Reflections ... Integrity - Own Your Name

APM Team,

Last week we focused on our commitment to integrity, hosting stand-downs to reemphasize the importance of the spirit – acting in agreement with the intent of policies – and the letter – following the established
guidance and requirements. APM is a respected business, built by many people over a number of years, and its reputation now rests with each of us. We have a duty to preserve and promote our legacy of pride, professionalism, and ethics that our APM represents. 

We talk about our APM, which I suggest to you is our collective last name. For example, my letterheads, business cards, etc. introduce me as R. Jake Locklear, APM CEO. The “R. Jake Locklear” portion is my individual identity; the APM is my family name.

As I think about integrity from this perspective, I am reminded of the proud legacy of my personal family name. As many of you know, I was named after both my grandfathers, Richard Lee King and J.W. “Jake”
Locklear.  My name has instant meaning and credibility in many communities thanks to the values my parents and grandparents demonstrated throughout their lives. Thus, when I sign my name, I know I am pledging something even deeper than my own hand. When I write “R. Jake Locklear” next to something, I am vouching for not only my credibility but also the credibility of my family. And I am accountable to my family to represent our name with integrity.

I expect each of you to consider your own signatures with the same magnitude. Consider what you sign for on behalf of our APM name – time sheets, payroll checks, even STA cards … if an STA card is filled out thoroughly but the mitigating procedures are not accurate or not followed, what is the integrity of the card and of the people who signed it?

Each time I sign a document representing our proud brand – such as the monthly fund contribution checks, the quarterly financial statements, the annual OSHA 300 logs, or even the essential worker letters we
recently distributed – I carefully review what I am vouching for to ensure it is both accurate and in line with the spirit of our values. When I put my name next to the APM logo, I am representing thousands of people that work hard every day to maintain the APM name. I take this very seriously, and I expect you to do the same.

Last week, we also reemphasized our set of guidance policies and open reporting processes. If you have a question about the right procedure for something, ask! If you have a concern about the integrity of something, raise it! Nothing – not customer service, competitiveness, direct orders from a superior, or "making the numbers" – is more important than integrity.

I am proud and humbled to serve our APM and pledge to uphold and strengthen our commitment to integrity. I hope each of you feel this connection and conviction to our proud legacy. Own your knowledge, own your leadership, own your signature, own your APM name!

—Jake