REHAU is proud to present its first Real Talk webinar titled “A Conversation on Leading Your Team Through Disruption.” Dr. Thomas Troeger, CEO of REHAU Americas, invited clients and industry partners to join him for an open conversation on leading through disruptive times when facing challenges such as supply chain issues, recession fears, and labor shortages. The insightful webinar recording and links to tools are available on REHAU’s website.

“We engage in many conversations with our customers and partners, and we find the same critical questions coming up,” Troeger said. “The idea of the webinar originated from the need to work together to share our insights, concerns, and solutions for success while facing these headwinds. It’s uncommon for companies to share their internal plans like this, but we are not navigating through normal times. We truly believe that the spirit and concept of an open forum and transparent discussion will help elevate us all to be better equipped to lead through any challenge we face together."

Stairway to Success

Communication is important to achieving common goals, being completely aligned as an organization, making sure each person on the team knows the bigger picture and how they can contribute to the end solution. REHAU shared their Stairway to Success model which addresses not only communication, but also retention. When employees contribute to the goal, even in a small way, managers and team members share these success stories within the organization to help demonstrate how every little change makes a big difference. 

Retention

Team building involves attracting and retaining employees in a very tight labor market. REHAU is addressing this at a high level and ideally finding diverse employees with different skill sets who can drive the business forward. REHAU uses employee surveys and benchmarking to constantly evaluate its value as a great organization to work for, which has led to multiple countries in the Americas region receiving the Great Place to Work certification. Ongoing training is key to ensuring that employees grow into their evolving roles with the company. Troeger provided an example from their manufacturing facilities: For instance, managers promoted based on their production ability then need help to develop their people skills to better prepare them for their new leadership role. 

OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)

Once you’ve built the team, set the strategy, and clearly communicated the goals, the final step is execution. REHAU shared its OKR strategy for execution methodology. The manager sets three objectives and three measurable results with each employee. These targets are now set on a quarterly rather than an annual basis to allow the organization to be fast and flexible, making it easier to reset or pivot as the environment changes. 

“When you look at your company, you need to define how and why people want to work for you,” explained Troeger. “What's your story, and why would they want to be part of that story? What's the culture within the company, the values, development path, and of course competitive package? All this plays into what we as leaders must do to not only keep our employees motivated, but of course ourselves as well, to drive our companies forward successfully."

A recording of the webinar as well as the tools mentioned can be found here.