Now we’re in the planning process for 2018 evaluating a new set of opportunities and goals for next year.  It’s amazing to see where Saia is today, coming out of the recession in 2008, with the growth in our business, our correlated improvements to service quality and pricing, and reinvestment into our network and rolling stock.

We’ve accomplished a number of big things in recent years so the path forward may be less about crowning achievements and more about the less obvious ways we can optimize our business of moving freight in a more efficient, less costly and safe manner.  That said, in order to continue on this path of growth and achievement, we’ll need to look for ways to up our game - likely driven by best-in-class leadership throughout the organization.

And, not just in the corporate and executive ranks, but regionally and in our terminals.  It’s imperative that we identify departmental goals that are obtainable, but that also stretch us and are both measurable and time-based to ensure we meet our expectations. Constant evaluation of our performance and opportunities throughout the year will be important in understanding when the opportunities change so priorities and goals can be reset.    

First class leadership will be required from all of us at varying levels.  It could be a dockworker inspiring his/her peers to improve on load securement, an account executive sharing tools they use to sell our business or a manager identifying efficiencies in a process for his/her department.  It will be about each and every one of us self-evaluating what we bring to the team and organization each day.  Some of those examples aren’t considered leadership by way of title, but through taking the initiative within your group to improve a process or results. It is showing leadership within your role.  The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves or in how they go about their work.  That type of leadership is infectious and can spread to an entire group or terminals resulting in positive outcomes for an entire team or organization.  

Our management personnel are tasked with setting the vision and corresponding goals that will allow our teams to be successful.  As effective leaders, managers need to ensure they clearly communicate the individual and team goals and the desired effect they should have on both parties as well as for Saia as a whole.  It may be the most difficult part of the process but consistent evaluation with employees is necessary to ensure the team is staying on track and addressing any opportunities for education and retraining to help individuals meet the expectations. 

There are a number of opportunities for us today that are hidden in our day-to-day work processes such as improvements in productivity, consistency and discipline.  As managers, we need to identify those things and use them to challenge our teams to improve in those areas as the road to long-term success will be more about the incremental improvements and discipline in how conduct our business each day.     

So, as we close 2017 and enter into a new year with a whole new set of opportunities, ask yourself if you are you willing to perform in such a manner that your work product is emulated by your team members and are you willing to look for opportunities to improve service, save costs, operate more safely and then bring those ideas to management for implementation across the network?  And, managers, will you take the time to identify opportunities for your teams, set challenging but obtainable goals and then constructively evaluate throughout the year in partnership with your staff members?  

Leadership is not driven by title or a formal designation but instead is defined by how we can all inspire, influence and be impactful.  As we desire to become greater, let’s use that leadership to influence and inspire passion in others in their work and impact our results favorably for years to come.