Congratulations to the inaugural graduating class of the new Universal First Line Leader program! Graduates completed a series of Competent Person eCourses, Business Acumen webinars and in-person leadership concepts training as part of a new revamped program, which includes online instruction.
“We had several participants from Industrial Water and Industrial Services, as well as a couple from corporate roles complete the program,” said Training & Development Manager Adam Pearl. “This group represents the first of many, as there are roughly 370 employees enrolled in the program company wide.”
Pearl said First Line Leaders make the difference for MPW and any company. The Universal First Line Leader program recognizes that and offers a routine, disciplined, repeatable way to baseline and develop current First Line Leaders as well as help develop team members for promotion or prepare supervisors who are joining our team as a direct hire.
In early 2023 the MPW First Line Leader program was upgraded to the Universal First Line Leader (UFLL) program to make it more user-friendly to the branch locations, which are now spread all over North America. “The online portion of FLL is the major change. It used to be three days in person, and it was generally industrial services focused. That was the majority of the audience,” Pearl said.
“But part of the goal is to make it so that it’s only a day and a half long of in-person training and the training can be presented in other locations. So, we can do the in-person session in the South Atlantic District, for example, so they don’t have to drive all the way to Ohio,” Pearl said. “We’ll go to them!”
The program is linked to company Mission and Values, designed to be more easily accessible and completed over six months. The UFLL provides a balance between safety, technical, management and leadership skills. The program focuses on succession planning and personal ownership of individual and team development.
So, who are First Line Leaders? Pearl said a First Line Leader isn’t a particular position or job title, but there are several roles that are considered to be First Line Leaders, including supervisors, account managers, operations managers, field service regional managers, project leads and many more job titles. “They are leadership roles that have regular customer interaction and include supervisory responsibility over others,” Pearl said.
Pearl said these roles are critical to MPW’s mission of creating and enhancing customer relationships. “Without strong leadership on the front lines the organization will struggle to grow and succeed,” he said. “Being a leader is more than being a great technically knowledgeable employee; it includes having a good base in business principles, as well as a focus on the softer side of leadership, such as improving communication, building teams and resolving conflicts.”
In addition to the Leadership Seminar, Pearl said leaders from different business groups, such as Finance, HR, Maintenance, and IT have played a vital role in the program. “They have led, and continue to lead, multiple live webinars where participants have an opportunity to ask questions, engage with subject matter experts, and learn about policies, procedures and expectations,” he said.
Instructional Designer Colleen Dotson has been pivotal in the creation and coordination of these webinars, with nearly 45 live webinars hosted in 2023. These webinars, along with the competent person eCourses, serve as pre-requisites to the leadership seminar.
UFLL 2023 graduate John Juarez—who’s worked for MPW for more than 10 years—was a field service technician until 2021 when he was promoted to regional projects coordinator for the Midwest Region. “I liked the structure of the webinars very much,” he said. “It was very easy to join them and follow. If for some reason I was unable to attend one, there would usually be another that I could enroll in soon.”
“The in-person leadership class led by (Director of Safety & Training) Matt Dawson was by far the best part in my opinion,” said UFLL graduate and Environmental Project Supervisor Alexander Terry, who is based in Louisville. “The semi-online design allowed me to stay at the site without having to be away for a week.”
Terry said he heard perspectives from people in the company that he may not have bumped into otherwise. “I would certainly recommend the program to other MPW team members,” he said. “The program felt organic and relatable.”
Pearl strongly encourages all leaders to review their status, and the status of their teammates, and to continue to drive the completion of webinar and eCourses. “We hope to see all of our First Line Leaders complete the program in 2024,” he said. “It’s a major undertaking, but a well-developed team of leaders will ensure continued success for the organization.”