The Importance of Employee Engagement

By Anna Lockhart.  

Having a team of trusted employees with a shared vision and understanding of the company mission is crucial to success in both the workplace and as a brand overall.  

In an episode of the Roofing Road Trips podcast, host Heidi J. Ellsworth sat down with the new leadership team at MetalForming, Stephen Gosk and Ken McLauchlan, to discuss their leadership styles and beliefs on what it takes to effectively and efficiently lead a company. Both guests emphasized the importance of establishing a cohesive brand identity and hiring employees with a clear understanding of what the job entails.  

As Stephen and Ken strive towards curating a customer-centric organization, one of the major ways they have made progress towards that goal is by hiring specific individuals who will not only thrive in the workplace but can contribute towards the customer-centric goals. Stephen, who was recently brought on as the company president and CEO, explained, “Every person in the company matters. Every person needs to be engaged in doing their role to the best of their ability. And so, it is absolutely paramount that we have the right people on the bus -they use that phrase - we need the right people on the team, they need to be like-minded.” 

He continued, “If someone falls, they're reaching the hand down to help them up and see how they can truly assist. For me, I think one of the great parts of being in my job is that I can have a say, at least going forward, on every person that joins and make sure that they're aligned.” 

Bringing on the right people who mesh well with the company vision can be incredibly beneficial not only for a positive workplace and environment, but it also sends a message to customers. Having employees that are active in participating in customer spaces can also improve customer satisfaction.  

Ken, vice president of architectural sales, had this to say about encouraging employee involvement in open houses and tradeshows, “One of the best experiences I’ve had in the last three months is one of the machines we just placed, one of our customers came up and said, ‘Those are the same people I saw at the show.’ And that's what we want people to understand. There's no ivory tower. You open the door and you go right or left, you'll get Steve's office, you go to the right you get my office, we're here to help.” 

“But the guys that are at the trade show were all here, too. We're not trying to hide behind any gauntlet, we're not trying to sit up and look back, we're trying to say, ‘Tell us what your problems are. Give us an opportunity to try to help you and let's try to work through it together,’” he explained.  

Learn more about Stephen and Ken’s vision for the future of MetalForming and how to implement similar strategies!