In this month’s issue of Smart Business Los Angeles, we learn about Tommy Skinner’s desire to transform the logistics industry. Here are some of his thoughts on how you find the people that can help you drive big changes.
Tommy Skinner wants to build a business that transforms the way people think of logistics. To make that happen, he’s bringing people in to work for SHIFT Freight who don’t come from a logistics background.
“We are hiring outside the industry,” says Skinner, who leads the company as vice president. “There hasn’t been anyone that we’ve hired on the merit of their experience within the less than truckload space. They have been hired on the merit of their intellect, their cultural fit and really their vision and buy-in to what we’re trying to do.”
Hiring from outside your industry requires more training, but it also gives you a chance to more closely mold your talent to your unique needs.
“When you bring someone in outside the context of maybe what’s been built as the norm around them, you can teach them the industry and you can teach them your role within the industry from scratch,” Skinner says. “Above all, you can focus on a daily basis on why we’re different and ensure your people know that meeting those expectations is paramount.”
Blaze your own path
SHIFT Freight has gained some traction when it comes to finding good talent to the point that people come knocking on the company’s door looking for work.
“We get calls and knocks on our door more than we have to look outward for new personnel,” Skinner says. “When we’re approached, it means two things. One, we’ve effectively communicated our goal to be a fun and exciting brand and culture. It reinforces what we’re doing internally. Secondly, you know that those candidates who are approaching us, they already have bought into some or all of what we’re doing.”
Skinner says the formulaic approach that many companies follow in their hiring protocol has grown stale.
“The first step, particularly with larger companies, is an online application that has objective fields that allow for information gathering that is good for HR personnel,” Skinner says. “They also have some very generic behavioral questions. I look at those surveys the same way I look at a generic cover letter. They don’t really tell me anything about that person.
“Granted, I wouldn’t expect a large Fortune 500 company to have the time to meet with every individual that is interested in joining the organization. But if you can begin to quantify how interested that individual is, that passion and drive and that visionary buy-in is invaluable.”
The responsibility of figuring out whom to hire and who not to hire has to go beyond your executive leadership team, Skinner says.
“I feel comfortable having any one of our team members sit down with a potential candidate and ultimately make a hiring decision,” Skinner says. “In large organizations, you have a siloed HR department or a level of management that is responsible for the decisions. As a leader, I’ve failed if I haven’t been able to empower members of the team to make a decision as critical as building out the team. “
How to reach: SHIFT Freight, (888) 439-4241 or www.shiftfreight.com
To get more insight and advice from the top business leaders in Los Angeles, please visit us @SmartBiz_LA or on our Facebook page.
