Page 32 - ATR 4 2021 digital

The groundwork for responding to
the crisis had been laid in the months,
years, decades, almost an entire cen-
tury before people started getting sick,
because building trust with employees
and customers has been an ongoing
effort since the company was founded.
“WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT THE SPEED OF CHANGE “If your people trust what leader-
MOVES WITH THE SPEED OF TRUST. FROM AN ship is saying then they’re going to

ORGANIZATION STANDPOINT, WE’VE HAD THAT move a lot faster. If you do a good job
CULTURE AND THAT TRUST INGRAINED IN US FOR A explaining why you actually are going
to change or what you need to change,
LONG TIME, SO TO MAKE THESE QUICK CHANGES TO then people trust what you’re saying.”
ADAPT TO WHAT HAPPENED, I THINK WAS REALLY When that trust isn’t there, the
IMPRESSIVE. IT WAS AN EVENT, BUT IT DIDN’T change takes longer to bring people
DISRUPT US.” along.
Runser said being out in the field
and having strong employee communi-
cation with podcasts, videos and team
reports is critical to trust.
“When you’re out there talking
directly with the team, they trust you
because they’ve seen you. They know
not as heavy a yoke for Runser as it may port congestion in Long Beach ripples what you’re about. And I think that’s
be for his counterparts. throughout the supply chain. “Those what our culture is built around. It’s
“I would say [the shortage] is a types of more macro events are what just that trust factor. I talked about
concern, but it’s not a top concern. keep me up at night.” integrity and doing the right thing. And
Obviously, we need people, but a lot of His long-term goals are to adapt to that’s why it’s one of our core values,
that has been driven by the pandemic the marketplace changes. because we do the right thing. And
and just customer shifting. Buying hab- The pandemic accelerated some that’s why people trust us.””
its shifted, so more people are shopping adaptations. They arranged more driver He speaks from experience.
at home, things like that. Our reputa- meet-and-turn trips so they didn’t need In his first year with the company,
tion in the marketplace has been we’re to stay in hotels and could reduce their he traveled to Fort Smith and met the
a great place to work, and our turnover exposure. They started touchless deliver- president at the time, Wes Kemp. “I just
historically, and even now, is really low. ies to limit customers’ exposure as well. thought how busy those people must be
I mean, it’s almost nonexistent from a Virtual meetings and Microsoft Teams and to take the time to actually engage
driver standpoint. But we do need more were natural technology changes. Some with me, and I had just started. Most
people. There’s no doubt there.” employees are back in the office now, companies don’t operate like that.”
others will be remote permanently, a The moment impacted him. Now
SPEED OF TRUST hybrid schedule works better for others. he gives his email to every employee.
If not the workforce, what is his Throughout the company, they found They may be all over the company, but
most pressing concern? ways to optimize operations because the metaphorically, his office door is open
“What keeps me up at night is just situation required it. to them, or at least his inbox is.
the changing marketplace and what cus- It happened fast, Runser says. “I get emails all the time from driv-
tomer buying habits are doing, to be hon- “We always talk about how the ers, dock workers, supervisors. And I’ll
est with you,” he said. “Because if you speed of change moves with the speed respond to every one of them, so they
think about supply chains and the way of trust. From an organization stand- come directly to me.”
that it kind of transitioned, everybody point, we’ve had that culture and that He doesn’t want people to be in the
operated on that just-in-time inventory trust ingrained in us for a long time, so dark.
system. The pandemic really disrupted to make these quick changes to adapt “That’s why we do things like town
that. You need some inventory.” to what happened, I think was really halls. We almost over communicate,
The pandemic offered people a impressive. because there’s no secrets. It’s just A,
chance to see how connected every- “It was an event, but it didn’t dis- this is what our strategy is and B, we
thing is. Customers experienced how rupt us.” 

32 Issue 4 2021 | ARKANSAS TRUCKING REPORT