Our provincial election is next week and it could not come soon enough for me, I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball but if half the population plus one think like me there will be new blood leading this province shortly. How many times can we be lied to and cheated out of our own money before we say enough is enough. Will the new folks be any better, I’d like to think so but let’s face it all we know right now is that what we have is second rate and as far as I’m concerned we deserve better so let’s roll the dice here and try something new.
As I’m sure your aware we can measure behavioral traits in folks in a fairly accurate manner, I myself have taken some these test and am currently involved in a behavioral modelling process to help companies identify good professional truck drivers to add to their fleets. Check it out at http://transrep.ca/transclick/ the science behind this technology works and it is employed now in many government sectors to screen new employees. Wouldn’t it be great if we could identify those folks who want to lead our country who are actually leaders? To peel back the onion so to speak and reveal folks who have a true
calling to act in the greater good of we the people, as opposed to those who are just there for the power and the control of the purse strings. An interesting thought but unfortunately for this to be put in place the politicians would have to design the system and that of course is not going to happen anytime soon!
I have been very fortunate to meet many great leaders in the trucking industry, folks from some of the largest companies in the industry and many from smaller companies. So what is the common denominator amongst these folks, this is a hard question. Here are some observations though the best leaders take responsibility for their actions and the actions of their entity, they empower their people to be self-supportive, and they support them with coaching and feedback. They engage and solicit their people for their feedback as they challenge them to achieve the next level of accomplishment as they push for continual improvement. They never divert criticism or responsibility for error while at the same time they divert the spotlight and the recognition of a job well done to their people. They also make the tough decisions when they are needed. They also know that creating a sense of community within a company or a province can be a very rewarding experience for everyone involved and that doing so is where success comes from.
Rjh
About the Author
Ray Haight is an industry leader in transportation. He was an accident free owner operator, President of Southwestern Express and McKinnon Transport. Ray has chaired many boards in the industry including the TCA-Truckload Carriers Association, PTDI- Professional Truck Drivers Institute and NATMI- North American Training and Management Institute. He is currently a partner of Transrep Inc. helping transportation companies market their products and services to the industry. For more information on Ray Haight visit his website at www.transrep.ca
