Josh Johnson has plenty of tasks on his to-do list. As president, he has his own responsibilities at Fidelitone Logistics that transcend overseeing others.
But they all come second.
“First things first, you’re a manager,” he says. “You’ve got people working for you. Make sure that those people understand what they’re supposed to be accomplishing and that they’re doing it well and that you’re communicating well. So manage first, work second.”
It’s a tough balance to strike, because managing his 600 employees is a ceaseless task. Especially in this economy, things can change from one day to the next. So now, more than ever, Johnson constantly has to keep track of how his employees are performing.
He likens it to an ever-changing sports roster.
“Just because Jim Thome’s batting fourth as cleanup this year doesn’t mean he will be next year,” Johnson says of the former White Sox slugger. “People go through evolutions in their careers where they work better or play better. You constantly have to be evaluating your personnel. There’s no resting on what happened yesterday.”
Johnson hopes staying in touch as a coach now will help employees to be empowered later. When employees take their careers into their own hands, it makes his job a lot easier. He can move on to the “working” half of being a working manager.
Still, he’s always finding opportunities to empower and develop his employees — which, in turn, helps propel the company, which had 2008 revenue around $350 million.
“No matter what business you’re in, it’s about people,” he says. “They’re your greatest asset or they can be your greatest weakness. Our concentration here is to get them to be our best asset.”
Here’s how Johnson keeps track of his employees and gets the most out of them.
