Guest blog by Jeff Polovick
This is a great leadership story to share and we didn’t want to miss the opportunity. I have been privileged to have Jeff Polovick as a friend and Centre of Influence in my business life for over 14 years. In light of our theme of “Helping you to the Next Level” it seemed to be most appropriate to share one company’s journey of continuously going to the next level…and staying on top.
Jeff Polovick, President and CEO DRIVING FORCE
What Drives You? “The desire to build a sales organization that is committed to satisfying customers by providing superior service.” Jeff’s vision, combined with his strong leadership and team building skills, has developed this company into one of the largest independent vehicle rental, sales and leasing businesses in Canada.
A message from Jeff….
After more than 30 years in business and having been ISO 9001 certified since 2001, one might assume that DRIVING FORCE Vehicle Rentals, Sales & Leasing just ticks right along like a well-oiled machine, year after year. But, markets change, and personnel come and go, and DRIVING FORCE continues (thankfully) to grow. All that change requires that our leadership team pays even closer attention to both day-to-day operations and critical path planning. Over three decades I have found that effective management tools can come in all shapes, and from any number of sources, and we need to be constantly on the lookout for new resources.
We have been fortunate to be acknowledged as one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for five years in a row, now. Our sixth, hopefully, successful application has just recently been submitted. And I find that, once again, the process of the application is at least as important as the award itself. At its core, the process is one of due diligence using a model from an outside source rather than the tools that we use every day. It forces our team to look at our entire organization with fresh eyes, and that has proven to be an invaluable experience.
Each year when we start down the Best Managed path, we are forced to consider those issues that we know to be key, but sometimes neglect as we get distracted by more immediate concerns. Not only does it force us to revisit virtually every aspect of our business, but also to ensure that we have connectivity between our brands, business lines, and even departments. Filling in those blanks every year helps remind us that no matter how big DRIVING FORCE gets, we are still just a group of people working towards common business goals, and we need to engage in dialogue if we are to work effectively as a team.
So, while it’s great to submit a really smart-looking application and anticipate the outcomes and celebrate the wins (and be able to put that Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies logo on everything), I really want to encourage other business leaders to participate in the program for the process, itself. The journey is well worth the cost, the costs are relatively small, and the awareness and pride that come from the self-examination are truly exceptional.
I’ve heard that many artists will squint at their subjects, to try and gain a different perspective. Whether it’s through a Best Managed application, a process audit, or a conversation with our peers, I think it’s important that we remember to “squint” at our own operations once in a while. www.drivingforce.ca
We all have an opportunity to make our businesses more effective. Taking the time to “squint” at our business can make all the difference to get it to the “next level”.
