangers in one of our training sessions, one of the managers, who happened to have high turnover, once asked, “Why is this important? This doesn’t work for me and isn’t how I run my drivers.” While his high dominant and direct personality had results-oriented attitude and he had productive drivers, he was not aware of how his dictatorial style made drivers feel, and that he did not adjust to those drivers who were not comfortable with how he made them feel. This is where the power of the AND comes into play…he can be a productive driver manager AND build good relationships, many just do not know how.

In looking at data from another client, we could see that the longer a driver stayed with the same driver manger, the more productive the drivers. However, this company had operations manager turnover above 30%. When looking at drivers who quit this company, there was frequent dissatisfaction with getting enough feedback on performance and with feeling confident that their driver manager understood the problems they faced while on the road.

So what are the takeaways?

The best driver managers are empathetic and can relate to what a driver goes through out on the road. Former drivers are great at this and managers who were not drivers could benefit from a ride-along or some sort of training to see what it is really like out on the road.

Driver managers who have management experience are often great at building relationships and making new drivers feel welcome. Sometimes the pressure of the job can force their style to be more dictatorial.

Training driver managers on how to build trust, resolve conflict, and relate to what their drivers face daily is an invaluable investment. The top drivers managers we have seen are trustworthy, follow up on time, never let conflict hang, and help their drivers be productive. Try collecting best practices from your top performing managers and sharing them with new and current managers who might be lower performers. When is the last time you did that?

Helping a former driver with some of the managerial skills they may have not developed and helping someone with previous management experience develop the taste for trucking they may not have developed are equally as valuable.

Many of our clients in other industries have leaders over areas like Organizational Development, Talent Development, Leadership Development, and Organizational Learning. While we wouldn’t expect to see these in too many trucking companies, we hope to see more trucking companies investing by developing their managers, which will lead to drivers being happier, safer, and willing to stay with the company longer.

Three Communication Techniques to Improve Driver Relations

communication-techniques-to-improve-driver-relations We often hear about communication in the workplace, but it’s usually within the context of an office environment. What about the significant portion of our workforce that is involved in non-office occupations, such as trucking? Discussing methods to improve email communications or team meetings loses some of its luster when you realize a considerable portion of a transportation company’s workforce is on the road most of the time. So what does work?

Well, in the past we have discussed the importance of feedback and having an open door policy, but today we are going to look at a few other ideas to engage our drivers.

Building Trust

When it comes to communication, it needs a basic foundation of trust to be received. If that trust isn’t there, then people will consciously or unconsciously filter what they hear. I can vividly remember picking up a group of workers from another organization. The former employer had treated the employees poorly, which meant nothing that I said or did was fully registering with them. It wasn’t until much later that those bonds of trust began to form and we were able to truly realize the value of those employees.

The sheer impact of distrust is especially painful in the trucking industry.

“[Most] drivers don’t trust that the company cares about them. People feel like their voices are being lost and their concerns aren’t acknowledged,” said Rim Yurkus, CEO of Strategic Programs, Inc.

One of the best ways to build trust early on is to meet with new drivers and establish expectations on both ends. What does your driver expect from you? What do you expect from them? Having this conversation with each new driver goes a long way toward building trust. Another great way to build trust is by determining best methods for communication. More on that next.

Use Their Language

I’ll never forget the time I observed a Vice President addressing a group of our front line workers. He was using jargon and complex language that might be fine for the board room, but the workers weren’t getting it. In the end, he ended up alienating more people than he reached with the act.

Think about the drivers on your team. How do they talk? What is important to them? Discuss those things. This isn’t necessarily a call to “dumb down” what you’re saying–it’s a suggestion to engage them by using the communication style they are comfortable with.

According to Megan Younkin, a consultant at Strategic Programs, “Speaking to someone in a style that’s comfortable for you but that clashes with theirs can be detrimental to relationships. I’ve had experiences where I’ve felt intimidated by the way people talk to me, which makes me not want to interact with them. The person wasn’t trying to intimidate; it’s just the way they communicate.”

This might not always come easily, but it can pay dividends in the long run.

“Working out these issues and putting effort in to how to speak with people who have different communication styles is well worth the effort,” added Younkin.

Be Curious

One of the greatest pieces of leadership advice I ever received was to be genuinely curious about my people and the work they did. This is not an excuse for micromanagement or being overbearing. Instead, it’s a way to get more insight into what motivates people, what they find interesting, and how you can best engage with them.

The book Turn The Ship Around provides an excellent illustration of this concept. The lowest-rated submarine crew in the US Navy received a new captain, and his management style was to encourage autonomy while asking helpful questions to allow people to come to their own conclusions. His natural curiosity and friendly manner helped to abate any potential sense of micromanagement while still getting results. Just a short time after the new captain took charge, the vessel received high ratings for its performance, a testament to the value that comes from this type of communication style.

Each of these is a helpful piece of advice in its own right, but when combined, you can quickly see how the synergy can play out. Being naturally curious about your team’s work will build trust over time. And through that exercise and interaction, you’ll brush up on their language and preferred communication styles, honing the relationship and engaging staff in new ways. The end result is a better connection between your leaders and drivers.

Maintaining Strategic Contact for Driver Retention

Regardless of the industry or the profession, it’s human nature for employees to want someone at work to care about their well-being, and to be invested in how they’re doing. The need for that sense of connection, or a listening ear, is especially relevant when we’re at a new job, or working for a new company. Navigating a new organization and connecting with a new manager can be a welcome change – but it can also be difficult.

It was through his discussions with trucking companies that Rim Yurkus, founder of Strategic Programs, Inc., identified the need for conducting new driver check-ins.These check-ins are part of a strategic contact initiative, in which a company works with a third party to contact drivers at strategic points in the employee lifecycle to gather insights and information about their experience.

Identifying new driver pain points

In working with over 70 trucking companies, Strategic Programs has identified the pain points for new drivers that lead to high rates of turnover. Some of these pain points might sound familiar:

Insufficient new driver orientation
A feeling that the driver is “just a number”
Frustration over problems with getting paid correctly or on time
Communication issues with managers

If these pain points aren’t addressed within the first few months of an driver’s hire, they can lead to low morale, unproductive drivers, and high rates of turnover.

Using strategic contact

Proactively addressing those pain points is how strategic contact comes into play. These strategically timed check-ins are designed to answer driver questions, build relationships, and gather retention data during the first six months of the employee life cycle.

Ideally, new drivers would have these conversations with their new manager. Unfortunately, they may not feel comfortable bringing up problems or issues in the first few months after they’ve been hired. Or, the manager may not be a skilled communicator. That’s when unresolved issues and unanswered new driver questions become larger problems.

If they’re not going to talk with a manager, who can a new driver talk to about an issue? Strategic Programs has found that a third party “retention agent”, who maintains contact with a new driver over the course of six months, is critical for a strategic contact program’s success. The retention agent serves as an impartial, confidential, and dedicated contact for the new driver.

Engaging drivers

Strategic contact helps trucking companies retain new drivers by providing a dedicated contact with whom the driver can connect during those critical points in the employee lifecycle – points when the driver is deciding whether or not to stay with the company. Connecting with employees at these times provides a baseline of quantitative data based on responses to standard survey questions, as well as qualitative data based on personal comments and feedback from drivers.

Let’s consider what strategic contact might look like in the first few months of hire for a new driver.

Month 1: This is when the retention agent can ask if the driver has any questions about the company, confirm that he or she feels welcome in the organization, and received necessary orientation materials.

Strategic contact outcomes:

The driver feels welcomed, establishes a personal connection, can bring up any unanswered questions, and understands that he or she is indeed more than a number in the eyes of the company. In addition, positive or negative themes about the onboarding and orientation experience may be identified and addressed.

Month 2: By the second month, the new driver will have received at least a few paychecks. This is an opportunity for the retention agent to address a common pain point by confirming that the payroll process is working and the driver is receiving accurate and timely pay.

Strategic contact outcomes: If there are issues, the driver can provide feedback about the payroll process which the company can use to make adjustments as needed. By the second conversation, the retention agent and the driver are starting to build a rapport which is invaluable in terms of increasing driver engagement.

Month 3: At this point, the driver is more acclimated to the new work environment. In addition to the standard survey questions, a check-in might involve questions or a discussion about the driver’s manager, whether or not the driver is content with the workload, and overall job satisfaction.

Strategic contact outcomes: By the third month the driver and the retention agent have built, in most cases, a working relationship. The driver may feel comfortable enough to openly share any frustrations. The simple act of blowing off that steam can make a huge difference in terms of driver satisfaction.

At the core of a strategic contact program is the value of establishing an immediate and trusted connection with a new hire.

Improving retention

Waiting too long to have strategic contact, or making infrequent contact, won’t help trucking companies prevent turnover. It’s consistent, strategic contact within the first six months after hire that helps prevent drivers from quitting.

When drivers have strategic contact with a third-party retention agent, they build a relationship through which they communicate about life, about work, and about what they’re experiencing as new drivers.

As part of the strategic contact, new drivers also answer standard survey questions. The responses to these questions inform and identify organizational trends, but they also help drivers keep the bigger picture in mind. In their conversation with the retention agent, a driver may be focused on an issue he or she is having at work. However, after discussing the issue and answering the general survey questions, drivers often realize that the job isn’t all that bad. Sure, there was that (now seemingly minor) scheduling issue, but after answering the survey questions, the driver may be reminded that compensation, equipment quality, and communications are meeting – or exceeding – the driver’s expectations.

Creating connections

Bottom line: strategic contact demonstrates that your company cares about the well-being of your drivers. The check-in serves to create a sense of connection, address pain points, and provide a listening ear just when it’s need most.

But drivers aren’t the only ones who benefit from strategic contact. With talent shortages rising each year, strategic contact programs are quickly becoming a key differentiator for companies that want to retain their drivers. Through strategic contact, companies obtain valuable, actionable data about new driver pain points and potential retention risks.

One strategic contact might just save you from losing a new hire, and that’s a pain point we all want to avoid.

How Nussbaum Transportation Takes a Different Approach to Employee Engagement

In this article we explore how Nussbaum Transportation achieves low turnover and an engaged workforce while facing some of the biggest challenges in the industry.

How to Integrate Exit Survey Insights Into Your Driver Hiring Process

truck-driver-retention-how-to-integrate-exit-survey-insights-into-your-driver-hiring-process

Drivers leaving their jobs is a reality that every trucking company will face in the year ahead; in fact, the numbers are increasing across the industry and people are quitting at alarming rates. According to the American Trucking Associations, turnover at companies has risen above 90 percent and has been above that mark for more than nine consecutive quarters, leaving up to 40,000 unfilled jobs with for-hire carriers.

As of April 2015, it was reported that small truckload carriers faced a 95 percent turnover rate while large truckload carriers were at 96 percent. Considering that the nationwide quit rate for all industries was only at 2 percent, it creates an interesting challenge for trucking companies to deal with. Megan Younkin, one of our Strategic Programs, Inc. consultants, explains that an important way to combat the challenge is by taking advantage of the exit surveys that employees complete when leaving.

While many people may think of these exit surveys chiefly as a way to find out why a driver wasn’t happy, a savvy company will use the information to make changes and improve the culture to keep other drivers happy and from following suit.

A Helpful Tool

An exit survey can be conducted either face-to-face, on the phone, online, or in the form of a written survey. The most accurate exit information comes from using an independent 3^rd party to conduct the interview to put the respondent at ease. Drivers will not feel pressure to change the answers or spare the company’s feelings that may occur with an in-person format. An additional benefit to using a third-party is that when the survey is conducted by phone the interviewer can ask follow-up questions to gain more insight into a leaving driver’s answers.

Exit surveys can provide value to an organization in many ways:

Manage turnover by retaining high performers
Re-recruit regrettable exits and save money
Identify criteria that contribute to driver satisfaction
Document trends and provide historical data to direct change
Identify “red flag” early warnings to avoid possible litigation or compliance issues

Why Drivers Leave

It’s no surprise that compensation is the reason that most drivers leave. At Strategic Programs, our research shows that 32 percent of all people who quit cite money and perks as the No. 1 reason for going. But there’s plenty of other issues that cause people to leave a company. Everything from needing more home time (13 percent) to problems with company policy and procedure (8 percent) to lack of career opportunity (3 percent).

“When we look at why drivers are leaving, one important thing to distinguish up front is the difference between problems that need fixing and perceptions that need managing.” Younkin says. “If we look at drivers’ open-ended feedback, we can identify those differences and create action in the form of problem-solving or communication to adjust perceptions. Most fleets don’t need a complete compensation overhaul, they need better communication about compensation packages.”

Taking Action to Prevent Issues

A lot of these issues can be sniffed out during the hiring and onboarding phase. If everything is clear up front and all major topics discussed so there are no surprises for the driver, the number of people leaving their jobs may start to decrease. For instance 10 percent of respondents to exit interviews name dispatch and load planning as a major reason for leaving. The problem that gets talked about in exit interviews are that drivers weren’t aware that there would be lots of downtime between loads, or that they weren’t presented an accurate assessment of how dispatch worked.

Had these been clear up front in the hiring process and employees had their questions about these topics answered then, they would have understood the way the process worked and it wouldn’t have caused an issue of dissatisfaction. That’s just one way for a driver manager to use an exit interview to his or her advantage.

Not getting proper recognition or appreciation is another area that drivers list as a reason for going elsewhere. This problem can easily be alleviated by management simply making a call and letting a worker know he or she is doing a good job. Sure, perks for a job well done are always welcome, but sometimes just a simple pat on the back and some kind words is all a driver needs to feel appreciated.

Keep in mind that almost every problem that results in someone quitting a job has some sort of solution that could better the situation. Even if it’s a problem that can’t be fixed right away, just knowing about the issue and increasing communications about the problem can help to manage perceptions about the issue and keep others from leaving. By communicating to your drivers that you are aware of the issue and are looking for a solution, you can help with future retention numbers.

Exit surveys can be a trucking company’s best friend if used correctly. By taking action on the data collected, the insights gleaned will keep more drivers happy and less walking out the door.

5 Benefits of Driver Surveys That Have Nothing to Do with Turnover

Truck Driver Survey Benefits

It’s no surprise to anyone in the trucking industry that the demand for drivers remains strong, with Fleet Owner quantifying the problem at the end of 2014 with a story about driver shortages hovering around 30,000.

A competitive job environment means there’s plenty of opportunities for to go elsewhere if they’re not happy, which is why keeping turnover at bay is an important component to any trucking company’s success. That’s where driver surveys come in.

While many companies might think of surveys strictly as exit interviews, more savvy leaders understand that by gathering the opinions and thoughts of the current workforce, the company can respond to an issue before it becomes a problem.

Megan Younkin, one of our Strategic Programs, Inc. consultants, explains how surveys include drivers across the entire lifecycle, including new hires, long-time employees, and those who are exiting, to get a crystal clear picture of the workforce environment. From those surveys, they design customized assessments for individuals and organizations, implementing data-driven action plans, and measuring results.

“We collect feedback from employees to help businesses make decisions about their workforce that can and will affect their future going forward,” she says. “We give them the perceptions employees have to make better decisions.”

Profitability

Survey methodology has helped numerous trucking companies in their journey from good to great, by informing them of how employees truly feel about the company and what can be done to improve recruiting and retention.

“We don’t say that we decrease turnover because there’s so many factors, but what we do is make recommendations for making improvements, and those improvements could potentially lead people to not exit the organization,” she says. “There’s a cost per person of leaving an organization, and if we can make a recommendation to help business change something that one person is satisfied enough to stay and they were going to leave, it could save the business anywhere between $5,000 and $60,000 depending on the organization.”

Process Improvement

When it comes to process improvement, a survey can be a company’s best friend. Our survey aims to find an item where people are dissatisfied, look at all the processes involved and discover why it isn’t working and how a company can best create a solution.

For example, recently, a trucking company called on Strategic Programs’ services to conduct a current driver engagement survey and one of its chief findings was that drivers felt they weren’t being recognized or appreciated for the work they were doing.

“The leadership team told me that when times were harder and people strapped for time, the time for recognizing people went by the wayside,” Younkin says. “I was able to help them facilitate building back up a process by taking them through a goal-setting process.”

Based on the feedback, now the company aims to recognize at least 10 drivers a week who go above and beyond what they should be doing. Many companies only review driver performance when there is a problem, but a smart strategy would be to hold regular and frequent performance evaluations and be focused on recognition and continuous improvement.

Improve Efficiency

While financial rewards are always nice, trucking companies must consider a wider range of factors to keep qualified drivers happy and contributing to the fleet.

Surveys will show your workforce that:

Their opinion is valued
The company supports them
Things can change for the better
The company cares

“When employees feel they are being listened to and supported, it leads to an intention to stay at a job and job satisfaction rises,” Younkin says. “That in turn, leads to a more efficient workforce.”

Identify Problems

Anyone who’s ever read an exit interview knows that they are usually full of complaints and issues with the company, but Younkin says that sometimes those can be very personal and it’s important to distinguish the problems of one vs. the many.

“Is it one outspoken individual or are 100 people responding in this way? We need to balance both kinds of feedback,” she says. “Just having employers listen to the feedback can boost satisfaction, can boost engagement and boost an intention to stay with an organization.”

That’s why surveys given to current workers and long-time employees often work better in discovering what problems drivers really have and what’s getting them upset.

“We’re not going to guarantee we can reduce turnover but observations and recommendations from outside of the organization can help keep those staying with the company happy and satisfied,” she says. “We can help identify those things leading people to leave an organization and help you find ways to address those reasons.”

That in turn could lead someone to eventually return, and companies can see a decent amount of savings if they can bring someone back on board rather than hiring someone new.

Safety and Performance

Biopsychology research says that if you increase engagement, it will increase safety and decrease absenteeism. That’s just another reason to survey employees.

“We don’t survey for driver performance per se, but what we have done and are likely to do more of, is get metrics from organizations on safety and on performance, and overlay those with their levels of engagement and show how highly-engaged people are more productive and safer,” Younkin says.

Exit surveys are a mixture of 50-60 quantitative questions using a scale of 1-5 (strongly agree to strongly disagree) and questions where people can use their own words to describe their thoughts and feelings about everything from the climate to moral, to their immediate supervisor to training and career development.

The end result? Surveys and other forms of workforce intelligence offer a wide breadth of benefits for trucking companies. In organizations where drivers make up the majority of the workforce, timely input from throughout the organization is key to building a more profitable operation and identifying issues before they become a problem.

You Have Employee Feedback Data… Now What?

Gathering feedback from your drivers and other employees in your organization is becoming the norm within the trucking industry. Organizations are using this data to make improvements just as they use other metrics, such as safety and performance data. Whether you gather workforce intelligence on your own or use a 3rd party, your job is not done once your people have filled out a survey. In fact, that’s where your work begins! Here are five important steps you should take post-survey in order to get the best return on your survey investment:

Prioritize change
When you analyze your employee data, it’s possible to come away with a list a mile long of possible improvements or interventions. If you try to attack them all, you’ll likely accomplish none. I recommend choosing one to three opportunities for improvement to focus on. How do you choose? Ask yourself and your team the following questions:

•    Which opportunities for improvement align with our organizational goals for the year?
•    Which opportunities will give us the best return on our efforts?
•    Which opportunities will impact employee satisfaction and morale the most?
•   Which opportunities are we fully committed to impacting?

Create action plans
Once you’ve prioritized your initiatives down to the top few that you and your team are committed to, it’s time to create an action plan for each. Creating action plans are beneficial because they provide clarity, reduce workplace stressors, increase work performance, and are motivational. I recommend writing action plans around the idea of SMART goals, that is, checking in as you’re creating action plans to make sure what you have is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Time-based. There are templates available online to assist you in creating a SMART action plan for each of your opportunities. Strategic Programs also provides an action planning tool and resources to help you through the process of creating SMART goals.

Communicate survey results to employees
If your employees give you their feedback and then hear nothing afterwards as far as follow-up, they’ll be unlikely to give their feedback again and you may lose some trust and commitment. It’s crucial that you communicate your appreciation for their time and opinions, as well as some level of “what’s next” information based on the survey results. The amount of information you communicate regarding next steps is up to you.

Now that we know why post-survey communication is so important, there are a few things you can decide at any point in the process that will make communication post-survey smooth and efficient:

• Who?
Determine who will write and who will send out the post-survey communication

• What?
Decide how much information you’ll share regarding next steps

• When?
Set a timeline for sending out communication. As soon as possible after data is collected is best.

• Where?
Choose a forum for sending out the feedback. (Newsletter, memo, town hall meeting, etc.)

Cascade the data throughout the organization
Again, the amount of data you share and the transparency of the information are up to the discretion of your organization’s leadership. With that said, I highly encourage you to share as much as you feel comfortable sharing, so that everyone in management and leadership is on the same page with your goals and action plans. As with the communication to employees, determine a process for cascading the information to management. Here are a few suggestions of ways to share the post-survey info with your teams:

Option 1
•   What is going well?
•   What is not going well and is important and actionable?
•   What is not going well that we aren’t taking action on right now?
•   Next steps
Option 2
•   What has improved?
•   What has fallen?
•   What has stayed about the same?
•   Next steps
Option 3
•   What can we leverage?
•   What do we need more information on?
•   What can we improve?
•   Next steps

Track your progress
You have the will and the way, now what? During the creation of your action plans, you should have assigned accountability for seeing the plans through. I also encourage you to assign someone to check in on the status of all of the action plans, to help hold people accountable. This can be someone internally, or a partner outside your organization who you trust to check in and hold people accountable. As a consultant, I am frequently asked to partner with clients on accountability after reporting survey results and analysis or facilitating action planning sessions. One of the best motivators for sticking to your plans is to re-survey your employees in 12-18 months, to see where movement has occurred based on your plans and initiatives.

If you would like to hear more on this subject, I’ll be facilitating a workshop at the TCA’s upcoming Recruiting and Retention convention in Nashville, TN February 5th & 6th, 2015. I’ll be speaking in conjunction with a carrier member and sharing best practices from organizations I’ve worked with who have had great success in this area.

Holiday Greetings and a Cheesy Poem

T’was the night before Christmas and across all the roads
The drivers were busy delivering their loads
Service hours ticking as they drove across town
With hopes that receivers are not too bogged down
The families were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of home time danced in their heads
The spouses are anxious, awaiting the call
That their driver will be home soon after all

From the North Pole each year, a most urgent call
To the drivers to deliver the holiday haul
Santa needs help, the drivers are made
to make sure that Christmas isn’t delayed
The drivers alone can’t take on such a feat,
So with help from the office, demands they will meet
Now Maintenance, now Safety, now Payroll and Ops
On Trainers, and managers, and dispatch, the lot
To the top of the ranks for safety and miles
The freight is delivered, ensuring all smiles.

From our company to yours, and from me straight to you,
Merry Christmas to all and a safe New Year too!

Developing Tomorrow’s Trucking Executives

The key to developing young talent into executive leadership is feedback. There is nothing more powerful than candid, objective feedback on one’s impact on boss, peers, direct reports and internal customers. There is also the priceless value of seeing how one’s self assessment compares to how others see us. But how do you get honesty in today’s workplace? Carefully. Very carefully.

Honesty can be dangerous. Critical feedback to someone in power can be a career derailer if given badly or taken badly. This is especially true if the peer or manager you want to criticize has a last name which is also the name of the company. Businesses that have second, third, or fourth generation family members actively working find it very difficult to get the truth. And how about the CEO’s difficulty in evaluating his son? It is not likely that he gets candid information from his son’s peers, manager or direct reports.

Another roadblock to honesty is the discomfort of interpersonal friction that can occur when you tell someone that a particular behavior they demonstrate is causing negative results. It is too easy to keep things “warm and fuzzy” and not confront an individual.

There are ways to overcome these obstacles and provide valuable feedback for professional development. First, make it safe. A professionally executed 360 Degree Study is a safe way for people to get the truth. Assurance that one’s answers will never be linked to their name takes away the potential adverse impact of truthfulness. There is no motive to spin, soften, or stretch truth when the person getting the feedback doesn’t know it is from you.

The 360 process uses the experiences of successful leaders in successful organizations to identify the core competencies that are predictive of success for new up and coming leaders. These core competencies are categories of skills, knowledge, abilities, and values.

The next step is to identify specific, observable, and measurable behaviors that demonstrate proficiency in a core competency. A core competency may be “Communication Skills.” Within that competency are six or eight behaviors, such as “listens well.” The complete set of questions (45 to 60) is called a “Position Model.”

The position model is responded to by the person getting the report, to see how closely his opinion of himself matches what others think, as well as all of his constituencies: boss, peers, direct reports and internal customers. But if you were to simply send out the questions with instructions, you would not get good results.

A critical piece to a successful 360 is training the respondents. Without training, the feedback often is inflated or biased by popularity or by threat of retribution. Training the respondents takes people out of their motivational mindset (i.e., super, fantastic, outstanding) and into a clinical mindset (i.e., meets my expectations, exceeds expectations, or needs improvement).

It is possible to get the truth about an up and coming leader for use in professional development. It just needs to be done professionally and carefully.

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