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100. IT'S ALL ABOUT LEADERSHIP Posted on 5/16/2006 Download this Pamphlet: pamphlet-100-its-all-about-leadership.pdf Size: 86.01 KB. By and large organizations fail because leaders fail. I understand that I am responsible for all that my plant does or fails to do. Dave Pinder, plant manager, Cardinal IG in Fargo, North Dakota Dave Pinder leads others, understands leadership, and models leadership every day. He graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York in 1986. He earned the Bronze Star medal for his courage and performance as a battery commander during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Dave has a Master of Science degree in counseling and leader development from Long Island University. From 1994-96 he was a tactical officer at West Point responsible for the leadership development of 120 cadets. Dave joined Cardinal IG, the world's largest residential insulating glass manufacturer, as plant manager in Fargo, North Dakota in 1998. Dave built the Cardinal IG plant in Fargo from scratch: the building, the staff, the culture, and the leadership. Dave Pinder: "We started with a group of 40 people in a 140,000 square foot facility. We knew nothing about making glass. Our first employees were hired from a trailer and jumped into a van to travel to Iowa to visit another glass manufacturer to see how it was done. We asked those first employees to trust us. I had a vision for what I wanted the organization and the culture to look like and a plan to get there and to maintain the culture. I wanted a world class facility-the best of its kind on the planet. We must look, act, and perform like we're the best in the world. The culture must enable you to get to the vision you imagine for your organization. I wanted my employees to love to come to work everyday because the work was challenging, meaningful, and fun; the plant was clean and well-lit; they felt like they had ownership and a say in the business; they were treated with dignity and respect; and they felt like they were part of a disciplined team. I wrote my leadership philosophy before I hired anyone. I use it to guide all that we do: 1.Mission-Our mission is clear and it is simply: "To make money." We will accomplish this mission by thrilling our customers with our product and service and by taking care of Cardinal IG employees. 2.Safety-Nothing we do is more important than safety. It is our #1 priority. Our tolerance for safety violations and accidents must be zero. It is our duty to do everything humanly possible to promote and maintain a safe workplace. We must not only talk safety, but we must also "walk the talk." 3.Quality-To be successful, we must thrill our customers with our product and our service. Ensure that every insulation glass unit we ship to our customers is flawless. Each and every one of us is responsible for producing and shipping quality product. 4.Service-Without our customers we would have no reason to exist. We must take care of them in every way possible by providing world-class customer service. We all must treat our customers like they are the most important people in the world. 5.Training-Training is crucial to our future success. We will develop, implement, and maintain a top-notch training program. 6.Leadership/Teamwork/Communication-My intention is to run this organization as a team. My role on the team will be like that of a coach. I will provide the vision and direction, while you will run the plant. Together, we will make Fargo IG the flagship plant in the corporation-a world-class performer. To do this, we also must communicate with each other. If you have an idea to make things work better, please let me know about it. Know that I am always available for you-anytime day or night. You are my top priority and you are this organization's most valuable resource. 7.Cost Awareness-Each plant in Cardinal IG is a separate profit center. Our monthly bonus is based upon how much profit we make each month. We will spend money wisely here-as if the money we spend is our own. Use supplies and equipment carefully to prevent waste and damage. Question purchases that you do not understand. 8.Respect for others-Respect encompasses those actions that indicate sensitivity to and regard for the feelings and needs of others. We must all understand how our behavior and actions impact others. In order to provide and maintain the most productive work environment possible, we must treat others with dignity and fairness while encouraging others to do the same. 9.Care for Families-Spend quality time with your families-especially your children. Spent time with your spouse. Make time to discuss family desires, activities, and children's goals. Everyone takes earned vacation-plan it, take it, enjoy it! 10.Integrity-Integrity is non-negotiable. There is no room for compromise here. I believe that there is no single personal characteristic more important than integrity. Our safety and success depend upon our common trust. When in doubt-do the right thing. 11.Attitude-I encourage everyone to keep a positive attitude all the time. I know easier said than done. Please believe that everyone is honestly doing their best and giving their best effort. Remember that both positive and negative attitudes are contagious. 12.Keep a sense of humor and have fun-While we are very serious about our business, we can have fun working, training, and growing together. Let's look forward to the challenges each day brings and know that we truly can be the very best IG plant in the corporation. Today we are 500,000 square feet with 350 people from 21 countries, and we have 100% of the business of Marvin Windows." I met with the department supervisors at Cardinal IG and the team leaders. I said, "Dave Pinder says it is all about leadership at Cardinal IG. What does that mean?" Almost in unison they responded: Pat Kennedy: Taking care of your people. Know your people and take care of them. Marty Severson: Never passing the buck. Michelle Rustad: You are responsible for everything that happens here: 7 days a week 24 hours a day. Tim Anderson: We want to bring out the best in people. Jon Zubriski: We want to help bring out the best in people. You have to get in the person's heart and get to know them well. No one wants to fail. Jim Jensen: Leadership is by example starting with Pinder. He walks around and picks garbage up. If someone is struggling we help them out. We take the initiative to get things done. Amer Lalic: We try to unite everyone to work together. Kevin Sprung: We treat people like family, like you want to be treated. Jon Zubriski: Everyone is different. You have to know your people. Some you confront, some you pat on the back. Tim Anderson: We all vent on our people occasionally. We then have to be big enough to say, "I am sorry." Tammy Anderson: We bring our experiences from outside and apply them here. We learn from negative bosses. Bill Wangrud: Two summers ago we worked six days a week for 20 weeks. Lots of motivating of ourselves and others. Each person has a different way that makes them tick. Finding a new way each day of the week all summer is hard, and we learned a lot about ourselves during that time. I've toured the plant twice with Dave and watched him in action: shouting hellos to employees, pointing out family relationships, telling me about the life history of an employee, exchanging handshakes and joking with employees. I expressed my amazement that Dave Pinder knows every employee by name and he knows about them and their families. Each of the department supervisors and team leaders know their people the same way: Jeff Peterson: We know our people because of daily interactions. We ask about them. It is honest genuine care. We ask about their lives. From that you get to learn what drives people. Jeff Peterson: The cheapest raise is giving recognition. You have to tell the truth. They feel bad if a bad day. We have to tell the truth. Jason Koranda: Trust without relationship is empty. Scott Wilson: Each supervisor is very passionate about their department. The supervisors stick up for them and stand behind them. We gain trust by sticking up for the employees. Marty Severson: Don't ask employees to do anything you won't do yourself. One of the great things is that we have each been in the trenches of the entry level position. They respect us for that. Scott Wilson: This plant promotes from within in the majority of cases. People keep coming through and training here. They stay a year and go on to another plant. I know misguided supervisors, managers, and executives who pride themselves on their disconnection from others. They are wrong. They are not leaders. They should step aside as they do great harm. Not knowing your people is not an option at Cardinal IG. Robert Greenleaf in "Servant Leadership" wrote that caring is the essential motive for leadership. Caring and compassion are themes that permeate Cardinal IG. Scott Wilson: We don't give up on people. I've seen supervisors chasing people into the parking lot trying to get them to come back. We don't give up on anyone. Jason Koranda: If your car doesn't work, we drive to pick you up. Some are afraid of the weather: We go and get them. If someone is mad, we can fix that. We talk it through. Then they come back. Marty Severson: If someone is fired it is usually an attendance issue or they fail a drug test, rarely on performance because that can be coached; that is our job. If we fired someone due to performance that is a failure on our part. Pat Kennedy: We help people sandbag during floods help them with their taxes; get them around to take care of their needs. We help them and that relieves their worries. We've borrowed people money, give them time off to move. They will return the favor to you. Michelle Rustad: I had a lady who was a single mom. When she began working others complained that she smelled. A situation where I had to talk to her when I didn't want to. She didn't have money to buy laundry detergent. I took her out and bought things she needed. From that point on I brought my daughter's old clothes for her daughter. She was very appreciative. Jeff Peterson: We give a lot of rides. One guy lost his license and I gave him a ride for a year because he was a good worker. One night we had 7 inches of rain, and I spent the night picking up people. Michelle Rustad: I financially consult with a guy all the time: money, home, insurance. One guy broke his neck. Dave took care of him by giving him everything. The whole plant rallied around him. Jeff Peterson: A guy was in a bad car crash. He lost his arm. People went and shingled his house. We kept him on the job. Pat Kennedy: We don't give up on people. We find the good. Scott Wilson: So many new Americans are here and it is a safe place for them. A deep sense of purpose here to help them. All the help translates to productivity. We do it for human beings and for business. If we weren't sincere they would see through it. I asked about Dave Pinder: Jason Kaseman I spent 10 years in the Army. Dave takes his doctrine out of Army leadership: mission first, people always. I was a believer when I came here. I worked with another company in Fargo-flat assed bad people. I was there for three years. The last year, shame on me. I should have left. Scott Wilson: Dave is a student of leadership. He is very good at motivating people. He leads by example. His work ethic is beyond reproach. No one works harder. Rarely see him get really mad. He keeps himself under control, is confident and approachable. He is always thinking-looking for the next angle-like an inventor. He is persistent and won't let you off the hook. He makes sure that he gets out of you what he needs. He will ask your opinion. We know what he wants. We also know what to say when we have to get out of his office quickly. He is the king of manipulation (he calls it motivation). He will use what he learns about you to get you going. He can be like a cat playing with a mouse. He takes things personal when bad things happen with people. He always looks for the good in people. Kevin Sprung: He cares. All heart. Shows by knowing every person. He knows all of us. He is passionate about this place. He treats it like his home as far as cleanliness. So we all care about it too. We want him to be proud of it. He is somewhat naïve, over-perfectionist, trusts everyone. Bill Wangrud: A perfect example is we just lost a seven year employee due to drugs. It broke Dave's heart. It enraged him and broke his heart. Marty Severson: Within the group we bring conflict up. Dave can tell who is holding the show up-we have little conflict. We get along well. We lean on each other. We can share with each other how we feel when we have a bad day. The consensus: We will never leave here. If Dave leaves he has created a foundation. We won't let it change. Cardinal IG will not fall apart if he leaves. If Dave left, we would not let him down by letting it fall apart. I observed that at Cardinal IG they are involved in a social experiment that the United Nations has not succeeded in. An employee commented: "The United Nations doesn't have a dictator with a 24-hour open door policy." I think that was intended as a compliment. The difference between Dave Pinder and Cardinal IG and many other organizations is that at Cardinal IG they really strive to live what they believe in. Dave Pinder: "We've not had any time to breath, relax, and rest on our laurels. There's always been another challenge for us right around the corner. Some have occurred naturally and some I have initiated. We as leaders, are charged with keeping our companies on the leading edge and, hopefully, never allowing it to fall into antiquity. As a company, we continue to develop new technology, new equipment, and new software that will give us an even greater edge in the marketplace. For example, recently we developed our own manufacturing software that has enabled us to "peel the onion" and get to underlying layers that we've never been to before. As a result, we've realized significant savings here in our factory and it has injected a boost of energy into my workforce because they can readily see these resultant savings in terms of improved efficiency, better working hours, and increased profit sharing. As we evolve, it really becomes the leader's challenge (at all levels of the organization) to ensure that the organization remains relevant and that its people remain fully energized." What does "it's all about leadership mean to Dave Pinder? "This plant is successful today because we have competent and confident leaders that have trained, motivated, and satisfied our great workforce. I say this because we took a group of people who knew nothing about making glass and through hard work and determination, convinced one of the "big 3" window companies in the United States to give us all their business. I hired no glass experts when we started the plant (I couldn't find any). I hired people with leadership ability and potential who were willing to learn the business and train and teach others. Cardinal leaders set challenging goals and motivate their subordinates to achieve those goals. I am convinced that we have the most efficient, most productive, cleanest, and most disciplined plant in the corporation because leaders take and accept total responsibility for their subordinates and their manufacturing processes. It is an honor and a privilege for me to lead this organization. I am fortunate to lead this diverse group of people that consists of refugees, immigrants, and new Americans from 21 countries. The plant has embraced this diversity and gets along amazingly. This workforce will do anything and everything asked of them without question. I love coming to work each day and interacting with everyone in the plant-working together to accomplish our mission. It's spectacular!" I feel inspired being around excellence, and the pursuit of nobility. Dave Pinder is neither a perfect leader nor a perfect person. Life is about imperfect people who pursue greatness in spite of their humanity. Dave Pinder cares, he has convictions, and he has the courage to live authentically. He nurtures, even demands, the same from the people at Cardinal IG. People grow under his leadership. I rarely meet a leader like Dave Pinder or a plant like Cardinal IG. Dave and his staff are not afraid to lead. They achieve great business results by creating conditions where people can be their best. They give me hope for our future on this planet. Once again, it is all about leadership. Countries represented at Cardinal IG (as of April 14, 2006): America, Sudan, Burundi, Somalia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Bosnia, Romania, Thailand, Uganda, Haiti, Kenya, Viet Nam, Congo. Liberia, Macedonia, Ethiopia, Russia, Rwanda, Algeria, Tunisia. Download this Pamphlet: pamphlet-100-its-all-about-leadership.pdf Size: 86.01 KB. Abobe Acrobat Reader required |
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