ONE ENERGY FEED

Safety is more than just following the rules. As One Energy CEO Jereme Kent explains, many construction companies experience common safety issues in the field because “it’s the system that’s broken.”

In today’s Safety Minute, Jereme introduces a new series exploring common safety problems in wind energy construction. At One Energy, we believe the first line of safety is engineering controls – and we’ll share how One Energy has put this belief into practice, to address known safety risks before employees head to the field.

In future episodes, we’ll take a deeper dive into the most common safety issues, sharing One Energy’s approach to fixing systems that has failed field teams in the past. Together, we can make the field – and the wind industry – safer from the ground up.

Watch the video below, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel so you don’t miss a minute.

If you have seen One Energy’s office at the North Findlay Wind Campus, you know that much of the wall space is covered in magnets. There are hundreds of One Energy magnets and magnets with our turbine logo, and in the mix you can find individually chosen magnets people picked up somewhere along the way. There’s also a pretty good collection of plastic letters – the kind you use on the kitchen refrigerator to teach little kids the alphabet.

In the mix of random letters, you’ll find the occasional word or phrase someone has put together. For example, one refrigerator in the kitchen says “snacks” and one says “dranks” – I assume because no one searched hard enough to find an “i”! And it’s entirely possible there’s a word or two that you wouldn’t want to be teaching your little kids on your own kitchen refrigerator – but hey, it’s One Energy.

The other day, I collected the letters I needed to put “WE COUNT” on the front of my desk. As Head of Accounting, that seemed appropriate. Someone asked if the double meaning was intentional – YES, of course it was! We’re in the Accounting Department where we count stuff all the time. But also, what we do counts. Our work matters in the grand scheme of operating a business, both in terms of compiling information that tells the story of where we have been, and of using that information to create a vision of where we want to be and the path we can use to get there. And in most cases, the compilation of that information is critical to the ability to obtain the financing needed to travel that path and to achieve those goals. In other words, counting counts!

In a building filled with magnetic walls, I can easily use magnets to remind my team of how valuable they are. In fact, I was able to find some very appropriate ones to give out during the holidays. While I hope they already know how important they are, the visual reminder certainly helps – and I hope it makes them smile of even laugh out loud in the midst of a challenging day.

It’s important to make the most of our opportunities to let people know they matter. Recently, I lost my aunt to complications of a brain tumor. I was fortunate to have the chance to tell her in recent weeks how influential she had been in my life, how much she mattered to me and to my kids. I let her know that she counts – then, now, and always. While relationships with my team members are of course different from those with family, the same idea applies.

We have all had influential people in our lives who have encouraged and supported us on our journey. People who taught us, mentored us, and acted as our role models. People who challenged us and inspired us. People who contributed to the core of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Take a moment – while the moment is still available – to tell them that they count.  

Anne Bain is the Head of Accounting at One Energy.

Learn more about Anne and the One Energy team.

Success is a dynamic concept. For many, it takes the form of the goals at specific moments in your life. When I was 5, for example, my measure of a successful person was if they were a “billion-quadrillionaire.” Assuming that’s in U.S. dollars, that benchmark is more money than currently exists in the world. Nice try, young Chelsea.

So how do you become successful?

Success is unique and personal. It is immeasurable at times and so clearly tangible at others. Perhaps your measure of success is being happy with your personal life or maybe it’s taking over the world. You define and evaluate your own success.

For those who don’t know me, I am a young executive at a complex and innovative business that is just over a decade old. Our company is built for the future yet exists in a world that is not always keen on change. I’ve spent my career climbing the ladder of a start-up that has grown immensely and faced incredible hurdles; in that time I’ve learned an unfathomable amount. I have come to the brink of my sanity more times than is reasonable, and it’s safe to say that my career often supersedes my life. This requires a lot of self-reflection.

For people like me, success is not straightforward. Life throws us curveballs and by rule of comparison, there is always someone hitting the ball better. In this time of a pandemic, a recession, and a record-breaking election, I’d like to share something that changed my life and shaped my definition of success.

Five years ago, I met a local executive who became someone I looked up to. This executive was nearing retirement, had a loving family, a successful career, and a team of people who adored and admired him. He also had a handwritten list of reminders in his desk to help him keep his head screwed on straight.

This executive passed away somewhat abruptly. A few months later, I received an email with an attachment. The document, titled “Life Lessons” stated the following:  

1. Always maintain a good sense of humor.
2. Exercise every day, even if you don’t feel like it.
3. Don’t spend more money that you make.
4. Love at first sight isn’t a fable.
5. You must be able to forgive even if it is difficult to do so.
6. Try to not take yourself so seriously.
7. Love is not easy; sometimes you have to work at it.
8. Use your common sense – it is usually the most reasonable answer to every situation.
9. Life is a gift.
10. Stay curious.
11. Your family and friends are the most precious thing you will ever have in life.
12. Focus brings focus.
13. Prepare relentlessly.
14. Stand up to bullies.
15. An unexamined life is not one worth living.
16. Hanging onto the past limits your future.

I pass along this list to every new employee I work with. I share it to remember his legacy, but also to let my team members know that I want them to choose their own path. While success is personal, I want to share in (and contribute towards) their achievements.

Since reading and absorbing my mentor’s list, I have created my own. I read it daily, so I can remember what matters most to me. It helps me prioritize and reminds me that my definition of success involves staying true to who I am.  

So how does one become successful? There is no single answer. But every day is an opportunity to live your life (and define success) by your own standards. Become the best version of yourself, and you might as well have a billion-quadrillion dollars.

Chelsea Bumb is the Head of Construction at One Energy.

Learn more about Chelsea and the One Energy team.

Company loyalty is not a completely antiquated concept. In today’s world, with it becoming increasingly common for young professionals to change jobs frequently, company loyalty might seem like yesterday’s news. Sure, companies put significant emphasis on employee retention, but retention and loyalty are not the same thing, especially in a growing business. You can retain employees by putting in a moderate effort to keep them happy, but that should be the baseline standard, not the main objective. A company’s objective should be to create an environment where employees are inspired to work harder, to feel invested in the common goal, and to strive for the success of the group as well as their own. Company loyalty can still thrive – but only if conscious decisions are made to get there.

To foster team loyalty, a company must go the extra mile. It is exceedingly rare to gain a loyal team with nothing more than a rally cry – believing in the business plan can only go so far. Loyalty needs to be a two-way street. Businesses must take actions, both large and small, to prove to their employees that they are valued, that their work is important, and that they are an essential part of the company. When an employee feels loyalty from their employer, it’s easier for that employee to return it tenfold. If you expect your employees to go out of their way for the company, you must go out of your way for them.

As an executive at an industrial power company and a military spouse, I’ve realized over the years that businesses can learn an important lesson in generating loyalty from the Unites States Armed Forces. A military life is not an easy one. So much is demanded of our service members and their families. Yet for the last 4 years, the Army has had a reenlistment rate of more than 80% – well past its goal. If there is one group of people that knows a thing or two about the benefits of a unified and devoted front, it’s them. 

There are many reasons for the loyalty seen within our military (the largest of course is fighting for a just cause). But one answer I’ve found applicable to the business world is the military’s celebration of wins. In recent years, I have attended numerous elaborate graduation and promotion ceremonies. The time and effort put forth celebrating accomplishments I found peculiar and quite possibly overkill when I first entered the military world. Now, I view them as absolutely necessary to the mission. The pomp and circumstance directly correlate to troop morale, and thus loyalty. 

So how can this be adapted for the business world? Should we host galas when an employee is promoted from Field Engineer I to Field Engineer II? Probably not. (After all, the sacrifices of our men and women in uniform are far greater than anything seen in the business world.) But we should take steps to acknowledge the accomplishments of our employees whenever we can. 

Whether it’s thoughtful handwritten cards, attending weddings, recognizing promotions, or creating a lighthearted point system to acknowledge daily accomplishments, we must do more if we expect more. We need to treat celebration with the seriousness that we treat deadlines and profit margins. Prioritizing celebrations and rebuking the “nickel and dime” mentality are a couple small actions that One Energy has taken down this path. Loyalty is earned. It can’t be taught or simply expected from any team. If we hope to grow an inspired team, we as executives must create a little more pomp and circumstance within our ranks.

 Jessica Grosso is the Head of Project Planning and Technology at One Energy.

Learn more about Jessica and the One Energy team.