June, 2019 CEO Connection: Opportunity’s Knocking [Will You Answer?]

Every month, Seth Anderson (Weifield’s CEO) pens a new ‘CEO Connection’ column for our company’s monthly newsletter, WiredIn —  each addressing a different relevant issue that Seth wishes to expand on for the month.

We are excited to post the latest of Seth’s columns, here, for June, 2019 — discussing the abundant OPPORTUNITIES our company will offer our team in the future!

OPPORTUNITY’S KNOCKING [WILL YOU ANSWER?]

“We must open the doors of opportunity. But we must also equip our people to walk through those doors.”~ Former U.S. President & Vice President, Lyndon B. Johnson

Last month, I discussed Weifield’s ‘BHAG’ (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goal) and why it’s important. [As a reminder, our BHAG is: By 2030, to be in 5 locations, with 1,800 electricians, doing the biggest, baddest, most challenging projects in the areas, utilizing the most innovative technology.] I want to take a little more time to discuss what this mean to your friends, co-workers, and family. It means there will be opportunity for continued growth and protection for years to come. It means there will be a place in the company for your friends and families. It means we have to focus on doing things right by our employees, clients, and other stakeholders.

When I think about opportunities that we original four owners had, it made it really easy for us to want to provide those opportunities to others. It all started with my parents working with my neighbors and the local gas station to help me get my first job. I knew from that point that we all need each other to help give us a leg up. Jesus also teaches this throughout the Bible and illustrates how we are to respect our neighbors (Romans 15:2: ‘Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.’) Everything I know today has been built in me by teachers, mentors, employees, parents, partners, and God. It is amazing to see how things always seem to get better when we can be part of a team.

Founding the company on this principle helped us to realize it is better to give than receive. So… as a company, how do you give? For us, it is giving opportunities to people where they might not have them. This is why we don’t focus on your past and we are always pushing toward the future. This is why we take so much time doing quarterly, yearly, 1,000-day, and ten-year planning.

So… let’s break down the 1,800 people and listed in our BHAG and what it means for each level. It means we need to start by having 951 apprentices on their way to becoming journeymen. We need 644 journeymen helping those apprentices learning the trade the right way. This also means we need 184 field supervisors like Mike Baltazar, Quincy Davis, Chad Edens, and Scott Buckey, managing projects, developing leaders, and making the industry a better place. We will need 61 project managers, like CJ Wheeler, Brian Miller, Dustin Tafoya, etc., helping to keep the projects and clients on track and on budget. This means we need 23 more like Nick Bull and Bob Watkins…we need five more Mike Osborne’s helping each of them to be successful — and finally, we need three more Nate Anderson’s who are ready and willing to take over a new office and develop the culture and people.

We want to accomplish this by focusing our future efforts on developing our people through the company funnel. As we have growth thus far, we had to go out and find many new people who already had the experience to accomplish our goals (and we may need to do this in some of the newer areas) — but in areas like Colorado, we want to switch modes to internally generate our leaders of tomorrow.

So how can you help? Start by meeting with your supervisor and discussing where you want to go in the company. Next, pick the people in the company you want to help mentor and develop them so you can move to the new position. Remember, this is a journey and not a sprint; building relationships and people doesn’t happen overnight.

I can tell you through talking with my mentors, it was very rewarding for them to see my development, and I know as you develop others, you will see great results as well. Jesus started with his twelve disciples and has now developed 2.5 billion Christians throughout the world — and it all started with devoted followers helping everyone to learn and carry on the mission.

Leave your legacy and develop your passion here at Weifield! The team will make sure we keep the opportunities coming. Give the glory to God and may God bless you all! Until next time.