See It, Own It, Do It, Solve It

You need your frontline leaders to solve problems that affect safety, efficiency, and, of course, driver turnover.

At the core of problem-solving is a simple process called see it, own it, do it, solve it.

In this driver retention tip, we'll focus on the first part of the process – see it.

Your frontline leaders cannot solve problems they’re unaware of. It sounds obvious, but the fact is, for every problem one of your frontline leaders addresses, another three likely go unnoticed.

There are two simple ways your frontline leaders can overcome this:

1. Management by Walking Around (MBWA)
2. Open Door Policy

Each and every day, your managers need to get out from behind their desks and observe dispatchers, technicians, and drivers.

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Make it a policy that they schedule at least 30 minutes each day to have a physical presence in the company. Then, when they see a problem, they can step in and correct it.

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Second, your frontline leaders must have an open door policy for all of their drivers and dispatchers.

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Depending on your business model, this “open door policy” might take the form of phone calls, video chat, etc. but the concept remains the same.

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It’s impossible for your frontline leaders to always be there when a problem unfolds, but they need to maintain and promote an open-door policy.

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You may get pushback from frontline leaders on these new policies.

You’re likely to hear – "I don’t have time to step away from the computer." Or, "If my office is a revolving door, I can’t get anything done."

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Just remember WIIFM. Explain to your frontline leaders that when they can “see” problems, they can solve those problems before they become bigger messes.

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In the long run, it makes their job easier.