UPT IME
“Where there’s an obstacle,
there’s an opportunity.”
Turn followers into leaders.
During the Dossier Systems 2018 Summit
earlier this year, keynote speaker Ricks D.
Logobart shared insights from his history
in fl eet maintenance. (Yes, the “s” at the end
of his fi rst name is correct.)
Now in charge of running his own
fl eet consulting company, Logobart-Ross
Consulting, Inc., Logobart took the common
path in this industry of working his way up
from technician to supervisor. He worked
for the City of El Segundo - what he dubbed
“the worst fl eet in America,” where trucks
would sit in the down line for more than a
year, and at any given time only 50 percent
of staff would show up to work.
He struggled to fi gure out how to tackle
the issues of supervising a fl eet - how to set
budgets, spec vehicles, get employees to show
up and be held accountable. His mentality
through this process? “Where there’s an
obstacle, there’s always an opportunity.”
Reverse the
leadership pyramid
Logobart encourages leaders to help
employees strive for personal and professional
8 Fleet Maintenance | July 2018
growth. “Don’t put up barriers to
block opportunities,” he says. You need to
“reverse the leadership pyramid” to give
employees control.
To hand off this control, you need the
foundation of two pillars in place: competence
and clarity.
For this, Logobart shared a YouTube video
from Inno-Versity about U.S. Naval Captain
David Marquet’s Talk on Greatness, discussing
what it takes to make followers into leaders.
It’s a great example of how one team — a
naval nuclear submarine crew — reversed
the leadership pyramid.
“If you want your people to think, don’t
give them instructions. Give them intent,”
says Logobart. By becoming decision-makers,
the psychological ownership shift s to
the employee. Th ey create and know the
answer.
Instead of a world of granting permission,
employees have ownership and they
have authority. By creating an environment
for thinking, you get better decisions and
fewer delays, says Logobart. And by giving
control, you create leaders.
Engage with employees
By reversing the leadership pyramid, you
may be essentially creating a team of leaders.
But it’s also important to interact and work
together, says Logobart. To get the organization
together as a team, Logobart provided a
few real-world examples he used:
Find the trophy. Logobart created a “teamwork”
trophy and would
hide it somewhere in the
shop. He made it a game
to encourage employees
to fi nd the trophy. “When
you have fun at work, it
fosters creativity.”
“Cuss fund” jar. A jar that employees would
fund in order to openly
vent on organization issues
allowed for open communication
and problem-solving.
Every process issue can be
changed, once you identify
the issue.
Workplace Bingo. Each employee received
their own Bingo card,
and Logobart would
select numbers each
day. Only employees
present at work could
participate, which
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helped to limit sick time. Th e winner was
rewarded with a prize.
Breakfast with the boss. Logobart would
supply breakfast for the
staff . Gathering everyone
together helped
foster conversation.
In particular, they
would play a game.
Logobart’s example was: write down
two things you’ve done that you don’t
think anyone else has done. Participants
would pass the card to the next person,
and they would place a checkmark next
to something they’ve done, or write something
new. Once all were circulated, they
would talk about the cards and share their
experiences.
Outcome
So how did Logobart accomplish such success
with the City of El Segundo fl eet? Th rough a
simple, but slow process. Before he started,
By Erica
Schueller
Editor-in-chief
Ricks’ rules on life
and business
• Always hire people that are
smarter than you.
• Master the art of delegation.
• Follow the “80 percent rule.” When tackling
a project, aim to complete the project
to 80 percent proficiency; the other 20
percent you can refine it over time.
• Use the three “F” words: be fair,
firm (meaning, consistent with
your ideology) and follow up.
• People before projects. “The most important
aspect of our job is the people within
our organization,” says Logobart. If you
spend enough time with the people,
the people will manage the projects.
Online Exclusive
U.S. Naval Captain David
Marquet’s Talk on Greatness,
presented by Inno-Versity:
VehicleServicePros.com/21010810
labor rates were atrocious because of low
productivity. Th ey fi rst needed employees on
board. To begin, Logobart started by explaining
and educating staff as to why they were
doing what they were doing. Th ey made progress
one vehicle at a time, and he wanted to
ensure the employees were proud of their
work. It’s important that employees feel they
have a stake in the company too.
Regardless of the role you play in the organization,
you have a hand in making an impact
– both good or bad. It’s up to your approach.
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