The World's Best Ditch Digger! An Inspiration for Leadership
Training
I would like to depart from my traditional articles to describe
a great leader who was also a great friend. This departure is
partly selfish, but I welcome an opportunity to describe a
person from whom I learned many management and leadership
lessons.
In the early 1990's I met with the owner of the Fishel Company
so that he and several of his executives from around the country
could evaluate a system I had developed for process improvement.
The meeting took place in Phoenix because The Fishel Company has
a large presence in Arizona.
The Fishel Company has about 30 branch offices around the U.S.
with most of its operations focused on either underground or
overhead utility construction. The company motto says it all,
"The World's Best Ditch Diggers." That is what they do - dig
ditches and install pipes and cables. As you might expect, the
majority of the workers in The Fishel Company are blue collar,
hard working outdoor types, or as John Phillips the current
company president once described them, "These people are
absolutely the salt of the earth! There isn't one of them you
wouldn't enjoy having as a relative or next-door neighbor."
The meeting must have gone well, because I received a contract
to implement a system of process analysis, teambuilding, leadership
training, and process improvement in their many locations
around the country. For several years I visited each branch
office many times, which enabled me to learn a lot about the
company history and some very unique corporate philosophies.
It's about the uniqueness of this company and its owner that I
would like to describe in this article.
Ken Fishel, who built the company through old fashioned hard
work and a commitment to providing the customer high quality at
a fair price, founded the Fishel Company 66 years ago. Ken's
son-in-law, Jeff Keeler, joined the company in 1976 as part of a
field crew. Later he moved to the office as an assistant to the
Vice President. The combination of field and office experience
enabled Jeff to learn the underground utility construction
business from the underground up. Jeff was named president in
1977 and served in that capacity until 1998 when he became
Chairman and CEO.
It is about J.F. (Jeff) Keeler, Jr. that I pay tribute. From the
moment I first met him and later in dozens of meetings and leadership
training workshops that he attended, I became his fan. He
preached a concept called "Fishelosophy," which distinguished
his company form the competition. I had never seen a company
like this before. At first I was amazed that "Fishelosophy"
actually worked. But I soon realized that it was a different way
of treating people. And because the people (employees, customers
and vendors) were treated differently, they in turn responded in
like manner.
Let me give a few examples of "Fishelosophy." There are no
"employees" in the company; they are called Teammates. If you
inadvertently use the "employee" word, someone will quickly
correct you. It took me some time to break the "employee" habit;
but when I did, it was obvious to my Teammates that I had
embraced their passion for teamwork.
Jeff believed in sharing company profits. Each quarter eligible,
Teammates shared a significant portion of the company's profits.
This sharing of profits helped each person think like an owner,
because in effect, each person is. Profit sharing checks were
typically distributed in meetings that would best be described
as a pep rally. I'll never forget the first one I attended in
Phoenix; it was an exciting and fun event.
At the meetings Jeff would lead his Teammates in a company
cheer! That's right, I said company cheers. If you had told me
that company cheers were possible in today's sophisticated
marketplace, I would have disagreed. But with Jeff's
enthusiastic leadership style, it worked exceptionally well. The
cheers fostered a camaraderie among his Teammates that is
without equal in my 34 years of business experience.
The Fishel Company believes in posters. There are posters
espousing every corporate belief, value and initiative. At
meetings, the posters are prominently displayed as a
reinforcement of what they stand for. It was common to see
half-dozen posters on easels for a leadership
training workshop.
As I traveled with Jeff and saw him interact with his Teammates,
many things impressed me. But one of the most amazing was that
he knew not only the names of his Teammates, but he also
remembered who they were as human beings. This attribute
endeared his people with unparalleled loyalty and honesty.
Jeff Keeler lived teamwork, he had vibrant passion for life, he
loved competition, he cherished friendships, and he made life
more fun for his family, Teammates, and everyone he met.
Unfortunately, Jeff recently passed away, a cancer victim. He
may be gone, but I'll never forget the lessons I learned from
the "World's Best Ditch Digger." Leadership
training makes a difference.
To learn about how Dr. Williams or CMOE (Center for Management
and Organization Effectiveness) can assist your organization
with leadership training initiatives, please contact a CMOE
Representative toll free (888)262-2499.