James Lamz, Vice President of Business Development at ENTRUST Solutions Group, explains what it means for ENTRUST to be a people-focused engineering consultancy, and how trust, collaboration, diversity and mutual support underpins success.
At ENTRUST, our people are our greatest asset. The services they provide are critical—they ensure that essential infrastructure runs smoothly, keeping lights on, homes warm, and enabling connectivity for remote work and online schooling. These services are fundamental to the communities we serve and essential to many people’s quality of life.
Working for a company that plays such a pivotal role in maintaining these necessary services feels incredibly rewarding. We are not just producing disposable items; we are enhancing communities and improving lives. Personally, I find that this focus on providing essential services, coupled with our broader commitment to community and our employees, makes our work at ENTRUST very meaningful.
Our people are at the center of everything we do. As an engineering consulting services firm, our business is entirely people-driven; we do not manufacture products, so we do not have a physical item to ‘hide behind.’
From a management perspective, everything we do is designed to support our employees. If we fail to do so, the entire operation is at risk. Success for us means having a team that performs well for our clients. This requires a positive working environment where employees feel content and supported by their colleagues and management.
This philosophy fosters a wider company culture that is intensely focused on people and highly values the talents of each team member.
Cultivating and nurturing talent within our company involves providing employees with meaningful and challenging work, as well as opportunities for advancement. This is closely linked to our company’s growth.
As we expand, new opportunities emerge for our employees. For example, a design engineer who excels in a project might be promoted to a project manager role, taking on greater responsibilities. With continued success, they might advance to overseeing an office, a region, or manage senior-level projects.
This progression reflects a broader principle: as the company grows, it creates opportunities for everyone involved. By contributing to the company’s growth, you play a role in expanding these opportunities. This not only benefits all employees but also enhances our capabilities, making us larger, more experienced, and better equipped to serve our clients effectively. Everyone ultimately understands that doing a good job benefits everyone—employees and clients alike.
We prioritize hiring competent people, trusting them, empowering them, and listening to their insights. This approach is vital for maintaining high-quality standards and responding effectively when challenges arise. If we make a mistake, we deal with it quickly, try to understand the underlying issues, and then strengthen our quality assurance processes. This commitment to adaptability is essential for continuing to serve our clients effectively.
Having team members with diverse perspectives and a wealth of different experiences adds significant value to our organization.
We strive for diversity in experiences, opinions, and backgrounds because it strengthens our ability to meet the evolving needs of our clients.
In a rapidly changing world, where technological advancements and best practices continuously evolve, it is crucial that we do not always keep doing things the same way. We know we must be adaptable.
Diversity in the workforce is crucial because it brings together different perspectives, experiences, and opinions, which leads to better, more robust results. When everyone shares the same perspective, important aspects can be overlooked, creating blind spots in decision-making. Therefore, we aim to include as many different types of people as possible, each bringing unique experiences and viewpoints who can examine situations from different angles.
Having experts or representatives from every conceivable perspective means different opinions, expertise, training, and life experiences all contribute to the process. This diversity helps us identify and address potential issues early and gather insightful input, ultimately leading to better outcomes.
This diversity is not only vital for enhancing our outcomes but also ensures that our team reflects the communities and clients we serve.
The most effective way to attract more business is to excel in the projects we currently handle, which paves the way for additional work. Continuous improvement is essential for our growth; without it, we cannot secure future opportunities.
The work we undertake is complex, challenging, and involves many moving parts. When issues arise, we collaborate with our team to quickly identify solutions and ways to improve, focusing on constructive feedback rather than assigning blame.
Our organizational leadership structure is very flat and accessible, allowing for open and easy communication. Our leaders are actively engaged and approachable, encouraging open dialogue.
This aspect of our culture, which has been preserved as we have grown from a small to a large company, remains a vital part of who we are.
As a people-focused company, we prioritize our employees because they are our most valuable asset.
Taking good care of our team is crucial because their ability to perform well directly impacts our growth and client satisfaction. This creates a cycle where the well-being of our people is fundamental to our success.
We ensure that we are taking care of our people effectively by maintaining open lines of communication and ensuring our leadership is accessible and responsive to any issues that may arise. Additionally, delivering high-quality work depends on having a diverse and talented team that is well-supported and equipped with the necessary resources.
These elements are interconnected, each one influencing and reinforcing the other, creating a feedback loop that drives continuous improvement and success.
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