Shawn McHale, President of Ottawa Valley Glass in Renfrew, Ontario, leads a team of about 80 employees to meet the needs of a growing list of clients. The company is a trusted glazing contractor that specializes in manufacturing curtain glass walls and a wide variety of custom products. For a small-town company, Ottawa Valley Glass lands a lot of big-city contracts, including a $10-million Winnipeg Airport project, the Kingston police station, and a 19-storey Ottawa office tower for BMO.
The Plans
In 2006, Shawn debated hiring more staff to handle the growing business. While the company was doing well, there wasn’t a well-established growth plan in place. “If we had a good year, we’d give a bonus, but we weren’t doing anything structured,” he explains.
Shawn discovered a Leadership Performance program delivered by The Leadership Group (TLG). Through TLG, business owners gain new skills, tools and techniques that enable them to focus on their most important goals to improve performance, while staff members become part of a clearer vision.
Shawn worked with TLG to establish achievable targets and milestones best suited to his firm. Not only did Shawn increase his focus on greatest-return tasks, he was also able to improve his delegation and coach staff to reach new goals.
The Results
Ottawa Valley Glass went on to win several large contracts, making their top-line soar, and increase profits by 20%. Shawn was able to delay hiring because existing employees became more productive. Now, employees increasingly focus on their strengths and end up doing fewer peripheral jobs.
Shawn concludes: “I couldn’t believe the amount of time I had been wasting on non-productive tasks and I realized the importance of empowering all team members to do their jobs well. The expectation of positive results can transform attitudes and make the workplace full of exciting energy. Thank you, TLG!”
