A high performance work environment is the goal for all organizations. Success begins and ends with the people in your organization, and when leadership provides clear expectations and an environment where team members can thrive, good things will happen.
In this interview, Brian Bentz, CEO of PowerStream Inc., discusses leadership and the competencies of high performing teams.
Clearly understanding where employees fit when leaders develop their vision and values for their organization helps them clearly see that what they do is important for the organizational direction, and it helps them feel that their role is important.
To achieve a high performance environment, Brian believes it starts with engagement. He explains:
“First of all, I think it is about engagement. We’ve worked very hard to have every one of our employees understand what our company is trying to achieve, what its vision is, where we’re going and how they fit in all of that. How they contribute to that. How they can contribute to, in our case, the quality of life in York Region and Simcoe County for delivering electricity, innovative energy conservation services and making a difference.”
He continues:
“Everyone wants to make a difference. So creating that culture, I think, has been critical; and to me … the two key things [are] establishing the vision, communicating the vision and engaging and motivating the employees.”
Establishing this level of performance is challenging for any company, but for a company like PowerStream that has gone through a number of mergers, it is even more important to ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands the company’s vision, values and mission.
Brian discusses the steps they take to make sure people really understand their role:
“It starts with our ownership structure. So we are owned by three municipalities: Markham, Vaughan and Barrie, and having them engaged in terms of the strategic planning, understanding what the vision is—we’re in a dynamic industry that’s changing—getting them engaged and supportive of that is where it starts. So we’ve used a tool called the balanced score card strategy.
“We went to Harvard University on a course about the Kaplan Norton model. They talked about how to set the corporate vision, and they set three components of the corporate vision. You need an objective, you need an advantage and you need a scope. The objection is really talking about what your goal is as an organization. It has to be quantifiable and it has to be measurable. Your advantage is … your strategic advantage in the market place and your scope is who you’re delivering this to,” he adds.
Tweet ThisAt the end of the day, your strategy, vision, and organizational goals need to be aligned with your customers’ needs. This is something Brian firmly believes in, and it is a focal point as the company as they make the transition from a regulated monopolistic unity company to being an innovative energy services provider.
Brian explains:
“We’re in a very dynamic industry, a changing industry. Power distribution has been fairly static in terms of … the product lifecycle of electricity distribution. We’re now on the verge of a marrying together of communication infrastructure with power grids, and that changes the dynamic. It changes the value proposition for the consumer, so it becomes more about customer focus. We were a monopoly and still are a monopoly organization, [so] it becomes more about customer focus and technological advancement and innovation from a customer value perspective. And integrating those principles and that type of thinking into the organization is really the key.”
It’s interesting that so many quasi public sector organizations have really come to appreciate a critical focus needs to be around the customer, and by having that perspective it really can guide decision making and help companies become more effective and efficient in delivering the product.
Part 2 of our interview will continue our conversation with Brian Bentz and examine the company’s mergers and acquisition strategy.
Watch the interview video on YouTube
About Brian Bentz
Brian Bentz is President and Chief Executive Officer of PowerStream Inc. Originally from Thunder Bay, he has an MBA from McMaster and an honorary Bachelor of Applied Arts Degree from Georgian College. He’s also a chartered accountant as well as a certified engineering technologist. Brian played a pivotal role in the growth of PowerStream from its creation following the merger of three local electricity distribution companies in 2004, to the acquisition of Aurora hydro in 2005 and the 2009 merger with Barrie Hydro.
About PowerStream Inc.
PowerStream was formed in 2004 when the hydro companies from Vaughan, Richmond Hill and Markham combined under the single umbrella of PowerStream Inc. Headquartered in Vaughan and with an operation center in Markham, PowerStream has grown through mergers and organic growth to become the second largest municipally owned electricity distribution company in Ontario.
PowerStream is committed to providing its customers with safe, reliable and efficient service. In 2012, PowerStream was recognized as one of Greater Toronto’s top employers as well as 50 most engaged workplaces. You can find out more about PowerStream at www.powerstream.ca.
