Prominent Truck Manufacturer Adopts an InsideOut Mindset to Drive Efficiency and Teamwork

Overview

Peterbilt, a major player in the trucking industry, came to InsideOut Development seeking solutions to supplement its internal leadership training courses and improve company culture. 

In the fast-paced manufacturing world — where efficiency and innovation are vital in keeping production levels high — Peterbilt’s leadership realized that to remain competitive and productive, they had to first invest in empowering their managers and workforce.

While they already had a robust leadership training program in place, they wanted methods that were easier to grasp and implement. The organization partnered with InsideOut Development to drive managers’ and workers’ success over the long haul.

Meet Peterbilt

Peterbilt, a subsidiary of PACCAR Inc., is a prominent American manufacturer of medium- and heavy-duty trucks. Established in 1939, Peterbilt has become known in the trucking industry for its reliability, performance, and distinctive design.

If you’ve driven on a highway, you’ve definitely seen a Peterbilt truck in action!

Problem: The Search for More Leadership Training Offerings

Even with continued success over 80+ years in business, Peterbilt sought to further enhance its leadership training arsenal to help managers reach their full potential, which ultimately, would trickle down to individual team members.

In a fast-paced, blue-collar environment with many different learning and communication styles and preferences, many managers found Peterbilt’s existing training programs tough to parse down and apply to day-to-day happenings on the shop floor. It often required too much time to implement the tips and practices of these courses — and time is precious when you’re building 60,000-pound trucks.

Given these limitations, there was a lack of continuous feedback between leadership and team members. Because managers weren’t equipped with a quick and simple — but effective — technique for assessing individuals’ current challenges and wins during busy work days, team members struggled to effectively communicate their visions, ideas, and expectations.

Peterbilt realized they needed to add an efficient training program that was easily adaptable to the fast-paced nature of the shop floor to their professional development regimen. That’s when they connected with InsideOut Development and learned about the GROW^® Coaching Model.

Solution: Enhancing Communication and Removing Roadblocks

Developed, in part, by Alan Fine, GROW provides a structured approach to problem-solving and goal-setting, facilitating clear thinking and action planning. It's useful in various contexts, from personal development to team management, and for diverse industries, businesses, and workforces.

The InsideOut team collaborated with Peterbilt's training department to teach the core principles of GROW Coaching. The organization required this training of all managers, allowing for widespread and immediate implementation.

Leaders began having routine, casual conversations with their employees more frequently, in a more casual atmosphere, rather than waiting for a once-a-year performance review to ask how things were going. 

Additionally, instead of handing out orders or top-down advice, managers started listening. This gave room for the employees who were on the manufacturing floor to air out their opinions and voice their ideas.

There are three check-in questions they consistently asked:

1. What’s working?
2. Where are you getting stuck?
3. What can we do differently?

By asking these questions based on the GROW Coaching Model, managers were able to hold consistent check-in conversations, which helped them assess whether workflows were as efficient as they could be and if company morale and motivation were up to par.

“With InsideOut, the questions are so simple and quick that it doesn't take a lot of time. It's something you can do in a couple of minutes and help someone with their Way Forward. And that's what we love about it.”

– Thomas Ford, Engineering Project Quality Manager, PACCAR

Evan Arnold, Peterbilt’s HR Development Manager, and his team also instituted quarterly GROW training for anyone who had a direct report. This allowed supervisors and managers to continually refine their coaching strategies and improve performance, promoting a culture of ongoing learning and development.

Results: Strengthened Communication, Heightened Trust, and Increased Productivity

With the versatility of the GROW Model, Peterbilt was able to train their managers to effectively resolve issues in an office setting or on the shop floor.

Implementing GROW Coaching techniques led to a more supportive and productive work environment and a higher level of trust between managers and employees. The most significant results were as follows:

A Solution-Oriented Mindset

Managers utilizing the GROW Model shifted their focus from identifying problems to developing solutions. This empowered employees to take ownership of their tasks, while the structured approach of GROW provided a clear pathway for addressing any challenges, which increased their efficiency and productivity.

“We use the whole GROW process. If someone’s stuck, we know they already have the answer. They just need to talk. The GROW Model has those questions that make sense — and if you guide them, they will come up with the answer on their own.”

– Evan Arnold, HR Development Manager, Peterbilt

Empowerment and Continuous Improvement

The newly implemented coaching culture also empowered employees to strive for improvement every day. Managers used daily check-ins and had consistent conversations, and employees began to feel heard, boosting confidence and morale.

With managers getting suggestions and hearing about bottlenecks and other production line issues directly from the “front lines,” Peterbilt saw a major increase in productivity.

“There's a reason we keep buying it and teaching it. Because we see that it’s a great way to help teach our managers how to be better leaders and coaches.”

– Evan Arnold, HR Development Manager, Peterbilt

More Genuine Workplace Connections

The quick and easy check-in questions provided by the GROW Model encouraged more frequent and meaningful interactions between managers and employees.

The ease of this model allowed managers to consistently engage with their teams without feeling overwhelmed or as though they were micro-managing. As a result, there was a heightened sense of trust, with employees feeling they could come to their manager with any issue. This led to a more collaborative and supportive work environment.

Coaching: The Catalyst for Success

“I wish I had this ten years ago because I've managed people for ten years. With an MBA, they don't teach you how to be a leader of people. You learn a lot about business, but not necessarily leading people.”

– Thomas Ford, Engineering Project Quality Manager, PACCAR

While coaching can seem designed just for an office setting, Peterbilt experienced that the GROW Coaching Model was perfectly suited for the shop floor as well as the corporate office.

The daily check-ins provided a medium for managers to spark conversations with their employees, allowing them to discuss any issues or problems and become the problem solvers themselves.

If you’re ready to see the impact coaching can have on your organization, contact our team.

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