Cultivate change agents
In a company of nearly 1,000 employees, the number of people who were using computers as part of their jobs when Pizzi
took over was minuscule.
“Before, we had about 60 people utilizing computers in the
company,” he says. “We went from 60 to 450 computer users in
the company and are now probably closer to 500.”
It didn’t quite happen overnight, but the introduction of the company’s first real technology platform jolted the Tasty Baking Co.
into the computer age full bore.
Pizzi says he generally favors a steady, methodical approach
when it comes to change. But in the case of the Tasty Baking
Co.’s technology platform, the change was so radical, it took
more of a leap of faith on the part of both him and his employees.
Any type of internal change can create resistance within your
company, especially if your employees are used to doing things
a certain way. That makes achieving buy-in from your employees paramount, especially from the employees who have been
with your company for a while.
“They are the people who are most important if they’ve
worked for a company for a substantial amount of time,” Pizzi
says. “They’ve seen a lot. They’ve seen things the company has
done right and things the company maybe hasn’t done so well.
They are looking for the opportunity to give us their perspective. If they do that, then they have bought in to the new
process of transforming the company.”
Pizzi says the key to achieving buy-in from employees who
have been with your company for years is to make them feel
like their experience counts for something. You do that by letting them have a hand in steering the company toward its new
direction, which is accomplished through proper training and
creating a culture that values accountability.
“One, you can’t hold someone accountable if you don’t train
them properly,” he says. “Then once you train that individual,
you also make sure they understand how their job impacts the
greater organization on an ongoing basis.”
It’s what Pizzi calls a “bottoms-up” approach. He gives his
managers and employees reasons to get involved by actively
asking for their input, then rewards outstanding ideas on a
quarterly and yearly basis.
“When I first took this job, I ran into another CEO and he told
me, ‘I ask one simple question: “So what do you think?” and
then I listen.’ A good leader is a good listener. That is the
biggest thing as to how you can get people to buy in. You listen. It’s basic courtesies and respect for each other.”
Pizzi says identifying change leaders is the No. 1 criteria for
any change or transformation in a business. Those change
agents can come from within the business or from outside
sources. During the Tasty Baking Co.’s transformation and
modernization, Pizzi recruited people from both sources.
“We brought people into this company along with identifying
people within the company,” he says. “We brought significant talent to this business from lots of different places, different food
companies.”
Change leaders are important because they will set the example for the rest of the company. If employees see their colleagues buying in to the company’s new direction, there is a
better chance that they will, as well.
“That (leadership) is the No. 1 criteria for change that can be
brought to the table, where people will follow and embrace
change instead of fight it. It’s about providing an environment
of trust and credibility, being open and honest, and communicating.”