Professional Documents
Culture Documents
C O M
MAY/J U N E 2 01 5
THE
LEADERSHIP
LEADERS CONVERGE
ISSUE
AT THE NATSO SHOW
Leadership and
the Bottom Line
Strengthening
the Team (8 Tips!)
What to Do When You
Are the Aspiring Leader
CHAIRMANS LETTER
L
TOM HEINZ
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD
Tom Heinz
Coffee Cup Fuel Stops & Convenience
Stores, Inc.
NATSO 2015 Chairman
www.natso.com
WWW.NATSO.COM
MAY/JUNE 2015
THE MEMBER MAGAZINE OF NATSO, REPRESENTING THE TRUCKSTOP AND TRAVEL PLAZA INDUSTRY
FEATU R E S
8
EFFECTIVE LEADERS =
HAPPY EMPLOYEES,
HAPPY EMPLOYEES =
HAPPY CUSTOMERS,
HAPPY CUSTOMERS =
IMPROVED PROFITS
10
TRENDS IN LEADERSHIP
[INFOGRAPHIC]
13
NATSO OPERATIONAL
EXCHANGE
18
LEADERS CONVERGE AT
THE NATSO SHOW
20
11
TR E N D S
TREND NO. 1: INCREASED ENGAGEMENT
WITH DIRECT MANAGERS
productive workforce.
and 24
D E PARTM E NTS
03
Chairman's Letter
THE SIGNIFICANCE
OF LEADERSHIP
06
Great Ideas!
FIVE WAYS TO SHOW YOUR
TRUCKSTOP EMPLOYEES
YOUR THANKS
INCREASED ENGAGEMENT
WITH DIRECT MANAGERS
14
Foundation Update
INDUSTRY LEADER BILL
SAPP RECEIVES THE
HALL OF FAME AWARD
26
24
Member Profile
INVESTING IN
EMPLOYEES AT COFFEE
CUP FUEL STOPS
Chairman
Tom Heinz
Editor
Amy Toner
DARRENS GREAT
Darren Schulte, NATSOs vice president of membership and a retail expert, writes a biweekly retail column on NATSOs
blog. We feature the best here in Stop Watch magazine. Join Schulte on NATSOs website at www.natso.com/great-ideas
to read his digestible retail tips every other Thursday.
Dont always stay locked in your office. Jump behind the counter and
work when your team members need
help. Or better yet, offer to cover the
last 15 minutes of someones shift
as a small special surprise. Join your
custodian(s) for an hourly work along
checking fuel nozzles or dumping
trash, mopping floors, steam cleaning the fuel bays, etc. Take this opportunity to see what aspects of their
jobs you can improve together. As
we mention often, it is so important
to know your customers and what
better way to know your external customers than to work the floor, where
the rubber meets the road?
May/June 2015
at dschulte@natso.com or (703) 739-8562 and hell answer your question in the next
Darrens Great Ideas! for Independent Operators.
www.natso.com
LEADER
EMPLOYEE
EMPLOYEE
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
CUSTOMER
May/June 2015
uring The NATSO Show 2015, Ken Schmidt, the former chief marketing officer for Harley Davidson, told
truckstop and travel plaza operators that we live in a
world where everything is commoditized.
I will say until my face turns purple that there is nothing you are selling that I cant get from someone else for less
money, Schmidt said.
That is what makes the people behind the business
crucial to its success. In a world where all things are
equal and there is nothing we can sell you that you cant
get for less money, who do we choose to do business
with? It is people who we like, period, Schmidt said.
become tomorrows leaders, which increases the odds companies will be able
to hire from within.
Managers should also coach and
develop employees. Egan said coaching is an important part of a business.
Sometimes people want to do the
right thing, but they dont know how,
he explained. You can put them in a
class and give them the right tools and
techniques. (Learn more about how
todays leaders engage and train their
employees on page 11).
TRENDS IN
Leadership
Great leadership not
only improves the energy
and atmosphere of a
business. It can improve
the bottom line.
Committed workgroups are 44% more profitable, 50% more productive and have
50% higher degrees of customer loyalty. The Gallup Organization
Direct replacement costs can reach as high as 50% to 60% of an employees annual salary,
with total costs associated with turnover ranging from 90% to 200% of the annual salary.
Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM)
Millennials, like most employees, look to their direct manager as their number one source
of development. Overall, Millennials want feedback 50% more often than other employees.
SuccessFactors
High-performing companies
spend 1.5 to 2 times more on
leadership
Anywhere from 13% to 28% of employees are highly passionate about their jobs
and their organizations. The rest are neutral or worse, actively disengaged and just
putting in their time or even undermining their organizations.
Workforce Performance Solutions
The employees who are the most committed perform 20% better and are 87%
less likely to leave the organizationindicating the significance of engagement to
organizational performance. SHRM
10
May/June 2015
53%
65%
DEC
USA Today
2.7
8 TIPS
FOR STRENGTHENING THE TEAM
BY MINDY LONG
Strong leaders know that they are only as strong as the team surrounding them. Effective leaders take
time to coach those under them, which ultimately improves operations and the companys profitability.
to allow them to make some mistakes, like we all do. But when you
get there, it sure makes for a happy
group of people, said Lisa Beach,
retail operations manager at Stamart
Travel Center.
Operators shared their inside tips
on how they work to cultivate their
employees and the companys leaders.
HIRE RIGHT:
Building a great team starts
with hiring the right employees.
Martha Leon, general manager of
Sacramento 49er, said she takes time
to hire great employees, even in areas where she knows the company
will have high turnover, such as the
truck wash. Even if the employee
will only last for a year, we know that
employee will be a good employee
and will make a difference, she said.
We dont hire employees on the first
interview and we will usually do two
www.natso.com
11
CREATE GUIDELINES:
I think you need a company
handbook that makes sense for your
company and you need to follow it
and expect your people to follow
the rules, hold them accountable,
Beach said.
TAKE TIME TO COACH:
When employees and managers
arent performing like the company
would like, taking time to coach them
can improve the situation while also
keeping employees engaged. Youre
doing them a disservice if youre not
coaching them out of a situation. They
cant be happy in the role theyre leading if theyre not performing, said
Herb Hargraves, director of retail sales
and fuel operations at Cash Magic.
BE PERSISTENT:
Developing a strong team takes
time. Sometimes I run into managers wanting to give up on someone we
identified as a future leader too soon.
Many times we find it just takes a little
more time and direction. As long as
they are following policies and trying,
we keep working with them, Beach
said. In our area, good people or just
people are hard to come by and sometimes you need to create them.
Beach added that it is important
to keep expectations in check. I
believe we want them to be good
right away and we dont take the
time to make them good leaders, she said, adding that she understands it can be challenging to
spend time working with employees when there is still a job that
needs to be done.
INVEST IN TRAINING:
Leon said, A couple of my
managers have never been in a leadership position. With them I stress
12
May/June 2015
the 311 shift. Give them clear direction on what you expect and the
tools to do it. Then tell them you
will measure how they are doing in
one week or two weeks, she said.
Then, Beach measures how they performed. Depending on the person,
if they did excellent, give them more
responsibility and a possible wage increase. If you see some benefit, keep
working with them giving them another area and expand their responsibility with their employees such as written
warnings, raise evaluations, ordering,
etc., she said. You dont always know
or always get it right, but you have to
try and make them into a good leader.
ENGAGE EMPLOYEES:
Trader Joes, Rauch explained,
has attracted and retained employees
by being able to step back and look
at how to create an environment
where employees are treated with respect and fairness and have a voice.
Beach suggests operators take time
to listen to their key people, ask them
open-ended questions and make
good decisions based on what they
are saying.
CREATED BY
TO REGISTER:
The monthly calls are limited to 15
NATSO truckstop and travel plaza
members. You can register online at
www.natso.com/operationalexchange
or by emailing membership@natso.
com. Once registered, you will receive
the call-in information.
THE TOPICS:
Each month the group will tackle a
specific issue and there will also be a
designated time period for operators
to pose questions to their peers.
If you have an employee or operational issue, inevitably someone in
the group has dealt with this and they
can share what they have learned.
2015
MAY 14
TOPIC: Vendor and Retailer Relationships
PLAN TO DISCUSS: What makes a vendor
best? What are the key metrics between
top vendors and you? What is your strategy
to develop best-in-class relationships with
your vendors?
JULY 9
TOPIC: Loyalty Programs
PLAN TO DISCUSS: What system do you use?
How do you administer the program?
What can be redeemed?
SEPTEMBER 10
TOPIC: Daily, Weekly, Monthly Checklist
PLAN TO DISCUSS: As a leader, how do you
ensure you spend your time on the right
things? Do you have a system for daily,
weekly and monthly tasks?
NOVEMBER 12
TOPIC: The New Status Quo:
Managing Personal Impact
PLAN TO DISCUSS: Do you handle change
well? Are you flexible? Are you innovative?
What is your tolerance for risk? Are you a
manager or leader?
JUNE 11
TOPIC: Human Engagement
PLAN TO DISCUSS: How can we cash in on
the professional truck driver customer we
have now to get them more emotionally attached? How can you create a warm fuzzy
feeling that prompts customers to provide
word-of-mouth sales growth?
AUGUST 13
TOPIC: Holiday Merchandising
PLAN TO DISCUSS: What is your plan to
capitalize on holiday sales and additional
traffic? What has worked well before and
what has not worked?
OCTOBER 8
TOPIC: Company Culture for the Frontline
PLAN TO DISCUSS: How do you make sure
your frontline staff lives and breathes your
culture? How do you as leaders constantly
motivate and encourage them?
DECEMBER 10
TOPIC: Best and Worst Idea
PLAN TO DISCUSS: Looking back at your
year, what were your good, bad and
ugly ideas?
www.natso.com
13
FOUNDATION UPDATE
14
May/June 2015
FOUNDATION UPDATE
15
NEW MEMBERS
NEW TRAVEL PLAZA MEMBERS
LUCKYS TRAVEL PLAZA,
DBA CISCO GROVE CHEVRON
90 Cisco Road
Soda Springs, CA 95728
PHONE: (916) 690-9691
CONTACT: Lucky Singh
ROAD RANGERGRAYVILLE, IL
(Pilot Dealer #886)
1776 South Court St.
Grayville, IL 62844
PHONE: (815) 387-1700
CONTACT: Jason Brinks
16
May/June 2015
CAT
SCALE
SPONSORS
GOLD SPONSORS
PL ATINUM
17
May/June 2015
FE B. 1619
WYN N LAS
VE GAS
www.natso.com
19
ALMOST
THERE
STRATEGY
TIME MANAGEMENT
NETWORK
FINISH
WHAT TO DO
WHEN YOU ARE THE
ASPIRING
LEADER
MENTOR
TRAINING SE
CONFIDENCE
20
May/June 2015
VISION
ESSIONS
BY M I N D
Y LO N G
T
LEADER
START
www.natso.com
21
22
May/June 2015
www.natso.com
23
Investing in
EmplAToyees
BY MINDY LONG
Business owners know that employees are at the heart of every
operation, but finding and keeping the right employees can be
challenging. Coffee Cup Fuel Stops has taken human resources
to the next level, investing in its staff and focusing on hiring right.
AT
Coffee Cup Fuel Stops, cultivating long-term employees starts even before someone applies
to the company.
Every interaction I have with every person I meet is about selling us
as a place they might want to work
someday, said Ericka Schapekahm,
director of human resources and
special projects for the company,
adding that whether she is buying
something in town, taking care of
a transaction at the bank or getting
involved in the community, she is
laying the groundwork with future
applicants. We want to make sure
were a place people want to work.
Crafting the publics image of the
company is also part of Schapekahms long-term plan for building a
24
May/June 2015
One Operator s
Go-To List for
Leadership
Information
Ericka Schapekahm, director
of human resources and special
projects for the Coffee Cup Fuel Stops,
has a handful of blogs and web sites she
turns to help her craft her leadership
training. She shared her list with Stop Watch.
They are:
Inc.
http://www.inc.com
SHRM-Society of Human
Resource Managers
http://www.shrm.org/pages/default.aspx
Harvard Business Review
https://hbr.org/leadership
Leadership and
Influence Blog
http://www.leadershipandinfluenceblog.com
www.natso.com
25
HAVE A GREAT IDEA YOU WANT TO SUBMIT? Send a high-resolution picture of your locations great idea and the story behind it to
Amy Toner at atoner@natso.com.
Training Manual
Training is an essential element in the success of any operation.
To help NATSO members, NATSO is now offering a Truckstop and
Travel Plaza Training Manual!
The manual, designed to help you create your own storeand company-specific operations training manual, includes:
Detailed job descriptions for key positions of manager,
cashier and merchandiser;
A sample cash audit form; and
Information on how and where to find good job candidates.
May/June 2015
Come out and see if you have what it takes to be a 2015 Rotella SuperRig. June 11-13th in Selma, Texas
at Retama Park. North Americas finest trucks will compete for over $25,000 in cash and prizes, and a
chance to be immortalized in the 2016 SuperRigs calendar. Admission is FREE and includes a BBQ cookoff,
light show, games and Phil Pritchett live in concert.
2015 ROTELLA
SUPERRIGS
THOROUGHBREDS
OF TRUCKING
Register at www.rotella.com/superrigs
Theres a reason
its not called Mediocre Rigs.
#SuperRigs