David Lyman is definitely a company man. He's will be celebrating 20 years with Boyd Metals in February and has worked in three of our five locations - Ft. Smith, Oklahoma City, and now at Boyd Metals in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Every day, he is focused on putting the customer's needs first. David knows he cannot exceed the expectations of customers by himself - it's a team effort. He relies on his staff and believes in supporting and empowering his team so they can deliver Boyd's best to the client every time.
I caught up with this busy General Manager of Boyd Metals Little Rock to ask a few questions about leadership, teamwork and making a difference.
When you think about leadership what comes to your mind first?
Listening.
Effective leadership, in my opinion, is the natural result of effective communication. And effective communication, in my opinion, is the result of effective listening. Every day I make it a point start by listening to my team’s input and expertise. We start the day by discussing the market, making decisions on pricing exceptions and adjusting stock to match needs.
Leading is about facilitating an environment where that kind of collaboration is going on constantly and is, in fact, a mindset.
What makes your Boyd Metals team stand out from the competitors?
Our Boyd Metals team is superior to our competitor's because of the way we work together to conquer our customers' challenges. We use what I call our “collective brain experience” to think through an issue and deliver the quick-fix and long-term solutions they need.
Utilizing the combined total of our team's years of experience yields better results more quickly than any of us could produce on our own. When a team member hears about a customer’s challenges they share it with our whole team. We discuss what is happening internally and together we are able to solve problems more quickly.
That is the Boyd Difference. Our staff works together dynamically and that is exactly how we deliver so much more than a product to our customer.
Besides the fact that we all respect each other, we actually genuinely like each other. The team is fun and the level of trust is so foundational that I feel we get the best from each person on the team.
That is the day-to-day, but it's also exciting to see that trust be an essential part of the team we are developing for future leadership.
Because Boyd Metals has such a commitment to hiring from within, we are empowered to train employees at every level. This last year, we've really enjoyed a class on communication. We've had HR workshops, LinkedIn seminars and have paid for college courses so our team can develop the skills they need to succeed.
I see nothing but success. I'm confident in both our short-term and long-term success because we aren't taking any shortcuts. We are investing in ourselves as leaders. We are investing in our team and we are empowering them to learn and grow. Because of that, our team is equipped and motivated to serve the customer better.
I know that clients reward us with loyalty because of the genuine care we put into doing things right and doing them right the first time.
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