Ted Coates continued from page 1 Engaged employees
Customer Value First Ted and the leadership team coined the phrase “Customer Value First.” It’s known as Power’s strategic principle and reminds employees about the utility’s top priority, who they serve and how to best contribute.
“Developing business cases takes time and effort, but they help focus our resources on projects that provide the most benefit to our ratepayers,” Generation Manager Pat McCarty said. The practice of using a business case to decide when and why to spend money has resulted in sound business choices, operational efficiencies, savings for customers, and a good reputation. “In the region, TPU is known as the voice of reason,” said Chris Robinson, manager of Power Management. “We’re the utility that’s done the analysis, and we use it to drive our decisions. And that’s all Ted — it’s his style, and now it’s our culture.”
Culture of compliance
“The strategic principle is how most employees conducted their work long before we decided to give it a name,” Ted said. “The principle is simply a way to communicate our employees’ values.”
Frugal financials Ted has taken a conservative approach with Power’s finances to maintain low rates, sustain cash reserves, fund capital projects and improve credit ratings. That approach includes using business cases to analyze and prioritize spending for projects.
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Back in 2009, after just eight days on the job, Ted received a letter saying Power would be hit with a potential $450,000 fine for failing to meet reliability and compliance requirements. “That letter was a real eye-opener about the state we were in,” Ted said. “We had significant gaps in our approach to compliance.” As a result, Ted assembled a team to establish a compliance program, create a records management system and develop a governance structure for more than 100 compliance standards. “Ted is the champion behind Power’s compliance program,” Utility Technology Services Manager John Lawrence said. “He successfully challenged us to change the culture, helped us develop a well-documented program, brought support for it from the top down and ensured the program evolved into what we needed to meet our obligations.” As a result, Power has successfully completed two compliance audits during Ted’s tenure.
Another challenge Ted faced head on is improving employee satisfaction and engagement. “He deeply cares about employees, their ideas and how things are going for them,” Chris said. “He’s made Power a better place to work by focusing on the underlying drivers of employee satisfaction, including communication and teamwork improvements.” After being appointed superintendent, Ted told his management team that employees and supervisors have a stake in Power’s success and a say in how it operates. “Ted’s very interested in what employees have to contribute, and focused on mutual respect and collaboration,” said Click! Manager Tenzin Gyaltsen. “Under his leadership, employees are empowered and given many opportunities to add value and succeed.”
Team work by the book Ted is an avid reader of books on management and leadership. Using his knowledge and experience on the subjects, he’s developed a group of managers who work to lead the organization together and not as individualized sections. “With Ted’s guidance, the management team has become engaged in each other’s challenges, which propagates teamwork throughout the entire organization,” Transmission & Distribution Manager Dolores Stegeman said. “It sets a strong leadership example that cascades through the organization.”
Retirement While the management team is busy carrying forth Ted’s legacy, he’ll be focused on other things. “What’s next for me is simple — serve, learn and play,” Ted said. Ted plans to volunteer to help returning