When Denny Oates was working his way up through the ranks, business was different.
Thirty years ago, it was much more command and control leadership where the management wasn’t very concerned with what the rank and file thought.
“Everyone had their org chart and everybody knew what box was what,” says Oates, a steel industry veteran who was president of Lukens Steel Co. and Connell Limited Partnership before becoming president and CEO of Universal Stainless & Alloy Products Inc. in January 2008.
Of course, over time, the business world changed, which resulted in a more engaged work force.
“I think what was happening is that management, senior management in particular, wanted more productivity out of the employees, more innovative thinking out of employees,” Oates says.
Universal Stainless has seen an increase in sales every year since 2004, and Oates is looking to continue that growth. But to do so will require the help of employees who are actively engaged in the organization and aren’t just punching in and punching out every day.
“People are looking for someone that they can trust in this day and age,” he says. “To build trust, I think you need to be accessible to people and be a good two-way communicator. I emphasize the two-way. It’s easy to talk and tell people what to do, but I think people today … are looking for somebody that’s going to listen to what they have going on, as well.”
Here’s how Oates is using his leadership strategies to form a trusting environment to drive growth at the $235 million steel manufacturer.
