Page 182 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

The Power of “We” to Magnify Engagement C169

Day: Well, I make a lot of mistakes because I’m always trying new
and different things. I think people need to feel free to try new things
and make mistakes. Most of us want to work in an environment like
that, I believe. So, we encourage people to come up with answers. I
involve our associates and ask how they would resolve a problem.
When we implement a change, I ask for their ideas. That helps obtain
their buy-in. When we expanded our hours and made the decision
to be open seven days a week, I met with small groups of employees
to explain the decision and get their input. Not everyone was happy
about having to work some Sundays, but eventually they bought in
to the idea that Nalley is in the retail business and we have to do
what it takes to stay competitive. We also preach and practice dele-
gation, which creates opportunity for everyone. When it comes to
performance evaluations, we don’t just set goals for people, we ask
them what their 6-month, 12-month, and longer-term goals are. We
also ask them what they would do to make the work environment
better, and what can I do to be a better manager. It’s about caring
enough about employees to ask for their input. Teamwork begins with
two-way communication.
Colanero: Henry doesn’t want a cookie-cutter business operation, so
each manager runs their department as if it were their own. We feel
empowered to solve problems as a team. The term we use is to be a
“lighthouse” to others at the same level who have experienced screw-
ups. If we do that, we can solve anything.

Q: High turnover can affect teamwork. How do you keep turn-
over down?
Owen: We can’t have teamwork if the players on the team keep chang-
ing, so we created a Nalley Guild in 1978 to give our elite technicians
recognition and acknowledgment of the professional status they have
reached. We now have 100 members—less than 10 percent of employ-
ees—in four separate guilds. We added guilds for sales, accounting,
and parts/delivery. To be selected, an associate has to reach certain
goals and standards, be here at least five years, have the appropri-
ate certifications, meet specific performance and quality standards,