CBS … Its about people … We are a people biz!

Today, along with Katie Maldonado, Mike Bush, & Mike Kehl, we had the pleasure of welcoming 30+ new Superintendents to APM via a discussion of our Safety Keystone (i.e., CBS) philosophy. In preparing for the discussion, I had opportunity again to reflect on the impact our friend and mentor, Bob Veazie – the originator of CBS, had on our business.

In preparing, I found this video of Bob and his wife Carol online. The context of the video is a completely different setting from our typical work environments. Yet there are themes in this video that permeate into our work culture. Allow me to share three themes I heard.

1. When listening to Carol discuss her mom being one of the first people in the retirement facility, she makes this statement about purpose. “Mom wanted to make someone’s life better.” Similarly, our purpose statement – We empower people that power life.– is about making people’s lives better via our APM culture. And through our purpose equation – 8K => 100K => 00 – we recognize the great opportunity and responsibility to deliver on this purpose, impacting an infinite number of lives through our APM culture extending to our peers, our families, our communities, and beyond.

2. When describing the retirement facility, Carol mentions that her mom would be in good hands, would enjoy her time, and would have her clothes looking nice. What I hear in Carol’s comments are three things that give her confidence in the retirement facility – her mom will be safe, will have fun, and will have dignity. Similarly, our teams have confidence in us when we deliver a work environment that values their safety, their joy, and their dignity – a work environment that recognizes and respects each person’s value.

3. When Bob discusses how the family researched the retirement facility, he mentions that they first focused on the structure, but quickly shares a learning he had. What should have been their first focus is the people. This is a great reminder for us that APM is first and foremost a people business. Yes, we have an APM Way – our standards, processes, systems, etc. that are the structure of our business and may give us initial credibility with customers and shareholders. Yet, who really is APM = YOU! The people who live the APM Way each and every day. The people who have aligned around and committed to our purpose and our vision.

As we enter a heavy, significant spring outage season that will have many challenges and distractions, please remember – keep at your core – that we are a people business.

And … as you watch the video and reflect on what you hear, I welcome your sharing. What did you hear? How well is APM living up to the legacy of Bob & Carol?

– Jake