F. Stuart Gulley of Woodward Academy, Tim Hohmann of AutomationDirect and David Cummings of Pardot, the heads of the three companies that were named metro Atlanta’s top workplaces, address a wide range of questions concerning leadership, challenges and desired results.
Q. What makes you an effective leader with your company? How do you think you best execute leadership qualities?
Gulley: I try to follow the dictum of Max DePree, author of “Leadership Is An Art,” who said, “The first responsibility of the leader is to define reality. The last responsibility is to say ‘thank you.’ In between, the leader is to be a servant.” I attempt to be clear about what Woodward stands for and where we are headed. I attempt to affirm the contributions our employees make to our success. And I attempt to listen to the concerns and ideas of our employees to be the best possible workplace.
Hohmann: We created the ADC sandbox, which describes the four boundary walls within which all associates have the freedom to use their talents to make the business successful. The four boundaries are vision, customer promise (our strategy), core values to operate and how to make profit. We implemented a company culture called “Customer Driven Leadership,” from Ted Anders, which is a motivational system aimed at keeping teams focused on serving the customer promise, serving our vision and focusing team members on serving each other via published core values, which increases everyone’s productivity.
Cummings: My leadership approach is to create the best corporate culture possible by defining our values and hiring people that fit our values and are smarter than me. With smart people aligned around values, everything else takes care of itself. One of our guiding principles is that if we make Pardot a great place to work and a great place to be a customer, we’ll have continued success.
Q. What adjustments have been made to meet challenges presented by the economy?
Gulley: We are a tuition-driven institution and therefore depend on the income derived from enrollment. The economy has impacted the ability of some families to afford attending here. Though the enrollment decline has not been dramatic, we have had to manage the expense side of the budget very carefully. We have adjusted program budgets while making employee retention our highest priority. I am proud to say that we have managed the last four years with [few] involuntary separations, and in those instances we gave advance notice of the separation while offering job placement counseling.
Hohmann: Instead of focusing on how to cut back in 2009, we chose to attack the economy. We made a decision to increase our presence in the market. We got everyone motivated to do their part in supporting the launching of a record amount of new products. Our company has always been financially conservative, which paid huge dividends during the recession, since we did not need to spend money on debt. We shed some inventory to create even more cash reserves to invest.
Cummings: Luckily the economy hasn’t affected us, as we’re in an early adopter market where less than 5 percent of the companies that need our software have it today.
Q. How have you tried to maintain worker morale during difficult economic times?
Gulley: Because employee satisfaction is our greatest priority, we have offered additional compensation each year either through modest bonuses (approximately $700 per employee) or modest increases, ranging from 2 to 3 percent. Benefits have remained stable and, compared to the corporate sector, are quite robust.
Hohmann: The best thing for morale is for associates to see that their work has meaning and achieves success. At every company meeting, we read customer love letters and present the successes of each team. We also publish our daily sales and quarterly profits to all associates so they can see our success. During the recession, we kept everyone busy on meaningful programs that allowed us to make profits. We also encouraged associates to focus on their “wheel of life,” which is part of our company culture: family, career, financial, social, physical and spiritual.
Cummings: We’ve focused on corporate culture from the beginning, as we believe it is the only sustainable competitive advantage that is completely within our control. In our lobby, we have a large LCD screen with three simple numbers that continually show the health of the business so that all team members know where we stand as an organization.
Q. How, if at all, has your institution reacted to signs of improvement in the economy in terms of hiring, expansion or wage increases?
Gulley: We haven’t yet experienced the improvements in the economy. We are encouraged by the increased number of applications we have for enrollment in the fall, but it is too early to tell if the results will benefit the bottom line. If enrollments increase, we will make our first priority restoring some positions eliminated through voluntary separation.
Hohmann: Our company reduced our hiring in 2009 but increased it in 2010 and 2011 due to our success. Our company has passed out profit-sharing checks every year since the program was started in 1999, since it has consistently made a profit even through the recession. All team bonuses and individual bonuses have been consistently paid through the recession as well.
Cummings: Hiring, expansion and wage increases have been a constant part of our business since it was started five years ago and haven’t been affected by the economy.
Q. What is your approach on communicating with employees, especially in the areas of modern technology and social media?
Gulley: We depend heavily on technology to communicate throughout the year. We use email, our website and video presentations by me fairly regularly to keep employees informed of major happenings in the life of the academy. I have a Twitter account for those who wish to follow me.
Hohmann: In addition to emails, we use weekly company meetings to communicate most messages of substance. They are broadcast live to all telecommuters, desktops and meeting rooms.
Cummings: We do daily check-ins that’s standing only — or remote, via Skype video — where everyone talks about what they did yesterday, what they’re doing today and any roadblocks.
Q. What factors are important to you when hiring employees?
Gulley: A passion for young people and embracing our mission are essential ingredients. We want persons who can and will continue the great traditions of the academy, while introducing innovations that allow for heightened creativity in instruction and learning
Hohmann: Every person goes through several hundred formal questions from an occupational psychologist to determine if they are a good fit for our culture and the position. In general, we are looking for people of excellent character — trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind and team-oriented — in addition to certain business qualifications.
Cummings: Corporate culture fit is the most important factor by far. We hire for fit and then train for the position. The three personality characteristics we hire for are positive, self-starting and supportive. Everything takes care of itself when we have the right people on board.
Q. How does your institution measure up against peers as a place to attract and keep quality workers
Gulley: We monitor our compensation and retention to area private and public institutions, using national comparisons as well, and we measure up quite well. At the end of this academic year, we have 16 employees retiring, representing 351 years of Woodward experience, or an average tenure of 22 years. I think that says something about how people feel about this place.
Hohmann: Our turnover speaks for itself, with only 1 percent voluntary turnover for 2011, which is not commonplace. Also, 31 percent of team members have been with ADC for 10 or more years, and 43 percent have been here between five and nine years. Our careful selection process, quality benefits and unique culture and environment have resulted in a place people not only want to stay, but look forward to coming to work each day.
Cummings: Peer groups aren’t a concern of ours for attracting and keeping quality workers. We focus on making our current environment the absolute best place to work and constantly look for ways to make that happen.
About the Author
