There is a sense of priority when it comes to Pegasus’ culture of learning. It is not a “buzz word” or a “flavor of the month” but instead, it is part of the roots that make up our organization. Recently, one of our executives, Hiram Hartnett, Executive Vice President of Sales, was interviewed by Inbound Logistics regarding “companies that invest in ongoing education, innovation, and research…” It shows that companies are investing in innovation to creatively adapt to the needs of their customers and stakeholders. One of our favorite stakeholders, and one that Hiram spoke to, is our people! When we provide our team members with educational resources and opportunities, the return is monumental. We must invest in them, prioritize them, and listen to their needs.
How many times have we pushed away someone with the idea that they simply aren’t a good team member? When in all actuality, they are great, but simply not equipped with the right tools. Who failed who in that situation? The neglect comes when our team members are not equipped with the correct tools or freedom to problem solve their own way, resulting in the inability to execute. We must work together to get them to that next level.
As the world adapts, we too are adapting our ways to maintain strategic momentum for our learning culture. We are working hard on revamping some of our training programs so they may be more effective to our workforce. Two programs that we are excited about re-launching are our Next Level Leadership and Level Up programs which will help provide tools to our team members so that they may be successful in their growth. These training programs have an impact on the whole organization. When a leader is better prepared to handle a tough situation, it improves and transforms others. If one leader positively impacts their team, who impacts another team, then before you know it, the learning culture spreads like wildfire and touches everyone!
.png)
For both programs, it does just that. It helps leaders and prospective leaders get to that next level. We focus on sharpening their self-awareness and common areas of struggles for leaders. The ideology behind these trainings are to be implemented immediately. We want to focus on development that has a bigger impact than just on one person. These trainings are to impact teams so that we all, as a company, grow stronger.
Our Training and Development focus doesn’t stop there. We are constantly reevaluating where training deficiencies lie and implementing creative solutions to address them. This year we have started to rollout skills assessments for our operations team members. Our goal is to provide operators with the tools necessary to be successful at their jobs while maintaining compliance with the company’s standards. We do this by analyzing, creating, and maintaining processes used to provide our clients with exceptional service. This can identify any learning gaps that our operators may have so that we can level set. By no means, is this a shaming moment, but an opportunity for us to know where we have unsuccessfully equipped our team members. From there, the drive for improvement begins through one-on-one trainings, team trainings, to even mass trainings.
Three of our executives were recently interviewed by a panel of our outgoing interns. They asked a variety of questions regarding the industry and leadership tips. When asked, why did you pick Pegasus? they all spoke of our obligation to our people and the commitment to our development. Mike Miller, our VP of Operations stated, “We have a strong commitment to our people. This industry is tough, but at Pegasus we are always looking at ways to better our people. This is a place where you can always see a future.”
It is through this culture of learning and the encouragement of continuous training and development that we are able to fully accomplish one of our core values, Everybody Wins!
To read the full Inbound Logistics article, “Logistics Gets Schooled,” featuring our EVP of Sales, Hiram Hartnett, view here.
