In fact, one of Polacek’s project managers recently told him that when she went to the junior high, they asked the students, “What do want to be when you grow up?” One wanted to be a professional basketball player. Another dreamed of being an astronaut. But one student said he wanted to work for JWF.
Creating opportunity
No matter what your business challenge, Polacek says the best thing you can do is start by creating.
For instance, in order to create a culture of trust and ownership, JWF Industries shares its vision and financials quarterly, as well as utilizing a profit sharing program with its employees.
Their peers look at new hires as an asset or liability, Polacek says, so after 90 days he has the employees in that area vote whether they stay or go.
“If you’ve got someone who doesn’t care, and hurts you from the standpoint of productivity or quality or delivery, they know that that affects them, so they’re protecting themselves,” he says. “And who better to know than the people that are working around them?”
Over the past 20 years it hasn’t happened often, but people do get voted out and eventually leave after management determines that there is a real problem.
“We’ve never had someone that got voted out, that stayed in. It’s legitimate,” he says.
Polacek also has gotten creative by bringing courses to the plant on Friday afternoons, a practice he began about five years ago. Employees who want to get a bachelor’s degree can take operational management, psychology or accounting classes.
“We take away all of the excuses and make it convenient, and it works, you know. People have lives outside of work — they have children, they have activities,” he says. “And for the two hours we have them do that, it’s certainly a return on investment.”
The more sophisticated business model requires a higher pedigree within the company, so more education lifts everybody up, Polacek says
It would take a long time to get a degree by taking one class a week, but the program often prompts employees to get interested in earning their degree, he says. JWF Industries gives up to $5,000 a year toward tuition, if employees want to go on their own.
“I hear a lot of companies complain about the kids today,” Polacek says. “The kids today aren’t any different than when we were younger. It’s the same thing they said when I was younger, and, you know, you have to create the opportunity for them.
“So, you can choose to do nothing, and nothing is going to change. Or you can choose to do something, and create that change that you want.”
Takeaways:
- Make your employees part of the solution.
- The best way to predict the future is to create it.
- Get creative in order to start overcoming challenges.
The Polacek File:
Name: Bill Polacek
Title: CEO
Company: JWF Industries
Born: Johnstown
How did you come to be an entrepreneur? I had taken two years at Johnstown Vocational Technical School, a welding technology school. It wasn’t college credited.
And then I was going to the University of Pittsburgh for teaching. They were giving out these emergency teacher’s certificates, and they were going to pay for me to finish.
My dad had a welding side business, while he worked at Bethlehem Steel. I have eight brothers and sisters, so to supplement his income, that’s what he did. I’m No. 8, and by the time I got involved, he hardly did any business at all.
I said I’d build (the welding business) up so in the summer I would have something to do, and earn extra money.
When I didn’t get the teaching job, I thought, ‘The heck with them, I’ll give this a shot.’ I’m an accidental entrepreneur.
Without a bachelor’s degree, you’ve learned from seminars, books and picking people’s brains. What advice have you read or heard about leadership? When you have a business, you’re in a leadership position, whether you like it or not. And you have to understand people will follow you as long as they feel you have their best interests at heart. Because for me leadership is not about how successful you are, leadership is about how successful you make people around you.
The other thing is a guy told me a long time ago that you also have to make tough decisions. If you’re not willing to make the tough decisions, then you shouldn’t be in a leadership position.
If you could go back to the beginning of your career, what would you do differently or tell yourself? There are some obvious things, but I wouldn’t do anything different. I think it’s the struggles that we go through and the hurdles we overcome that define our character.
If I had to go back and tell myself anything, I would probably tell myself that everything is going to be OK. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Do the right things, and good things happen. People get behind you, and people help you succeed.
