Diverse Perspectives Help Create Effective Programs
Previously in this column, I’ve discussed my time in the Army and my mostly fond memories of that experience. Whenever possible, I like to draw upon those experiences to help me understand and meet the challenges we face today.
Since I moved into the general manager’s role here at Coosa Valley Electric, we’ve been working on a succession plan that includes training and development for each position. While we have adopted the structure, the plan itself is a working document that must be updated.
Similar to the way the military approaches training, we are designing our processes to focus on the needs and requirements of positions, not people. This helps ensure a level playing field for all potential candidates and that we are not handpicking individuals.
Electric cooperatives, for the most part, are small organizations with big jobs. We, at times, have difficulty finding individuals with the right experience, training, and attitude to work in the cooperative world. We find that at least for certain disciplines, developing our own employees tends to yield preferable results.
1 such discipline is lineman. We have been fortunate at times over the years to have hired qualified, well-trained linemen with the attitude to excel in our industry. But that is not always the case.
To develop our linemen from within, we offer an apprenticeship program. Broken into 8, 6-month steps, a full apprenticeship takes about 4 years to complete. To ensure we remain consistent with our program, we have been working with our more experienced linemen and crew chiefs to update the skills and knowledge our apprentices will need to gain at each step.
Once we complete this process, we will do something different than in years past, and I can lean into my military days for comparison.
The military loves to train its members and has a lot of experience doing it. Throughout my basic as well as advanced individual training, I never had to wonder where I stood in the process. I was given information that told me what leaders expected of me at each step. I always knew exactly what skills and knowledge I had gained and what I still needed to learn.
Once we complete our updates, we will give each apprentice and apprentice candidate forms that will clearly define the expectations of each training step. They will know, without a doubt, what will be expected of them. This will help them not only keep up with their progress but also help make them responsible for gaining the skills and knowledge they will need to complete their training and eventually become journeymen linemen.
I am proud of the process we have followed to get to this point. We have had input from a lot of individuals, and each person’s perspective has helped shape the process as we develop it.
I can claim very little credit. While I refer to my military experiences, it is for example purposes only. These processes have been developed by the people who have been involved. My part has been to give them the freedom to think, collaborate, work, and have input. All the credit goes to them.
We have a very talented group of people here, and I consider myself blessed to get the opportunity to work with them.
I hope your summer gets off to a good start and is mostly storm-free.