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work environment. That being said, I have a tremendous amount of confidence that our staff will continue to adapt to preserve our business model. Until things get back to normal, we’ll do things differently, which will likely include working from home part- time or permanently for some employees. But we will work hard to maintain personal connections with our clients. Virtual tools make it easier. The office environment will never go away, and it will continue to be used to get work done and to socialize. It will not, however, be the same as it was. Our workplace and culture will reflect the lessons COVID-19 has taught us all about the challenges of remote work, personal space, understanding our impact on others, and respecting each individual’s personal situation away from work. I think we’ve all learned a great deal about how to collaborate with and support each other – both clients and colleagues – when our personal lives intersect with our professional ones. We will be a better business for it. TZL: It is often said that people leave managers, not companies. What are you doing to ensure that your line leadership are great people managers? BS: Certainly, using assessment tools before a person is placed in a leadership or management position is the first step toward helping managers be successful. They need to understand what they are good at doing and where they need support; assessments can reveal this. We also provide an array of training, largely based on the concepts of emotional intelligence, motivation, empowerment, appreciation, and accountability. We use coaching and mentoring – internally and externally, and formally and informally – to support the development of skills that make good leaders. We’re also not afraid to reposition people within the organization if the leadership or management role is not well suited for their success or that of the team. Confronting deficiencies and talking with leaders about their strengths is essential to being a successful leader. TZL: Tell me about the rebranding. Why was it needed? How long did it take to transition? Overall results? BS: As we grew during the past 20 years, our brand served us well, but it needed to be simplified. Our growth has exponentially increased our service offerings for an increasingly complex client base. And while those results are inspiring, it also contributed to confusion over what people knew about Olsson and what we do.
We often heard from clients or prospective employees that we were a transportation- focused firm or a land development firm or a field services firm. Rarely did anyone think we were a full-service firm. We needed to simplify the message so we could become more accurately known as a firm focused on solutions in infrastructure, regardless of industry or geography. We did this to help our clients better understand our firm and our employees to better communicate what Olsson brings to the table. Our rebranding effort was based on market research, and we started the process with the intent of changing our messaging, but leaving our name and visuals intact. When we got deeper into the process, we quickly discovered we needed to update more than just the messaging. To simplify, we needed to look at our entire image and brand. Our research and planning took place over 18 months and we rolled out the updated name, visuals, and messaging over the course of the next year. We’ve received wonderful feedback from clients, employees, and many of our partners. It’s still an ongoing process and the ROI is difficult to measure, but our 12-month audit revealed that simplifying our brand has allowed us to gain traction with clients that did not know us previously or had a perception that we were a small, local firm with limited services. We’ve also experienced a significant increase in awareness of Olsson and our employee- focused culture with new and prospective employees. All in all, we think rebranding was a huge success and, based on their feedback, our clients think so, too. TZL: How do you handle a long-term principal who is resting on his or her laurels? What effect does a low- performing, entitled principal or department head have on firm morale? BS: Our business is very performance- oriented, and our internal financials are reported to every employee each month on a team basis. This keeps the pressure on all leaders and managers to perform, even the ones with decades of experience. We very much believe in maintaining a high-performance culture, which creates strong peer pressure to perform every year. In cases where senior people are not performing, we work with that person to find a path to success. We do this for all employees, regardless of their longevity or status. We consistently hear from employees – especially our high-performers – that tolerating a low- performing employee can be the biggest
HEADQUARTERS: Lincoln, NE
NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 1,300
YEAR FOUNDED: 1956
NUMBER OF OFFICE LOCATIONS: 30
SERVICES:
❚ ❚ Planning and design
❚ ❚ Engineering
❚ ❚ Field services
❚ ❚ Environmental
❚ ❚ Technology
MARKETS:
❚ ❚ Government
❚ ❚ Transportation
❚ ❚ Water
❚ ❚ Energy
❚ ❚ Land and facilities
❚ ❚ Telecommunications
MISSION: Working to leave the
See PERSONAL CONNECTIONS, page 8
world better than they found it.
© Copyright 2020. Zweig Group. All rights reserved.
EMBER 7, 2020, ISSUE 1370
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