Reflections ... APM Pillar Showcase - Listening to the Superintendent Voice

Est Read Time: 4 minutes

Hopefully you read last week about the EX Council actions that have been implemented following the 2024 EX Survey. One of the actions intended to improve Collaboration was to reconvene the Superintendent Council. We asked Marc Campo & John Baierlein, our two OPS champions for the Council, to share their thoughts on how the Superintendent Council is an example of our Culture Pillars in action.

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Kudos to all those who contributed to the revitalization of the APM Superintendent Council. This is a collaborative effort that has redefined how leadership feedback and field expertise intersect to shape continuous improvement! Spearheaded by champions including Marc Campo, Mark Redden, and John Baierlein, the council has emerged as a direct response to insights gathered from the 2024 Employee Experience Survey. Their mission is to enhance communication, standardize practices, and empower the people who power our projects, our Superintendents.

Through the Pillars of Accountability, Collaboration, and Transparency, the council is fostering alignment across divisions and creating a platform for feedback, innovation, and safety excellence. The champions volunteered to draft a new mission, establish regular meetings, and form subcommittees tailored to core areas such as safety, training, and performance improvement. The inclusion of diverse perspectives within the council – from Gas and Nuclear to Renewables and Specialty Services – has already led to tangible results like improved feedback loops, SWAT tool insights, and stronger cross-divisional partnerships.

Another notable improvement stemming from the council’s recommendation was working with the Training Team to add three seasoned supers to the next New Superintendent Training to act as mentors to the new superintendents for the week.  We anticipate this will foster more collaboration within the divisions, as well as give the newer superintendents a tangible connection that they can reach out to for support if they have questions throughout the week and even beyond.

Recognizing contributions from champions and volunteers like Isaac Smith, who stepped up as co-chair, the council’s success reflects what’s possible when ownership and candor are embedded into culture. Each division brought its unique strengths to the table, sharing challenges, shaping solutions, and bringing visibility to field leadership in real and actionable ways. Obligatory membership has been replaced with a more engaged and intentional structure, enabling meaningful participation and a more effective forum for change.

The Superintendent Council is more than a council, it’s a movement. One built on shared leadership, operational excellence, and the belief that continuous improvement begins with those closest to the work. We look forward to sharing more outcomes from this transformative effort in the months ahead!

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I am excited to see this. Collectively my gut says we have over 10K years of wisdom in our Superintendents (and that ## may be conservative). Hearing their voice is important to the success of APM both today and tomorrow.