Pay attention
It can be a challenge to track a program’s success or failure when it’s stretched across 6,000 employees at a variety of locations. Once again, communication becomes key to assessing what’s happening out in the field.
You need to set the tone by talking about what’s happening in your company, asking questions and encouraging your direct reports to do the same.
“It’s not just the single individual at the top,” O’Hara says. “It’s the entire management team.”
By constantly talking about the business and your expectations, you drive home the importance of success to your people. The more people you have on your side, the better the chance those who haven’t bought in will come around.
“There’s obviously historical cultural bias to accepting any change,” O’Hara says. “There’s defensiveness to change, and there are some people who just put themselves in front of the team.
“What I hope they see is that we’re doing something that reinforces our values and our mission and their jobs. Since they are on the front line with the customers, I hope that what they see out of any organizational or structural change is that we are supporting them in those efforts.”
By working with his employees to implement his major change, O’Hara led Angelica to $425 million in 2007 revenue and $430 million for 2008.
“It’s the leader-servant concept,” O’Hara says. “But at the end of the day, the people getting the product out to the customers and serving the customers are our customers, too. I want to make sure that they feel what we are doing is helping them do their jobs.”
HOW TO REACH: Angelica Corp., (314) 854-3800 or www.angelica.com
