A Message From CoolSys Chairman and Interim CEO Rick Frier
We are now into our hot summer months. Please be safe out there and keep hydrated.
At CoolSys, we are committed to providing our employees with the tools and resources they need to succeed. Most of those are obvious — trucks, equipment, computers, software programs and training. But one of the most valuable tools we provide can’t be ordered or downloaded, and it can’t really be taught in a class. That tool is also one of our Culture Principles: Empowerment.
Empowerment can be defined as “giving someone the authority or power to do something.” Even with that simple definition, though, empowerment can mean various things to various people, especially within different organizations.
Changing Times, New Opportunities
Empowered employees find support from their manager to make decisions independently, and they feel secure in those decisions. Some decisions may be minor at first, but knowing you are empowered to make them can enable you to feel confident in moving on to more complex decisions and recommendations that have more impact.
In the past few years, companies and employees have had to adapt to circumstances most of us never envisioned. That unique period in our history led to new ways of thinking that have often resulted in increased employee empowerment. Even after most of those circumstances are no longer an issue, empowerment remains.
Becoming Empowered
The average person will spend about 90,000 hours at work during their career — about a third of their life. That’s a staggering number of hours, and it’s perfectly understandable that you might want to take on new responsibilities, offer new ideas and be encouraged to develop in your role. At CoolSys, it is critically important to your leadership team that you feel your input and ideas are taken seriously and that our leaders encourage your participation in decision-making.
Empowerment is fueled by good ideas, cooperation, trust and understanding. And it all begins with opportunity. The way you create that opportunity is by staying focused on your responsibilities, constantly seeking improved processes, enthusiastically responding to new tasks and consistently exceeding expectations.
Perhaps most important, empowerment comes through communication — being open and honest about your career goals, identifying solutions to problems and sharing your ideas with your manager. In most cases, empowerment is earned. That type of empowerment usually results in growth and success for both the employee and the company.
Our goal is to nurture an environment where empowered employees of every rank throughout the organization can have their voices heard as they actively participate in decision-making and innovation. Thank you for all you do every day to make CoolSys stronger for ourselves and our customers.