Why Culture Beliefs Matter

Welcome to Eco Ask Why, a podcast that dives into industrial manufacturing topics and spotlights the heroes that keep America running. I'm your host, Chris Granger, and on this podcast, we do not cover the latest features and benefits on products that come to market. Instead, we focus on advice and insight from the top minds of industry because people and ideas will be how America remains number one in manufacturing in the world. Welcome to ECO Ask Why. My name is Chris Granger, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with you today. Really enjoying unpacking these cultural beliefs that we have at an electrical equipment company through this series that celebrating 100 years at Eco. And you heard that right. 100 years is pretty exciting, right? So we've gone through a couple of them, and this one, I'm really, it's it just hits to the core of what's so important to us as a company, as individuals who work at an electrical equipment company. And it's called it's mine. It's that simple. It's two words, it's mine. Because that's talking about the power of personal ownership. Now, in the first three cultural beliefs, we really unpacked how a century of success is built through a commitment to results, right? Achieved results, honest communication, and timely feedback. Yet none of those outcomes happen on their own. They require people who are willing to take personal responsibility for what happens next. And that mindset is captured here at Eco through this culture of belief called it's mind. And the definition of it is very simple. I own it, and I always ask the question, what else can I do? That's it. I own it, and I always ask the question, what else can I do? And personal ownership, if you think about it, it's more than completing an assigned task or meeting the

Defining “It’s Mine” Ownership

expectations listed in a said job description, for instance. It is the decision to treat a challenge or a customer need or a business outcome as something that you're personally responsible for, particularly if it's your responsibility to help resolve it. And it means recognizing a problem, you know, seeing that problem, and refusing to assume that somebody else is going to take care of it. That's not what this means, right? And this belief here at Eco, I've seen it firsthand, and so many of my teammates just come to fruition. And it shaped eco for generations. And it's seen in the way that employees respond like during emergencies, when customers are down and it gets stressful, or when they step beyond traditional department boundaries. You know, if you need help over here, we're going to jump in, we're going to help you over here, right? Whatever's whatever's needed. Or just the outlook pouring of love and support for one each for one another. This is genuine. This is real. I see this at eco day in and day out. And ultimately, we're remaining focused on our customers and the ones that we serve, their ultimate outcome. So this goes well beyond a job description. I just want to make sure we're very clear about that. Job descriptions are great, but we're talking about something a little bit bigger than that. And one of the clearest signs of an ownership mindset is the absence of the phrase, that's not my job. Well, when you get that phrase out, you start recognizing that you you've really grown something special. And in many organizations, responsibilities are divided so rigidly that problems can fall between departments. And I've seen this time and time again in manufacturing and different types of organizations where this just happens, where no one feels responsible for the entire outcome. Or customers are passed from one person to another. You ever had that where you've called for customer support and you just keep getting kicked down the can one to the next to the next to the next? That doesn't serve, right? Or maybe you have important details that you really want to make sure get understood and they're overlooked. Or unfortunately, delays happen, and when delays happen, they don't get communicated, or there's someone else's problem. And at eco, that expectation is different. Because when someone sees a gap, we look for ways to close it. That's really what it's all about. And it sometimes that means a leader just stepping into stock shelves, helping the warehouse, or troubleshooting internal issue because there's an immediate need. The immediate needs we we want to jump on them together. Or other times it may look like an inside salesperson going beyond identifying the correct product and learning the details of the shipping and the environment and other requirements to keep the project moving forward, right? So just really digging deep and owning it at a deeper level. Because ownership means you're looking beyond the boundaries of your individual role and considering the company, the vendors,

Beyond Job Descriptions In Practice

the coworkers, all the different things that are in your sphere of influence in that moment. And when employees treat the business as if it were their own, man, things change. Everything's changed. Decisions begin to carry greater meaning. Profit is no longer simply a number on a report. No, efficiency is not just an operational target or customer satisfaction is not some metric on a dashboard. Each of these things represent the health of the organization and our ability to continue to serve customers, to support our employees, and to create opportunities in the future. And this perspective turns a task into a solution and a job into something worth taking pride in. So this is what it's all about. Because ownership is often tested most clearly when the situation is inconvenient. Let's just be honest. When it's inconvenient, that's when ownership shows up. It's easy to show up when things are gravy, baby, but it's tough when it when it's not convenient. Because manufacturing operations, they just don't follow a standard workday. Let's just be real about this. A production line can stop at any time. And it usually stops in the middle of the night or on the weekend or on a holiday. That's just the way it happens. That's the world we live in. When that happens, what do you do? Because the impact on the customer in that moment, it's significant. And waiting for banker hours to open up, that's not an option. So owning the relationships means that we have to understand the urgency behind the requests that come our way. And throughout our history at Eco, employees have been willing to arrive early or stay late or answer an unexpected call or be on the on-call type of situation throughout the weekends, whatever it may, whatever that looks like, or locate and deliver critical components because we understand what's at stake for you. That's it. Our response is not just driven by a policy procedure. It becomes from a responsibility we feel for you as our partner and the outcome that you're ultimately looking for. Now, this doesn't mean every situation requires an extreme response, but it does mean that when a customer is facing a serious challenge, that we take what we like to call an ownership mindset. That's it. And we don't simply acknowledge the problem and move on. We want to own it. We want to stay engaged. We want to communicate as often as we can and continue to work toward a solution. So the message is very simple. If it matters to you, it matters to us. And we have to step into the breach here because some race situations require more than just availability. They require sound judgment and initiative and courage to make decisions when the path forward isn't clear. So, like in a high-stakes manufacturing environment, and we have tons and tons of those at an electrical equipment company that we serve, these delays can affect production. They can ultimately, the big one that we're ultimately concerned about a lot is safety or your ability to serve your own customers as a manufacturer. And waiting for perfect information or passing the decision to someone else can sometimes, let's just be honest, it makes the problems worse. So that ownership mindset that we're talking about right here, it's mine, doesn't mean that we want to act recklessly, okay, or ignore proper processes. So let's just clarify that. That may involve escalating an issue, you know, directly to the manufacturer or the local service provider or the vendor that we're working with, or trying to find a temporary solution just to get to kind of get a resolution so that we can figure out the ultimate way to solve it in the end. But ultimately, it's bringing together the right resources to protect the operation of the ones that we're serving. That's what it's all about. And this ownership means being willing to contribute beyond the product. We're not just, again, people and ideas over products. This is what it's all about. So if a customer loses access to a critical technical resource, I've seen this time and time again, particularly with our solution architecture team, that specialist may be able to step in to help troubleshoot the application or even support some programming needs or provide that expertise that's required to help keep that project or on schedule or to get you back online. Because the goal is not simply to just provide you a component, it's the goal is to help you achieve a successful outcome. That's it. And that's the difference between being an order taker and being a trusted partner. And an eco, we don't want to just be order takers, we want to be trusted partners. And a supplier provides product. A partner takes

Ownership When It’s Inconvenient

responsibility for helping to solve the problem. So that question, asking what else can I do, man, that that is really critical. And it's just as important as the first, really is the first half of this culture belief. Because that question moves ownership from a reactive response to a proactive habit. That's what's that's the connection point. And for some employees, uh it means investing time and learning. We have to learn. I for me, this was a big one when I was a co-op engineer when I first was getting started. I spent days and hours and weeks and months and years studying and learning and just different applications, going to schools and going to classes and really digging deep and trying stuff on my own. Sometimes it didn't go too well. I mean, I may have burnt up a drive or two, but that's all the price you have to pay, right? So, anyway, all this stuff, yeah, because these are technical products, these are different applications and environments that we have to know about. And this stuff is always changing. So, an ownership mindset really means we have to accept responsibility for developing the knowledge to be able to be a valuable resource. Because one thing to say you are a valuable resource, another thing to actually be it. And that comes through the work we have to put in at an electrical equipment company to understand these products at a more intimate level. Okay, so sometimes we got to study this stuff after hours, or we have to we have more experienced teammates we can pull in to help us, you know, level up, if you will. We have again training that we can do that we go to from our vendors and partners and things like that. Or sometimes it's, and this is what I love the most, just intentionally sitting down and learning more about the customer's operation. Because I think it's just fascinating. Well, how does this process work? And again, the goal is not to just know more, it's to become better prepared to serve when the next challenge is right, challenge arises. And this is the way I did a lot of times when I worked with the pulp and paper industry, as particularly a plant in Hopewell, I knew there were production line one into the other. And I know where the critical components were and what the sense of urgency that it that I needed to have, depending on where in the production line the issue was. And I just learned that. We had a lot of questions, a lot of lunches, a lot of conversations to be able to bring that level of value. So the question also right here, what else can I do, encourages us to look beyond just the immediate fix. Because after we solve a problem, an ownership mindset, when we have that, we we ask whether anything could be done to prevent it from happening again. We don't want you to go through what you just went through again, right? So we want to look through new processes or trackings or documentations or training, just a more efficient way of working together. That's what's happening. So that's that's from us helping you. Now, what else can I do? Also applies internally. Because our coworkers, our teammates at Eco, they're our customers too, and they're our brothers and sisters, and we care about each other. And ownership may mean helping another department work through a backlog or sharing knowledge with a newer employee and bringing them up to speed and getting them where they need to be, or taking time not only to explain what needs to be done, but why, right? And just give them that why it matters. So, because when we pass knowledge forward, it strengthens the entire organization and it helps ensure the eco remains prepared to serve customers for many more years in the future. And look, you can't buy this kind of trust, guys. You can't, you can't. So I mean it's it's impossible to buy this kind of trust. It has to be shown and demonstrated. And from a customer's perspective, personal ownership creates confidence. I had a lot of confidence in the customers that I called on directly. Not because I'm awesome, but because they knew that I cared. That's really the big difference. And because so many customers, particularly these days, they're used to automated systems and complicated phone menus and being transferred from department to department. And look, in that department in that environment, having a person who accepts responsibility to help solve your problem, that is incredibly valuable. And it's been interesting. I've seen it in myself, I've seen it in others, that when you do this, the ones that you're serving often view you as an extension of their own team. Because they know who to call, they know who to trust, they know you're gonna be engaged, right? And then they're gonna then they're they know that you're

“What Else Can I Do?” Habit

gonna be engaged until the issue is resolved, or either next clear step is identified. They feel that they know that you care, and that trust just reduces their stress. It gives the plant managers and engineers and the buyers and operational leaders confidence that someone's paying attention. They just are. And that again, that kind of relationship cannot be created through marketing alone. You can't just do that. It's earned, it's earned through consistency and responsiveness and expertise and follow-through. And it grows each time an employee says, I'll take care of it. I got you. And then does everything response reasonably possible to keep that commitment, right? It's one thing to say it's nothing to actually follow through with it. So this ownership really gives us a competitive advantage. And as we reflect on a hundred years, I keep I want to say it again, one hundred years of serving customers, it's clear that products, technologies, and industries they've changed dramatically. They just have. But that need for personal ownership remains true. It is a salient truth. And in fact, ownership may be maybe more valuable today than ever before. Because manufacturing systems are becoming more and more complex. Experienced technical professionals are retiring. We we hear this all the time about the retiring workforce, and customers are being asked more and more of them with fewer and fewer resources. So they need partners. They need partners who would do more than just quote products and process orders. That's Amazon, right? No, they need people who are willing to understand the challenge and take responsibility for helping you achieve your desired result. And when the responsibility is unclear, results the results are left open to chance. But when an organization is filled with people who approach the challenge with an it's mind mindset, the success we're talking about, it becomes far more intentional. So again, man, the the question, what else can I do? This is not this is not a slogan. It's not a slogan. It's a commitment. It's a commitment to remain curious, to remain engaged, and to be unwilling to settle for partial solution when more value can be provided, so that its mind is ultimately about accountability, but it's also about pride. The pride that comes from being dependable, following through, and becoming the person that customers, co-workers, anybody we engage with know that they can count on. So, guys, it's mine. I love this culture belief here at Eco. I see it firsthand from the extreme top of the leadership all the way throughout the organization. This is what we talk, this is what we mean, what we say. And this is manifested in the actions we take day in and day out as electrical equipment company employees. So as we celebrate 100 years, we would invite you to come spend some time with us. Come to one of our branches, come to come come hang out, come meet some of our team members. We would love to serve you. If you if particularly if you have a problem that you're working through and it's an electrical problem and you need some support, reach out to us. We have, I'm telling you, we have some of the smartest people on the planet working at an electrical equipment company that can come in, they can help diagnose your problem, whether it's an automation or a power issue, whatever it

Trust As A Competitive Advantage

may be, communications. We have the expertise, we have the team, we have the resources ready to come in to serve you. So if you're in our footprint, our geographer geographer footprint here in the U.S., reach out to us. We'll have links in the show notes and all that stuff for you to connect. We have our connected power labs all throughout our footprint as well. So we'd love for you to come in and put your hands on some of these products in a safe manner. We will walk you through it, build up that confidence so that when these projects or opportunities come in the future, you're more equipped, you're more prepared to really hit the ground running and do a phenomenal job the way that we know you will. So, again, all that stuff, fellas, just check it out, check out our website, ecoonline.com, is how you can is how you can find that. Again, resource after resource for you. And we would just ask as we celebrate 100 years that you celebrate with us. Where it's a big deal for a company to reach 100 years, speaks volume, volumes to the commitment, to the execution. Just think of how many things have changed in 100 years, just in doing business. And yet Eco remains true, remains a staple. I I know I am beyond blessed to be here with the company as long as I've been. type of thinking manifests in the work that we do as team members. And I was as we wrap this up, I would just say this. We actually care for each other. And and I say that obviously this is a podcast, so we're putting this stuff out there, and lots of people listen, but I can say this from the bottom of my heart. We genuinely care for each other. There are people at Electrical Equipment Company that just form deep, deep relationships that cannot be manufactured. No, they're they're genuine. So we'd love to talk to you, we love to serve you, we love to help you. So reach out to us. So again, you check out the show notes, share this stuff out with others if you don't mind. We put the podcast out. We have our articles, we have the different things we put on LinkedIn and YouTube. So you can you can connect with us on those platforms as well. We'd love to see you in those platforms, but share it out with others, particularly

Invitation To Connect And Closing

those that are in the manufacturing space, because maybe this it's mine mindset is something that you would like to see adopted more in your own walk, but also maybe in your in your main in your your facility that you find yourself working in or with your team that you're in charge of, whatever those those dynamics may be. This is the great culture belief that you could deploy into your organization today. So hopefully you're encouraged by that. Give us a rating and review if you don't mind. We love those. That just definitely helps put put that put us in front of more people that we can hopefully encourage along the way. And as we continue to celebrate 100 years, we look forward to seeing you next time. Hope everyone has a great day. Thanks for hanging out with me. And remember, keep asking why. Thank you for listening to ECO Ask Why. This show is supported ad-free by Electrical Equipment Company. Eco is redefining the expectations of an electrical distributor by placing people and ideas before products. Please subscribe and share with your colleagues and friends. Also leave comments, feedback, and any new topics that you'd like to hear. To learn more or to share your insights, visit ecosy.com dash e c o.com.