Burris Logistics – Our Culture
People:
- Get the right people on the bus and in the right seats. All people should be treated fairly and with respect (No abusive language allowed). The right people are our greatest asset! Reward based on performance not entitlement! Need people with a strong work ethic who are committed. Stakeholders are as important as shareholders. (No reserved parking) ”I Am Burris”
- Train, motivate, and communicate regularly. Use the “One Minute Manager” and “Good to Great” as starters for your group. Use the “Team Burris Approach” in structuring your business. Daily 5-minute standup meetings at start of the day. Stretching for warehouse and drivers!
- Get 45 hours of well-planned effort from all managers. Except for start-ups or unusual circumstances, more than 45 hours should not be the norm. 56 sleep, 45 work (Does not include lunch), 67 family/personal = 168 total weekly hours.
- Positive attitudes are crucial for MIH to be successful. No “stinking thinking “! Happiness and a positive attitude are a choice! This needs to be internalized and reinforced! Embrace change as a positive!
Management:
- Walk around daily. All RVP’s and General Managers should work in warehouse a half day per month and keep current with new systems and technologies. The good ideas are primarily with the people doing the work, so ask them!
- Your worth as a manager is how well you assist and make successful the people who report to you. Who is your successor and is he/she prepared for the future?
- Be professional in all you do. Our reputation is everything and our integrity is crucial. Think well of the “face in the mirror”. Be sure your ego is in check. Remember the upside down pyramid! Be a “Servant Leader”!
- The speed of the leader determines the pace of the pack! Be on time for all meetings. Facts and not just opinions! Be responsible for your actions and your decisions. All of your people should feel they are significant to you. People quit their supervisors not the Company!
- Focus on productivity. If you cannot measure it, you cannot manage it! KPIs (key performance indicators) on all the key elements of your business. Enhance Revenue, Increase Productivity, and Reduce Expense. ($1,000 of expense requires $500,000 of sales!)
- Focus on the cost of your operation. Always look for a better way or a better process. ($.126-$.075-$.165) (Seat miles) (Engineered Labor Standards-Finding a Better Way!)
- Operate clean, well-maintained, safe facilities. No red numbers on the Ahern Report!
- Do you have a good plan? All your people should have MIH, GIR, IAB goals.
- Empower the people. Encourage creativity, involvement, and decision-making. Remember the “waterline principle” and will it really sink the boat?
Customers:
- Focus on the Customers’ needs and wants. The Customer is the only required element for a business. Never take a Customer for granted! Think “I Am Burris”.
- There are only two rules for a Customer. Rule #1-The Customer is always right! Rule #2 When the Customer is wrong, go back and reread Rule #1.(SL)
- Visit often and ask how you can assist! “WOW(How we differentiate ourselves!)” is the goal for all our people. Stress “I Am Burris”.
- Always look for new customers and new services for current customers. Transportation, C-stores, food service, retail, military and government, dry, import-export, assembly, etc, etc. (East Coast stomachs)
- Achieve and exceed your financial goals. Profit is the reward from a satisfied customer. Be pro-active not reactive early in the year. Value enhancement moves customers up the scale.
Have fun and celebrate your successes. 2010 is the year to “Make It Happen” (Our discipline), “Get it Right” (Our focus), and develop “I Am Burris” (Our commitment).
Bob & Donnie Burris 12/23/2009
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