Motivate your people
One day at the Houston Rodeo, Manning donned one of his 23 pairs of cowboy boots and rode on a horse in the rodeo parade. He shared some good ol’ Texas barbecue with customers and employees during the event, as well, and while it may seem silly or frivolous given everything going on, it sent a strong message to both employees and customers in that area, which happens to be one of Hanson’s largest markets.
“If you can just, every so often, do something like that to get out there, to engender a background of fun in what you’re doing, as well, it does cascade through the team,” Manning says. “It does create an atmosphere for working, which is the opposite of what we’re listening to on [television] news every night.”
While it’s important to pay attention to all of the data you need to successfully maneuver through a downturn, you also have to take time to motivate your people.
“It’s our responsibility to try to recognize the fact that life is miserable at the moment but to make it a pleasant environment in which to come to work,” Manning says. “You can still have some fun. Running a business, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have fun while you’re doing it. We can have fun in the upturn, and you can have fun in the downturn, as well. You can certainly encourage people to do that.”
While you may not have any leeway in the budget for fun things, there are other ways — free ways — to motivate your team, and it starts with simply how you make them feel.
He says that he hears managers complaining about how they d
on’t understand why employees are so demotivated when they’ve made all the right decisions to keep the company going forward, and they’re left asking what else they can do.
“The answer is to look them in the eye,” he says. “Talk to them. Give them the time of day.
“I’ve seen managers walk around with their nose in the air, because they’re Mr. Important. That doesn’t bring any respect, and it doesn’t make it a fun atmosphere. To make someone smile in their working day goes a long way for getting through the tough times we’re in, and that shouldn’t be underestimated.”
For example, Manning likes to get out on the floor and talk to his employees about the company and their jobs, but more importantly, he also likes to talk about football and baseball and their lives and families.
Other times, Manning uses his time on the floor to reaffirm employees’ beliefs in themselves. For example, often Manning will ask what someone specifically does, and frequently the response is something like, “Oh, I’m just a forklift driver.” He’ll then ask, “What do you mean you’re just a forklift driver?” The person will typically respond about how he’s the president of the company, so he’s more important than his or her position.
“I say to them, ‘Five o’clock next Monday morning, you’ll be loading pipe onto a truck. At five o’clock next Monday morning, I’ll be still in bed. Who’s most important to the company at five o’clock next Monday morning?’” he says.
Reassuring people that they are important and being honest with them can go a long way in motivating your team, even during tough times.
“That needs to happen at every level of the structure, and it doesn’t because people feel they’re too important to actually mingle and communicate with every level of the structure, and that’s where they’re wrong,” he says. “It’s not rocket science. It’s pretty simple, but if you engage those people face to face and look them in the eye, tell them what the situation is and be very honest with them, they’ll live and die for you.”
Another way Manning motivates his team is by maintaining a blog to communicate with them.
“So far, I haven’t mentioned work or the company in any one of those blogs,” he says. “Now, I will, and they won’t know when, but the fact is the people like to read it.”
They like to read it because he talks about issues that are relevant to them. For example, prior to Memorial Day, his post encouraged employees to enjoy the long weekend with their friends and families, but then he transitioned into talking about how meaningful the holiday is and how it’s important to honor the reason we celebrate it and talked about how the holiday started.
“Simple, very easy, from the heart, but the response to that was huge,” he says.
He heard from a number of his 6,000 employees, some who had been reservists or others who had lost friends or family members in the service.
“That particular subject? Not fun, but it’s away from the day-to-day drudge of falling volumes,” he says.
Manning recognizes that this has been one of the worst downturns since 1929, but by doing these things to stay ahead of the curve and keep his employees motivated, he’s confident that Hanson will hit the upturn ahead of the competition and in great shape.
“The projections in this country are the population will grow by another 100 million in the next 30 years, and that 100 million needs to be housed and drive on roads,” Manning says. “What that means is the ins and outs of the economic downturns and upturns, but in the long term, it’s very much a growth industry, as well — a very solid and reliable industry to be in.”
How to reach: Hanson Building Products — North America, (972) 653-5500 or www.heidelbergcement.com
