At Grade Tech, we choose a slogan or theme each year that, combined with our overall mission, sets the tone for the year. This slogan defines our focus and guides our actions throughout the year, particularly in the most hectic times

Our slogan for 2021 is Measured Success

There are many ways that companies measure success. For example, some look at profitability and number of customers, while others put more emphasis on customer and employee satisfaction. All of these success measures are important and contribute to the success of any company, including Grade Tech.

But we want to take the concept of measured success a bit further. We have achieved sustained success, but want to raise the bar to reach new levels of success for our clients, our employees, and our company.

Rory Hall, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Grade Tech, explains the concept in his own terms. “I like to think of the company we’ve built as a good car,” he explains. “We’ve got this thing built and it’s running well, but now we want to refine and tweak it to make it better – we want to go the extra mile, improving on performance to go from really good to great. It’s that extra 10% that makes all the difference.”

 

The Extra 10 Per Cent

To go from really good to great, the devil is in the details. We are focusing on eliminating waste and complacency, tweaking all of our processes and controls to find that extra 10 per cent that will be the differentiator that elevates our company even higher. Things such as:

  • Manpower – having the right amount of people on the job for maximum efficiency – and eliminating “fire drills” and last minute “pushes” to bring jobs in on time
  • Delegation – having processes and controls in place that ensure the right people are in the right roles and doing what they do best
  • Refined Discipline – focusing on organization and processes, and being proactive rather than reactive throughout the organization (from the office to the field), including things such as:
    • thinking ahead,
    • knowing where things are,
    • understanding each person’s roles and responsibilities,
    • staying ahead of equipment maintenance by making sure employees are speaking up immediately when something gets damaged, or equipment fails, or is on the “brink,”
    • applying standards and measurement tools for production, and
    • assuring accountability in the bidding process.

Reaffirming Our Core Principles

In addition to refining our focus and tweaking our processes to eliminate waste and improve efficiency, we are renewing our commitment to and being diligent about staying true to our core principles/values, including:

  • Accountability – Being transparent and open, and owning up to mistakes will save us time, money and equipment – and eliminate recurring issues.
  • Communication – We encourage our teams to take advantage of the experience and expertise of the guys who have been on the job for years. We urge everyone to ask questions and tap into the collective wisdom of our experienced teams instead of “learning the hard way.” At Grade Tech, there are no “stupid questions.”
  • Quality, Safety, Training, and Culture – We are focusing on keeping the culture attractive to retain our teams and achieve peak performance from each and every crew member. We are also refining our processes and emphasizing training and safety so that we can scale as needed.

This Measured Success theme and focus isn’t saying that we’re failing – on the contrary, we have all the right parts in place, we’re just honing our focus so that we can grow and eliminate issues in the future.

“When I talk about Measured Success and the extra 10 percent, I am really talking about taking our company to the next level,” Hall explains. “As Sam Parker explains in ‘212°: The Extra Degree”1, when it comes to excellence, it is often that one extra degree of effort that is the difference between good and great.”

So that is our focus in 2021 – Measured Success. We are focusing on the details and going the extra mile to take this company we’ve built to the next level. And we’re excited to see how far we can go!

1Sam Parker, 212°: The Extra Degree (The Walk The Talk Company; 2nd edition; April 13, 2011)