Aggregates Manager Digital Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/742224
AGGREGATES MANAGER / November 2016 3 November 2016 Vol. 21, No.11 aggman.com /AggregatesManager @AggMan_editor Editorial Editor-in-Chief: Therese Dunphy Editorial Director: Marcia Gruver Doyle Online Editor: Wayne Grayson Contributing Editor: Kerry Clines editorial@aggman.com Design & Production Art Director: Sandy Turner, Jr. Production Designer: Timothy Smith Advertising Production Manager: Linda Hapner production@aggman.com Construction Media Vice President, Construction Media: Joe Donald sales@randallreillyconstruction.com 3200 Rice Mine Rd NE Tuscaloosa, AL 35406 800-633-5953 randallreilly.com Corporate Chairman: Mike Reilly President and CEO: Brent Reilly Chief Operations Officer: Shane Elmore Chief Financial Officer: Russell McEwen Senior Vice President, Sales: Scott Miller Senior Vice President, Editorial and Research: Linda Longton Vice President of Events: Stacy McCants Vice President, Audience Development: Prescott Shibles Vice President, Digital Services: Nick Reid Vice President, Marketing: Julie Arsenault For change of address and other subscription inquiries, please contact: aggregatesmanager@halldata.com. Aggregates Manager TM magazine (ISSN 1552-3071) is published monthly by Randall-Reilly, LLC copyright 2016. Executive and Administrative offices, 3200 Rice Mine Rd. N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Subscription rates: $24 annually, Non-domestic $125 annually. Single copies: $7. We assume no responsibility for the validity of claims of manufacturers in any advertisement or editorial product information or literature offered by them. Publisher reserves the right to refuse non-qualified subscriptions. Periodical circulation postage paid at Tuscaloosa, Alabama and additional entries. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage retrieval system, without written permission of the copyright owner. POSTMASTER: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 507.1.5.2); NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: send address corrections to Aggregates Manager, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406. Don't just hire, make the right hire by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief tdunphy@randallreilly.com EDITORIAL A s the aggregates industry continues to improve, many producers need addi- tional workers. In a field where recruiting and retaining talent is often a chal- lenge, it's tempting to take the first applicant to respond to the "help wanted" sign outside the operation's gate. But before you make that hire, consider the long-term implications for your company. In our exclusive research, Aggregates Manager determined that more than 47 percent of respondents — or nearly one in two — have worked for only one aggregates company during their career. An additional 18 percent have only worked for two companies. What does this mean? If the employee sticks with a career in this industry, he or she is likely to be with you for the long haul. In the last decade, major changes have tak- en place in the industry, and that pace of change is only likely to acceler- ate. Ponder then what type of employee is best suited to adapt to those changes and continue to create value over the course of a career. When hiring, companies such as Google and Ernst and Young place one criteria above all others: learnability. What is learnability? Simply put, it's the desire and ability to learn new skills on one's own. A recent Inc. article notes that these companies have "figured out faster than the rest that the key to keeping their teams in peak performance is to choose employees who are disposed to grow on their own." It's not so much the skills potential employees bring when they walk through the door, it says, as it is the skills they are willing to develop at their own initiative. This concept makes sense for companies like Google, but what about the aggregates industry? Too futuristic? Maybe not. Take a look at what's hitting the market: autonomous trucks, semi-auto dozers, remote-control drills, and more. Think about telematics and the rich stream of data available to influence your operations and equipment procurement de- cisions. Consider social media strategies used ever more frequently by opponents dur-ing greenfield development. Were these skills necessary 10 years ago? Employees will need to not only know how to run a loader, analyze and prioritize market opportunities, or manage a site, but also how to navigate these — and even more yet to be determined — challenges. That worker will be with you for a long time. Make sure it's the right one. Create learnability at your company The Harvard Business Review suggests three actions to help companies foster learnability in the workplace. 1) Select for it. Focus on employees who are curious, inquisitive, and eager to gain new knowledge. 2) Nurture it. Managers can model learnability by studying other industries, speaking to those outside their area of expertise, and frequently asking 'Why?' 3) Reward it. While this may seem self-explanatory, rewards can expand beyond recognition or money; they can also include new challenges and opportuni- ties.