Best Practices - Even Better When Shared

I was so pleased to speak with Mike Mahanna, the Program Director for NAEM – The Premier Association for EHS Management, when he called this past May. I had been putting together costs estimates for possible future events and the NAEM Compliance Excellence Workshop was one of those events. That was perfect, according Mike, as he had an offer that would help with those expenses. “Speakers” get to attend the conference for free! The session was “Cultivating Employee Talents” and Mike was looking for speakers. Was I interested? Absolutely!

My work as the EHS Director with Muir Omni Graphics has given me the opportunity to work with different team structures within the company, each with its own mission and objectives. However, regardless of the mission, the opportunities for employee personal and professional growth and development are abundant. It is the team leader’s responsibility to identify opportunities and put those opportunities into action, in order to create an environment that promotes team member growth and development.

When it came to cultivating employee talents:  the team environment and the implementation of the “one on one” session are two of MUIR’s Best Practices, so I was able to put together a presentation quite easily.

We have a lot of “team” opportunities at Muir Omni Graphics. I manage the Safety Team, the Sustainability Team, Six Sigma project teams and the Internal Auditing Team. We also have the management team of directors and the ESOP Communications team. Each team has its own purpose and objectives. Some teams are developed for on-going purposes such as the Safety Team, that monitors the work environment for safety hazards; others are developed for a specific period of time or project, for example, a Six Sigma Team is formulated specifically to address an identified problem or opportunity for improvement. Whatever the team purpose, there are opportunities for improved personal communications, professional training and understanding of team dynamics.  

In the midst of the 2009 economic recession, Muir Omni Graphics took on a new strategy that would require company directors (the management team) to venture out, meet people, make connections, network and ultimately bring in new clients. This was done through a number of smaller goals set by the marketing department. It was at that time that “one on one” sessions were integrated into the new action plan. Simply, it was a time set apart from day to day roles, for each member of the management team to sit down with the vice president to discuss progress toward goals, share accomplishments and discuss concerns and so on. I look forward to these sessions with my supervisor. The One On One process, designed to help the employee see his place and value in the company has filtered down through the company: management meeting with direct reports, setting goals and encouraging and facilitating the employee’s journey toward reaching those goals. 

On August 2, I stood before 120 people and proudly discussed Muir Omni Graphics best practices of cultivating its people. My butterflies were quiet and it was easy to share what I know, what I love, what I am passionate about. It all starts with a MUIR quality policy where the “F” in “LIFT” states we will “Foster” our employees’ growth and development, where the H in the environmental/sustainability “REACH” policy calls out for the Health and safety of our employees and where identified critical successful factors puts people at the top of the list. The value is clear. The benefits are abundant. 

If you would like to see the Muir Omni Graphics Quality and/or Environmental/Sustainability Policies go to http://www.muirgraphics.com/isos