Extraordinary, Every Day
Executive Suite: Leadership on the Pursuit of Excellence
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| Climax CEO Geoff Gilmore seeks new learning and creating a better future for himself, his family, and community. |
Target Editor in Chief Lea Tonkin recently spoke with Geoff Gilmore, PhD, president and CEO of Climax Portable Machine Tools (www.cpmt.com). Gilmore shared his philosophy and strategies for creating and building organization-wide employee engagement. Gilmore works with leadership teams to facilitate new learning and rapid application of these learnings to deliver consistent breakthrough results. He also serves as a corporate champion in building new community systems that dramatically improve the lives of people around the world.
Gilmore holds Bachelor of Science degrees in chemical engineering and metallurgical engineering from the University of Idaho and a master’s in business administration from the University of Portland. He earned a doctoral degree in quality and productivity management from Portland State University, where he was advised by Dr. W. Edwards Deming. He is a Registered Professional Engineer.
Climax Portable Machine Tools, based in Newburg, OR, provides a range of custom solutions, using more than 40 on-site machine tools in its product line. These innovative machine tools range from boring machines to flange facers, portable mills, valve repair systems, and other tools. The company offers state-of-the-art refinements in its products and services, based on feedback from thousands of customers and continuing innovation. Climax pioneered portable machining technology nearly 50 years ago. Ever since, the company continues to be as flexible as the equipment it builds. Its customer base includes wind, nuclear, fossil fuel, and hydro power facilities in addition to shipbuilding and repair and mining/heavy construction.
“To our customers, we commit to bringing the best tools, training, collaboration, and technology possible,” said Gilmore. “To our peers, friends, and neighbors, we pledge our innovation and collaboration toward making better communities. We’re in the business of re-imagining, and that means innovating and improving whatever we put our minds to.”
Q: What are your successful strategies for engaging employees from all areas of the organization in needed change?
Our only strategy for engaging our employees in anything, including organizational change efforts, is to first identify what matters to each of them. Not in a superficial way, but by really working with each person as a human being to understand what really matters to them in their careers, their lives, their families, and their communities. We want to know what’s in their hearts, minds, and souls. Second, we get really clear about what matters to our company — our vision, our values, our objectives — and we express it to them. Third, we stay in dialogue with them until we see how what matters to them can link to and be connected with what matters to our company.
While this approach may seem non-traditional, way too personal, time-consuming, not very businesslike, or whatever negative filters people place on it, I can tell you we have people who will turn out amazing efforts and results because they can clearly see the linkage between doing what matters to them and what matters to the company. We have story after story of amazing breakthroughs that have happened here at Climax Portable Machine Tools leading to excited customers, record sales and profits, and of course, employees who love their work.
Q: How do your strategies for creating and sustaining a culture of passionate, engaged employees affect your leadership style, compared to traditional ways?
I love studying history, traditions, and cultures from all over the world. However, I don’t see myself as much of a traditionalist. In my life, I stand for people having truly great, extraordinary lives. Every day we face a choice. Do we choose to create a great day, or something less? I choose to create great days and extraordinary lives. So I try to learn ho to do this and apply it in my life and in my relationships with others at school, at work, at home, and in our communities.
By creating an environment where our people can learn, develop, apply what they learn, and thrive with each other in wowing our customers, partnering with our suppliers, and building better communities, we all can have extraordinary careers, lives, families, and communities! Part of creating that environment is to create big gaps between where our company is and where we want it to be. If we don’t have a gap, there is nothing to go to work on; the status quo is fine and we are satisfied. Once we face a gap, people see how what matters to them is connected to what matters to our company (closing the gap). Everyone gets to work and accomplishes great things. In turn, people have great days and extraordinary lives, wowing our customers and building better partnerships and communities.
Q: What are your suggestions for sustaining and building momentum for change, once initial improvement goals are reached?
What I try to do in my life and in my work is to continue to set my vision big enough to create a gap from my actual state. By challenging myself to seek new learning needed to close that gap and then applying that learning to close the gap, I can have great days and an extraordinary life, creating an even better future for myself, my family, and the community I live in.
I believe this also works for a company. This is because, at their core, companies are groups of human beings. As such, they too have hearts, minds, and souls. They want to be extraordinary every day! They want to be known for leaving a Great Legacy for our future.
To see the full range of Climax’s capabilities, visit the company’s website at www.cpmt.com and click on the corporate capabilities video.
