LP Gas, December 2010
COLUMNIST CARL HUGHES Trust issues Businesses that can rely on their internal teams move with ease speed O ver the years of writing my LP Gas Magazine columns I have attempted to balance my focus between two broad business issues the easily measurable category we call hard issues and the more touchy feely side of business we call soft issues Hard issues refer to things like asset management and matters of accounting and finance The propane industry is notorious for measuring hard items like delivery costs per gallon gallons per drop and gallons delivered per bobtail Soft issues deal with culture communications and people While we spend a great deal of our energies on the more clearly defined hard issues propane leaders worry the most about recruiting and retaining talent how to motivate their work force and how to improve their companys culture so everyone works better together All businesses struggle with balancing these two spectrums often erring on one side or the other Those who focus only on the bottom line and the financial measurement might have a variety of people issues that lead to poor performance and excessive employee turnover Those who focus only on the softer issues might not be performing well financially A recently published book titled The Speed of Trust by author Stephen M R Covey clearly falls into the softer side of the equation Covey shows that high trust organizations tend to be the top performers because not hindered by distrust and insecurity they move with ease and If you have employees who recently completed CETP training using materials through propanesafety com great But remember CETP Certification is the best way to prove they have the knowledge and skills to do the job To get CETP certified and credit for their training employees must pass a certification exam and skills assessment To get certified the place to start is CETPCertification org Continued on page 44 42 LPGas December 2010 www LPGasmagazine com
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