Fourth in a series
Re “Pride Drives the Bus for Condran’s Team”
Paul Condran, award-winning Fleet Services Manager of City Hall’s nationally honored elite-ranked Transportation Dept., had been interrupted in the midst of a crucial explanation about why his crew is rated with the premiere fleets in America year after year.
For Culver City, this is a singular achievement.
The question had been:
How much of Mr. Condran’s leadership of his Culver City team is psychological, keeping his crew inspired, and what proportion is technological?
“The two (concepts) work hand in glove,” he said.
And then he turned to the banners that line walls of his office at the corner of Duquesne and Jefferson.
The value of these modest-size slips of paper is not to be under-rated.
“The banners are there for a couple of reasons,” Mr. Condran said. “No. 1, they are a reminder to all of the staff as to what they did, what they have accomplished. That is part of the psychological side because they are witnesses to their achievements. They can read it on the wall.”
He may be the team captain, but Mr. Condran was meticulously sensitive throughout the discussion to spread credit to individual members of the team – supervisors Brian Haskins, Andy Eckert, Dean Familton, Scott Newton, and the newest addition, management analyst Allison Cohen.
When the transportation fleet earns a new elite ranking each year, Mr. Condran said the latest triumph is widely publicized so that the most distant employee is aware.
Think of a football coach joining his championship team’s huddle – regularly – to keep the players pumped up, and cognizant of the mountains they have scaled.
During staff meetings, Mr. Condran said, “we talk about continuing our achievements. What can we do to continually make ourselves better? Small tweaks. Small directional changes can make a positive difference.”
(To be continued)
