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conversation. I'm Tara Thurber, Director of talent innovation. And joining me today to discuss her top five tips to interviewing as well as managing a healthy team is Tammy Henze, Rude, Senior Director of client management and operations at Use in Logistics. Hey, Tammy, how are you today?
I'm great. How are you? Tara,
I'm great. Thank you. Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to be on this podcast with us.
Absolutely.
So right out of the gate. Tammy, tell me a little bit about yourself and your role at Use and Logistics?
Sure. So I'm the Senior Director of client management and operations for Use in Logistics, I've been with them. I mean, my 21st. year, there 35 plus years in the industry. I say that very lord. Um, so my role, I have a team of approximately 30 people that report into me and I oversee functions that are client management and customer facing, as well as an origin operations and destination management
functions. So we cover the client's entire supply chain, from production at an origin all the way to delivery to their DC or their store. So, we are invo ved in every facet of the supp y chain, and, work with them as ell as their vendors and their ervice providers to ensur timely delivery of their roduct.
Amazing. And is your team. So your team's heavily involved with client relations as well? And being hands on?
Oh, very, yeah. So we're the customer facing entity. So, we have dedicated people as igned to accounts. And they are asically the liaison between t e client and their entire su ply chain. So they do all the t oubleshooting, all the analytics all the reporting all the KPIs, everything, and we do the onboa ding of all new clients.
Yeah. So in your and your team, you said 20 to 30. People you said,
Yeah, about 30 people and growing
and growing. Wow. So Tommy, with your experience and your team? I mean, having your team being hands on with clients, and and building this team? How are you nowadays, continuing, continually creating engaging interview experiences that lead to these healthy hires that are building this team of yours?
Yeah, so it's interesting. I mean, especially, in the past, what 16 months wh re everything's been virtual, ight, it's a lot easier, w en you're face to face with s mebody. But, typically, what I ike to do is, I don't like inter iewing, right. And by hat, I mean, I hate to sit own with a resume, and looking a that, and like, Oh, so tell e about, what you did here an tell me about what you did t
ere. I feel like anything I wan to know about you from your re ume, I can know by reading th t, your skills, and your e perience are already there fo me. So I try to make it a conve sation. And I like to ask beha ioral questions, so and, by t at, I mean, I kind of put th m on the spot about certain thin s. One of the very, very first t ings that I do when I int rview someone is I asked them what do about Use and Logis
ics? You know? And it to me, it's a very important question, ecause if you don't take eno gh time to research the company that you're interviewing for, hat's a red flag for me, righ there. Yeah. I also like to ask them leading up to you know, t e interview process is what do ou know about the position you' e applied for? And it's amazi g how many people don't even rea the job description. So again another red flag for me. And that kind of gives me, an idea f the direction that the inter
iew is going to go in. I also ike to ask questions, like, t ll me about a time you m de a contribution that was succ ssful, and what was the outcom and and then I'll always as the adverse, tell me a out a time, where yo made a contribution that wa n't successful? And how did you vercome that? You know, so I can get an idea of, of their coping kills. You know, I asked them questions like, if you were interviewing yourself, w at kind of questions would y u ask? If you were giving yourse
f? If you were reviewing yoursel giving yourself an annual revie ? How would you rate yourself? I asked them, I'll throw in some kind of off the cuff questions which actually really hone in on their personality, and how qu ck they can adjust. And like, hey're thinking, and I'll ask them, what's the last book y
u read? And that's always a, ou know, with the last book I ead, like, what and,and it' funny, because some of them will, you know, they'll get li e, a little shy and like, Oh, od, I can't tell you that, you k ow, like, you don't want to, and it's funny, and and I alway say to them, I it's not for a y reason, like other than me ju t to kind of get to know, the and their personality, and whe
e they would fit. Because when 'm interviewing, I'm not just interviewing for my organizat on, I'm interviewing for a clie t to right.
Yep.
So I have to make sure that there's a fit there. So it's interesting, and you know, the, answers ranged from, you know, like, racy to religious. So it's very, very interesting. And I think a lot of them are probably thinking back Oh, God, let me think of something. Let me think of something that's like an acceptable answer. And I'm trying to get them not to think, you know, I just want to come out with whatever. And some people might say, I couldn't tell you the last book I read,
which is fine. And that's great. You know? And, you know, a lot of people are you read self help books or things like that. So it's always interesting. You know, I like to ask them, if you could have a conversation with anybody dead or alive? Who would it be? And why I
I love that question.
It's a great question. And, and that always speaks volumes to, to me, you know, what people will say some, some people can't think of anybody. And I always find that interesting, because there's always going to be somebody that you can think of, that you might want to have a conversation with. And, you know, my favorite questions are, like, at the end, I love to always ask them, I'm like, you know, tell me why, you know, you're the perfect fit, you know, why? Why should I hire
you? And it's always, they're always great with that one. And then I throw my zinger in, and I'm like, tell me why I shouldn't hire you. And they always look at me with that blank stare. And you would be surprised again, at how many people talk themselves out of the job. They actually tell you, you know, why we shouldn't hire them. And so me, that's my last, like, you know, check mark. And, you know, you always want people to say, there's absolutely no reason you should hire me, I'm
the best. I'm the bomb, like, you know, and the people that and it's funny, because I could have an interview that's going so well. And then somebody will talk themselves out of it at the end. And I'm always sitting there silently, like crossing my fingers and praying, like, please don't, please don't give me a reason not to hire you. And, and it happens. So you know, it's unfortunate, but then at the end of it, I will always
give them a tip. And I will say, you know, in the future, and you know, and even like, I'll go back to the very beginning of the interview, if they didn't, if they didn't do their research on the company, if they didn't do their research on the position, I will always go back and say, you know, just want to give you some valuable advice here, you know, in the future, on your next interview, whenever they that may be, always research, the company, always
research the position. And if anyone ever again, asks you why you they shouldn't hire you do not give them a reasonnot to hire you, you know,you can think of, you know, an easy answer is always there's no reason you shouldn't hire me, I'm the perfect person for this job, you know. And so that goes to me, like, just like, , where somebody's mindset is and how they're selling themselves. And it's not even really a sell. It's just, it's honesty that's coming out. Right?
Yeah.
You know, some people might say, something like, Oh, I'm, you know, I, maybe I, I immersed myself too much in my job. And that's not a reason not to, you know, assuming depends on what they say. But, my whole urpose when I'm interview ng somebody, is I want them to d the talking. Right. So I'll c me in every now and then and sk them but, I don't I never as ed a yes or no question. Never Never ask a yes or no question
Yeah.
You know, cuz that's easy. That's too easy, because you can say yes to anything, or no to anything. So they're always leading questions, always.
So I really I really love that aspect of of the interview process, and I love the way that you go about the interview process. I mean, I've, I have my fair share of interviewing and, you know, talking to individuals about clients that we'll be interviewing. And I'm a big proponent of trying to find those soft skills digging in to find that personality. Because as, as the recruiter, getting prepared to submit somebody, I want to make sure I can see their personality first.
Yeah, yeah, you know!
Having them show up with a totally different personality than what I know, my client's needs are and their wants are and what their internal culture is like, and how everybody is getting, getting along or getting together. I think that's the most important and one of the best ways to interview.
Yeah, you know, it's, it's, I learned a long time ago, that there are people that are really good at interviewing, yeah, right. People that practice it, they're excellent at interviewing, and but they're not the same people that show up for the job. Right? So that's kind of what led me down this path of changing my interview style. Because I, anybody can learn how to interview, right? You have your resume, you can look up online, what questions
might they ask me? What kind of answers might I tell, you know, say, or give. But, you know, that's just somebody speaking to their resume. So. So that's why I asked a lot of questions that start a conversation. And that tells me more, you know, and I'll even say, sometimes Tell me about how you use this skill, because some people aren't truthful on their resumes,
right? So ask them how they use a certain skill in the context of maybe issue resolution, or something like that, you know, which is always you know, and some of them, like, right off the bat can tell you and other ones are struggling, which tells me maybe you don't really have
that skill, right. So and another thing that I tried to do in creating the conversation, as I tried to find some common ground, and I, and I make myself human to them, you know, like, so I'm not this, you're not this interviewer where you're sitting in the room, and you're, like, frightened to death, because people it's nerve racking, you know, I hate interviews, I hate them. So, you know, and and as for as much experience as I have, I had to go in front of somebody, you know, like that,
interviewing me. It's still very nerve wracking. And so which is why I love to make it a conversation, I feel people calm down, you know, and they're, they are more open. And, you know, I think that it helps settle their mind and allows them to speak honestly, you know, and so they're not scrambling like, Oh, my God, or what, what did I put on? when, you know, thinking about this question? What, what's the
answer to that? Because it's an honest conversation, you know, it's, I'm not drilling you about, you know, work experience and resumes. Within the context of the conversation, I'm drawing that stuff out, you know, without, without asking, you know, , directly, you know, questions, and then, you know, I'll even ask them, like, you know, if you consider yourself a risk taker, and why, because they're good risks, and they're bad risks. Right! Right? I think that that's really important, especially
Right.
So, I want to know that as well. And I have to tell you, it's I mean, it's been successful. And I, you know, train my managers also, you know, every time I have a manager, and it's their, their first time that they're going to be interviewing, like, I'll do, you know, a few of them with them. So that they can see, you know, this is, this is how I conduct the interviews, and you know, this, and then at the end of it, this is another thing that I do, which I think is
really, really helpful. If I'm supporting my managers on an interview, at the end of each interview, we'll come back together, and I'll say, so what did you think, you know, and my managers will say, I thought this person was great, or this or that, or that, and then I'm like, Okay, can I give you my
feedback? And then I'll point certain things out, you know, about, well, you asked them this question, and do you think the answered that question, and then they'll, they'll s op, and they'll think about it nd say, Well, actually, no, they didn't answer that ques ion. And because, you know, you have people that talk around it right, but they don't actually nswer the question. And, you now, and I point out several t ings. So like, initially where my manager might hav thought, this is a really go
d candidate. They really we en't because they actually id not answer any of your ques ions. They diverted and they ook the conversation somewhere else. So, you know, those ski ls are so important, you know to kind of getting through th fluff in and, you know, th meat of that interview and did I get out of it, what I want d to get out of it, you know, s really important in and th t it's really I feel like all of my managers are thankful, th t, that I've kind of brought the
into the loop about that. And I have one manager of mine th t still to this day, she's l ke, I just, she's like, I know h w to conduct my interviews. S e's like, but I love when you're on every interview, because t ere are times actually wher , we're like, five minute in, it's, like, you know, I'm s rry, you know, we're going t stop the interview, because we' e not a fit. You know, that's an ther thing that people don't do. they'll, they'll, they'l actually waste somebody's time
and their own time. Yeah, no, with the, , just the formal ty of going through an interv ew to make the person, well b came here. But for me, I'd ather be honest with you, and I think that's another, key qua ity is Be honest with them, if hey're not the right fit, do 't give them false hope that they might be, stop the interv ew. And every time I've do e it, they've been thankful, you know, and again, that's usuall because somebody does not r
ad the job description. So the 're applying for something they re not qualified for and, a d it's apparent in the first, five minutes of a conversation, so and then there are other pe ple, like, I also change my co rse, depending, if I think, you know, I'm not really gett ng what I want out of a person or, maybe if I still see t at they're way too nervous I kind of I deferred the course of the conversation to get them to a place, you know, where th y feel comfortable enough, to
talk and then I get out o them what I want and what good bad or indifferent, you kno , so, because a lot of interviews are conducted virtually now. So you're not able to feel that that energy in somebody when you're in person with each other, and it must be really hard to though to or to break
that barrier. And so by being honest, by being open and being real, as the interviewer the int rviewee is able to settle, and then that's, that opens the doo s for you to find that aut enticity in somebody, bec use you want that real side of hem. You don't want that, tha first impression, because tha can be masked compared to who they really are, and how the really show up as an ind vidual on a day to day bas s. Yeah, yeah. I guess like the, the main, the main thing that I
Do you have this? Yes. Do you have that? No. Okay, and banging it out that way. I love
Yeah,
I really, really love that. Um, I think that it's important that you're doing something like that, too, because a lot of people don't like interviewing, right. And even, you know, it takes up time. And I love that the honesty of you know that you're not the right fit. Thank you. Let's move on. Let's not waste each other's time.
Yeah.
And I think candidates really respect that too. Because then they realize that their time is just as important and that there is that, that mutual respect that gets to take place.
Yeah, yeah, job interviews are as bad as fun as going to the dentist, no one looks forward to it, you know, you dread it. And, you know, the whole time and you know, most people hold their breath until they're done with it, you know,
yeah. And, you know, if I can even even if it's somebody I'm not going to hire if I have given them you know, even interview skills to go out to their next job interview with, you know, then then I'm glad I'm glad to help somebody, you know, they don't always have to be a right fit for me, but if I can help them be a right fit for somebody else. I'm glad to do that as well.
Yeah. I love it. So can you describe an interview that you've had that inspired you?
it's not A single interview that's inspired me. I would say the the interviews that inspire me are when the interviewee turns it on me and interviews me right now. I love that, you know, and typically at the end of an interview, I'll ask, , do you have questions, but I love when, you know, I'm having the conversations, and they're firing questions at me, because I know, then they have like that fire and that Yeah, you know, they want to know things and they're interested in
they're curious. And, so I love that. And so I guess those those would be, you know, that. There's, I've had many, so and I tried to do, and that I asked my managers to do is, translate job can't say that there's one specific so I will just say skills into behaviors during an interview, and that's all done there's a type of interview that inspires me. And it's, it's that when I see, they're hungry, they
want it. They're interested, through asking these, you know, leading types of questions and, they've done their homework. Yeah and there, I actually had you know, kind of these, what would you do? Or how would you one of the managers that I hired. And this is pretty funny or how will you or how, you know, those kinds of questions, story when she was interviewing me. She, I mean, she was like, asking me question after question. I'm like, this is
right. And, and, I feel like, when, typically when people walk awesome. But then she asked me a question about our, co2 in and they're so nervous, and then it start, they see how it's emissions and, and about the project that we did in going on, they're like, Oh, this isn't like, okay, and you kind of seal, , you see the wall come down, the veils lifted, it's California with the goats. And I'm like,I was sitting there, like, Whatis she talking about?
And it was, so it was nothing I like, okay, I can calm down now. But I just, I think it makes for hadn't even heard of. So that's how deep into research she did a very honest and open, interview and you really see about the company. When she left, I'm like, Well, now you just taught me something. I had no idea that we did this. And, that person's personality. And understand, know, through the you know, I was like, Wow, so it
kind of threw me. Which was whole conversation, you're going to get everything you need, awesome, right? Yeah. But I'm like, this woman wants this job. you're going to find out without just having to go down your She did her research. She She probably knows more about this normal list of, you know, checklist of: company, you know, at that high, high level than I actually did. And I loved it. So things like that, when you can tell me
something that I don't know. And you're just asking me, you know, questions, and you're, interested, you're interesting, I just, they are inspiring. I love them when it's not just, a one sided conversation. And, and most of mine aren't, because I designed them not to be but yeah, you know, every now and then you get that, you know, that person that's just like on fire. I love it.
I love I think that that's great. And that's something when I'm speaking with candidates, I say to them, often interview them as much as they're interviewing you, you need to make sure that the company is going to be the right fit for you, just as you might want this role and be the right fit for the company. It's got to be something that's back and
forth. It can't just be a one way and I you know, I think a lot of companies struggle with interviewing to find those those those types of candidates.
Because, yeah, because they are only focusing on the resume, they're only focusing on the experience and the skills, I've actually hired people that had no experience. Mm hmm. And I mean, I'm we're going back aways, like, when my team was smaller, and we were growing. And I'm always willing to give somebody a shot. Because if I feel there's a position I have where it's a trainable position, yeah, then I'm looking for the person that has the drive.
Right. through the interview process, and the conversation, I get a sense for, , can this person catch on quickly? Are they a critical thinker? You know, how are their problem solving skills and, and through questions and the conversation, I can find that out. So, I mean, I've hired some, some of the best people I have, that are still with me today have been hired, based on the potential I saw in them, not the experience they didn't have,
Right, which I think is super important, too. I think a lot of people get lost in the shuffle because of that. Because hiring managers don't take the time to look at the soft skills or get to know somebody individually. And you know, they're missing one or two words on a resume. And may, you know, there's, there's, there's a miss, there's definitely a miss.
So that's amazing. What would you say with the craziness of the way we all live nowadays, and managing teams, and whether they're virtual or slowly going back to being on site? What was your team 100% on site prior to COVID?
100% on site prior to COVID. And actually, in like the six months prior, I had actually just started a remote work policy. And it was only it was like a like in a testing phase at that time. And, it was based on seniority. So you know, some people were able to work from home one day, a week, some twice a month, and like that. So we were testing it and it was working out beautifully. So when COVID hit and the lockdown came about, we were ready. We had all our equipment and, it was we
didn't skip a beat. So, uh, you know, for us, that was not an issue, I think for us because we, we are truly a family, we are a tight knit group. It was it was hard to, not be in in the presence of each other all the time. So, you have to think of new and innovative ways to keep that teamwork going, when you're prime your virtual. Right, yeah. And we still are we're not, we're not back at all.
Yeah.
And I don't know when that's going to be or if that's going to be at all, you know, so there, there are things that we've done. Prior to this as well, team building exercises have always been a part of, of, my growth and the development structure of the team. You know, I've had, every year I put together a three day summit and I bring in because I have people that are remote, that have remote prior to this, because they are dedicated to an account
that's not local. So we hire, so I bring everybody in because I A wanted for them always to feel you know that you are part of this team, you know, you have resources here. And then you just for the rest of the team, for them to be able to collaborate.
Yeah,
So I would design a three day I called it a summit. And it was for them and about them, it wasn't for me or about me, it wasn't for management, it was strictly for them. So the agenda was always created based on what
they wanted to know. Right. So they would the agenda was developed based on that, if there was anything that was happening in the industry, or the organization that I felt would be helpful, I would, , I would slot myself in, you know, to speak for maybe a half an hour, but, my role in all this was all the team building exercises. And I remember one team building exercise, and I thought they were all gonna kill me. Because I certainly, would have killed my boss if they made
me do it. But yeah, because I'm always thinking of new and innovative ways for people to understand, you know, how important collaboration and teamwork are, right. So I, paired people up, and in teams of three, and I gave them each a music genre. So a song from a different music genre. And, and I told them that they had to change the lyrics that so that they applied to our industry. And they had to
perform that song. Not just in front of me, but in front of the leadership, who were the judges, and the winning team actually got, you know, money. So, at first they were all like, they gave me like daggers. It was like, Oh, my God, they've totally wanted to kill me. But, as the end, they I told it in the very beginning of the summit. So by the last day, at the end, that was the last thing they said they had three days to prepare. And so the first day, they're all like, you've got to
be kidding me. And then like, no, as the as the three days are going on, like I would hear them in their different rooms. And they were like, they were really getting into it. They were collaborating, some of them. Some of them did choreography was
Brilliant!
You know. And so it was funny. And I remember several of them coming up to me saying, when you first gave us that assignment, we were like, Oh, hell no. And then we wanted to die. We wanted to kill you. But as we and we were like, how does this even apply? What it doesn't even make sense. And as they were going through it, they understood because we all had to come together, we all had to write the lyrics together. You know, we all had to agree on
what that was going to be. We had to agree who was going to sing what parts and and you know, were we going to do choreography? Where are we not going to do choreography? Where are we going to wear outfits and like, you know, we get it so and so every year, they were always terrified what, and that was always the finale. But over the course of the three days, I would have about 16 building
exercises. And some of them were designed to get to know each other, you know, like we would do two truths and a lie or, you know, you would, you know, have, teammates, you know, and have them face each other turn around, they change something about themselves and then come back quickly and like, you know, try to notice what was different or, you know, someone would, everybody would write I had them do their own coat of arms, and you know, which was great, and then they got to explain what it
all meant. So just insights to each other. So it just kind of brought everybody together. And you know, made them feel closer, you know, as a team, which was awesome. And you know, obviously didn't have one last year and this year I might have to do a virtual one but and the team always loved them always love them.
And it sounds they sound fascinating, and I think I You know, having a team of 30 people all over the place, and bringing them together is so
valuable. So, so valuable for these individuals, not only I think, to maybe let you know, maybe shed some stress or let their guard down a little bit, but to learn more about their team members, and I mean, just to become closer as a family, you know, I strongly, I strongly believe that when you're on a team, on or off a team, when you're in a, in a company, management, bringing management that brings their employees together to unite them, as one is so much stronger, to, for
successes and to further the successes of the company as a whole. Because, you know, you're opening up a safe place for these individuals to, again, be themselves, but also learn more about each other, that then brings everybody closer. And I mean, when you think about it, we're all working and with our, our work families, sometimes more than more with our actual families.
Definitely!
So, so important to make sure that that is, is collaborated and and growing even stronger as the team gets bigger, too, I'm sure.
Yeah, yeah, definitely. Definitely. It's, it's, it's critical, like, , I've seen, you know, too often, whether it's me being at a customer's, you know, office for meetings, or, other places that I've worked, where you go in, and you just simply have individuals, that are, they're on the same team, but they are not a team, you know, and for me, it is so important, like any one person on my team knows that they can go to any other person on my team for support for whatever
they need. And in their, oh, they're always willing to lend a hand and, to any other teammates, and even the ones that are remote, they've kind of even developed their own, you know, kind of sub support group, and, they'll reach out to each other and, you know, to ask questions, or get ideas and bounce ideas off each other, because, you know, our customers supply chains are ever evolving.
And yeah, you have, may have one customer that's doing something that, that those insights could be really helpful to, you know, one of the other client managers, for their customer. So, they're, they're always, reaching out to each other, which is great, you know, and we try to we try to stay involved in each other's lives. And you know, we'll do as I as I know,
you guys do, too, right? We do virtual happy hours, virtual baby showers, we do virtual game nights, we do all the, all these things to stay connected, we do virtual coffee hour, I know you do some Yeah. And I know you do some meditation, I have one of my managers that does virtual yoga with her team. We did, we did, like, a, we do a once a month, like a virtual lunch, just to get everybody together to have
lunch together. And just to be as I started, also, a most awesome team site, for people just to share, it's not work related. It's just fun stuff, you know, to give kudos to a co worker to like, post, like, if you want to, you know, just fun things, inspirational things, motivational things, you know, things like that. So, you know, just outside of the regular
workday. So, and I'll post stuff in there, you know, to thank the teams about, you know, things and even on like LinkedIn, I'll post kudos, you know, to team members, so they know that, you know, I know who they are, I know what they're doing. I'm watching and observing, I'm observing. And, I think that's
important too. And one of the things that I try to do with with my team, which is really important, because, especially with the younger generation, right, I mean, we we are a very diverse group, but at some point, all of us that are older are going to be out and the younger generation is going to take over.
Yeah.
You know, so you want them to be inspired and to stay motivated. Right? So, you know, I'm always looking at, where somebody's at in their career. And, and I'm always looking to promote so and I don't wait for somebody ever to come to me to say, Hey, I think I'm ready. I always come to them first. So you know, I'm, I'm constantly moving people shuffling them, not out of not from like, you know, position to position but
giving them opportunities. He's, you know, to learn and grow, and then I can move them, you know, up into the organization. So I think that's super important to, you know, that, I think, for my team that they know that, you know, I'm a champion for them for each and every one of them. And that I am watching and I understand what it is they do. And that they know that when I think they're ready, that I'm going to do right by them.
So I think is huge, too. I mean, I've talked to a lot of a lot of managers that at times, they're like, I don't know what that person is doing right now. And it's like, there's like, there's major team disconnect. And you know, what you're doing I find extremely fascinating. And, yeah, I mean, we're trying we do the Monday meditations, I send out a Monday motivational quote, every more every Monday morning, just to
kick the week off, right? Yeah, I think it's so important to be able to, you know, we're all very busy. We're all very busy, but to bring the reality together, and to bring that personal aspect into a company into a team is so important at whether you're remote or on site, you still need to have that connection with one another. Yeah, that's Yeah, that's all super exciting. And those are the do's of managing a modern teams. Yeah, many don'ts that you would suggest to stay away from?
Um, yeah. Don't be a helicopter manager.
Yes. Big!
You know, um, you want to make sure you empower your team, don't helicopter don't hover, you know, don't don't jump in and answer for them. You know, I and when I see it happening with anyone on my team, you know, I'll address that, you know, and I'll ask a question, though I never sold, I'll just say, Hey, is there a reason why so and so, you know, didn't answer this. And, you know, sometimes there are valid reasons. And, you know, and other times, it's not well, and I can't I can't say
I've not done it, either. But sometimes you just know the answer. And you're like, oh, I'll jump in and help out. And you're not helping them out? You know, you can, instead of doing hat, maybe reach out to them, ay, Hey, are you comfortab e answering this? And if they a e great, but give them the oppor unity to ask you for help. So, , don't don't be a helicopter I think another don't is neve
shut down a conversation. Y u know, every employee wants to know that they have a voice And, that you're willing t listen to that voice. Right Yeah. Every idea may not be doable or plausible. Some of th m will be though, you know what I mean? So yeah, they never shut down the conversation. And, neve make them feel foolish for aski g a question you know? Yeah, and it's funny, because I, ever one will have somebody like, Oh, this might be a stupid ques
ion. And I always say, no questi ns, stupid, you know, a questi n is a learning experience. No , if you ask me the sa e question over and over and o er again, you know, then then I m going to start to be concern
d, right? Because then then t ere's something else happening But I want, always always pen, you know, to answering q estions or listening to p ople's ideas, because some of so e of the best solutions have co e out of, you know, ideas tha have come from my team, an , you know, a lot of them ar a hell of a lot smarter than me. I mean,you know, and they'll, they'll laugh at me, they're like, you, you know, that's
crazy. No, it's not crazy, you know, you guys, each person has, skills that are stronger, maybe, different skills that they're stronger in than maybe somebody else, right. So, you know, I, I'm, I'm not ashamed to say that they're, you know, maybe somebody has better analytical skills with certain things than I do. Or, you know, somebody for sure, has maybe better Excel
skills than I do. And, you know, when your formulas and pivot tables and stuff, and I'm just like, you know, because I'm a dinosaur and I've been doing this for so long, like, I didn't really have to get into all that, like, yeah, you know, so for me, like, yeah, Bring it on, and you know, and I'll listen to it. I just think don't, you know, I don't you don't ever want to make an employee feel that you're unapproachable either. You know, let's make
them feel comfortable. I can tell you when we were in the office, and I mean, my eye, you know, open door but I mean, my I never shut my door. You know, never unless I was on a conference call and because I have a loud voice. And, I don't
want to disturb them. But other than that my doors always open and people just in and out in and out, you know, all day long and Hey, you got a second Can I roll this past you when you know and sometimes just to be yes, like, coming in with, like, you know, what you'll want coffee or sit down have whatever it is, and I never ever, ever want the to feel that they can't co e and talk to me, you know? Be ause when that happens, then I n longer have my finger on the p lse of what's going on with my
eam. Right? Yeah. I walk aro nd also, when in the office, will walk around, hi, how you oing? I'm looking at their ki s pictures, I know their na es. You know, I know their hu bands. I know, you know, an iversary. Like, you know, I ven have one of my team members. With her first child. She was ike, you know, my husband eally wants to know what I'm having. I don't want to know wha we're having. And she was like
I don't know what to do. And e really wants to know, and I wa like, well, am I give if you w nt to give it to me, she? She actually said, What if I give i to you? And you know, and you old it? And don't tell me becau e if it's home, I feel like I'm gonna, you know, bind. I'm gonn search for it. So I'm like, we l, you can give it to me. And 'm like, cuz I won't tell you And yeah, no matter. You coul n't drag it out of me. And she ave it to me. And it's funny, c
z she'll say, Man, I tried. A d she's like, Tammy didn't g ve you a hint, you know? An which was funny. So I mean, I new the whole time what she was aving. And everybody was like I can't believe you didn't b eak. I'm like, No, I wasn't g nna do that. So, I mean, an that's just a testamen to how close we are, you know and, and how, how much my team rusts me. Yeah. Which I think is important. I don't think it should never be one sided to say, Oh, I trust my team. Th
y have to trust me. Yeah. An you have to know that I have t eir backs that I champion for them every single day. And I do. And I think that's i portant. Because, you know, if you if your team knows that, th t you have their back, they are going to go above and beyond f r you.
Absolutely love that. And I love the champion aspect of it, too, because you're right, you know, yes. It's both ways you guys need to have that that trust and support on both levels?
Yeah, yeah, definitely.
And I know we're running up on time here. Tammy, one quick question, just to kind of wrap us up is, you know, how has the pandemic affected your profession overall? Are there any positives or negatives that came out of what we've been experiencing over the past? year and a half?
Yeah, well, one positive, it's also a negative is, um, so we are an essential business. Right. Right. So because we're transportation and logistics,
yeah.
So while other businesses, unfortunately, we're not doing well, or maybe even closed. Our business was full throttle, we have a lot of me ical supply companies that we w rk with. And we have a lot of re ail customers that were able to switch gears and start pro ucing, pp, or, , sanitizers a d things like that, that the
were shipping. And, so when we ot through that phase of it, and then when shipping opened up aga n, for non essential items, then you know, people who wer home were like, Hey, you know, 'm home, I'm going to get a pet So our pet supply companies were booming, and then people re like, well, I'm home, I'm g ing to do projects in the house So furniture companies w re booming, and then, you know, people were like, ell, I'm not going anywhere his summer, summer, so I'm gonn
fix my backyard. So, you k ow, all the outdoor, you kn w, furniture and grills and stu f like that were booming. And th n it was like, well, I might as well start exercising so gym e uipment, bicycles, and it w s like, holy cow. So it neve
stopped. For us. It was like, robably one, definitely the c aziest, you know, 16 months we ve ever had in this industry And then on top of that, we'v actually on boarded five new clients during this, which is nheard of and and just on so on the client management side, a d then we've on boarded also on our destination side, four n w clients. So it's, it
s just been a constant. So while that's great news, we're t ying to keep up resource wi e, which is actually the negativ because you have a lot of people now you try to look fo people. And it's hard to find q alified people, or people in gen ral because people are afraid o move right now. You know, s it the right time and I'm afr id if I if I change jobs, then it you know, something happen ? I'm the last one out, you kn w. Last one in first one out so yeah, that's been a challenge.
Just trying to staff has been the challenge because of heart g owth. So right , but, you kn w, coming Coming out of it ore now,as we continue to gro , which is a great thing, but, definitely still still needi g an staffing and, and that's across not just my group, our o ganization in general. Yeah. th re's a lot of positions open.
Yeah, they're in a more so on o r domestic side, our domestic s de, because, with the, all this influx of, freight, and ther 's been a million issues now, it s like, last year pandem c this year was always ship ing issues, you have vessels,t at are, kind of dead in the ater or,have been dumping fre ght due to bad weather, or th y have bad fuel. And now they' e had to reroute. And then you ave, because of the pandemic d ckworkers at the ports, tha were, didn't have enough of the
to work the ship. So no you have ships sitting at nchor, and then those ships a en't going back to, China to lo d more freight, so it kind of ba ks everything up. So now you re dealing with those challenge ,um, and, honestly, I don't I do 't see that changing at all You know, this year, I'm hoping maybe, maybe by next s ring, things will be back to ormal, but it has been a crazy
ide. But yeah, I'm thankful or the team I have, because ithout them, we've got I don't I don't know what we would have done. And, and that's the t am here and the team we hav in Asia, I mean, they are just wonderful.
Well, it's it's good to hear that there's there's a lot of positives that came out of such a crazy situation that we've all been in. And the fact that you've got lots of open roles is is great, lots of opportunities, and just trying to find those right, the right people to get onto the team and and move you guys forward even further. So that's fantastic. Yeah, awesome. Well, I'm gonna wrap us up here, but I would love to share with the
audience. Or if you wouldn't mind sharing with the audience, what are your top five tips to interviewing and managing a healthy team? I think we covered quite a lot. And you gave us a lot of awesome information and awesome ideas, too. But what would your top five be?
So, um, for interviewing, I'd say keep it fluid. Keep them talking.
Yeah.
Ask the behavioral questions. Yeah. Don't focus on the resume, and get to know them.
Love it.
Right. Because they're, they're going to be a part of your organization, you want to make sure that they're a fit, right?
Yeah.
For for the managing, like I said, empower them. Right, have have a plan for them. You know, a development plan for them, keep them motivated, through team bui ding exercises, let them hav a voice and never shut down a c nversation.
I love all of those. I love them on those. Both sides of it, the interviewing and the the team manage the team management aspect of it, I find, they go h nd in hand too. And they're a l so powerful for being abl to make sure you not only brin the right people on, but you h lp those people grow and succe d for themselves, but as a team and for the company.
Yeah. Yeah. I try.
Well, from what I'm hearing to you are pretty awesome at it. So thank you. Thank you so very much for being on today, Tammy and, let's keep in touch. I hope you have a great rest of your day and make it a great, great weekend, too. Yeah, thank you, Tara. Thank you for having me. All right. Thanks, Tammy. Have a great day. You too.