Rebuild
Anderson and his team looked for new employees who had experience with companies that were doing the things Express wanted to strive to do following their turnaround. “Entrepreneurial companies tend to have a level of drive, a level of can-do attitude,” Anderson says. “We had to balance that with individuals who came up in larger organizations, more professionally managed organizations and system processing organizations. That was an element we were missing. We rounded out a management team that has different experiences from different types of companies because we want to keep that element of an entrepreneurial attitude but marry it with a more professionally managed company and that has been refreshing and provided success for us.
“Part of the integrating process is that you cannot be afraid to communicate what you think some of the opportunities for improvement are within the organization. It is very difficult to say, ‘We just came out of a Chapter 11, and we are the best company out there, don’t worry about that.’ You have to communicate to [new employees] what you think the issues were that led up to it, what improvement steps you’ve taken and what you could expect they could provide to help the organization meet its long-term goals. You have to tell them that there is going to be change in the company, and we’re bringing you in to help with that change. “
Make sure the individual agrees with your vision and understands that flexibility is key.
“We know where we want to get to, but in getting there, there may be different paths,” Anderson says. “As we bring on people, we want them to come on with their experiences and values that they’ve had previously. You have to have that strategy as a CEO and be able to lay out to a new prospective candidate and be willing to admit that the organization is not 100 percent perfect and be willing to admit that we want and we need your help. Be willing to admit that it’s going to be challenging because it’s change.”
HOW TO REACH: Express Energy Services, (713) 625-7400 or www.eeslp.com
