While an excellent fleet of tractors and trailers is an essential component of a successful transportation company, the quality of its leaders, sales personnel, operations management, drivers and customer service representatives will ultimately determine the fate of the company. For those many transport companies or manufacturers that no longer exist, their demise can be traced back to a failure of its team to provide the service and manage the business at a profit.

Those of you who read this blog are the folks driving this industry. Each shipper or transport company is only as good as the team of people that it assembles. At the same time, your success in this industry is dependent on making wise, informed choices about the companies you decide to work for.

In my daily life as a consultant, I interact with many people in this industry, including shippers, carriers, IMC’s, freight brokers, railroads, other consultants and 3PL’s. I speak to many individuals who are happy in their jobs and others who are the “walking wounded,” people working for companies or supervisors that they don’t like and respect. Many of you will agonize at various stages of your career as to whether to stay with your current employer or seek new employment. As we all know, no job or company is perfect. The people you work for are human and sometimes make mistakes. What are the telltale signs that suggest that maybe it is time to look elsewhere?

Here is a list of attributes for you to consider. If these attributes exist in your current job and company, you are indeed fortunate and should make the best of the opportunity. If they are not, perhaps it is time to move on down the road.

You have a passion for your job and company
The company’s culture is one of collaboration and communication
You can see growth and advancement opportunities within the organization
You understand and buy into the company’s mission and direction
You are comfortable with the decisions made by your supervisors and leaders
You are continuing to learn
You are paid for your performance
The company is employee driven, customer driven and profit driven

Here are a few thoughts to consider.

You have a passion for your job and company

One of the sure signs that it is time to move on is if you wake up in the morning and are not motivated to go to work. If you no longer buy into the company and are a “dead man walking,” it is time to look elsewhere. You cannot be successful if you no longer have a passion for your job and the company. Sooner or later this will manifest itself in your performance and put you in jeopardy.

The company’s culture is one of collaboration and communication

Great organizations in any industry perform best when there is good teamwork and communication between the participants. The transportation industry is no different. If you work for a company that is very secretive and where everyone’s personal agenda takes precedence over the goals of the company that is sure sign of trouble ahead.

You can see growth and advancement opportunities within the company

While not everyone is cut out to be President of the company, most of us want to know that there are opportunities for personal growth and greater responsibility. Good companies discuss their employees’ performance expectations and provide feedback to each employee on a regular basis. You know what your supervisor expects and you receive positive feedback on your performance and constructive criticism on how to improve.

You understand and buy into the company’s mission and direction

Good companies have well thought out business plans and metrics to monitor success. Transportation companies seek to open new markets, to gain market share, to better serve their customers and to improve their profits. Each employee knows his or her role in the organization. Great companies solicit input from their employees and customers and utilize this input to direct their strategies. The plan is logical and is one that you can explain to yourself and your employees.

You are comfortable with the decisions made by your supervisors and leaders

Are you receiving the support you need? Do your leaders make a decision one day and then backtrack the next? Do you work in an environment of fairness and ethical behavior? If not, these are additional signs that this is not the company for you.

You are continuing to learn

We live in a very competitive world. Frequently our success is tied to the ability of our employers to develop strategies that provide differentiation in the marketplace. Your company should provide you with training in the latest business tools (i.e. six sigma, Balanced Scorecards) that facilitate market superiority. If your company is still using practices and procedures from a previous era, you need to be concerned both about the company’s survival and your own.

You are paid for your performance

Does the performance of your job have a direct bearing on the company’s success? Is some part of your compensation tied to your personal efforts in helping your organization achieve success? Are all of the rewards retained by the ownership with only token payments made to its employees? Is this the type of company you wish to work for?

The company is employee driven, customer driven and profit driven

Successful companies treat their employees and customers exceptionally well and provide good returns to their shareholders. If your company is not providing excellent returns to all three groups, this will come back to hurt them sooner than later.

Look Before You Leap

The decision to leave the security of your employer is not one to be taken lightly. The “grass is not always greener” on the other side. Before you make a decision to leave a company, make sure you discuss the pros and cons with your family and friends. However, if you are wrestling with the answers to many of the issues above, you may need to look at moving down the road.

To help you in this journey, a new service in being launched today. If you go the “Careers in Transportation” section of my company’s website (www.dantranscon.com), you will see a list of people looking for work and jobs available within the industry. If you are in middle or senior management, with either a shipper or carrier, please send us your job profile in the format requested. Conversely, if you are a Transportation company or a Manufacturer/Distributor looking for good people, please take the time to post your middle and senior management positions that you are seeking to fill. If your profile meets the criteria, we will post your submission on the website. We wish you much success with your job search. For some tips on how to select the right company to work for, make sure you read my next blog.