EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine November 2019 | Page 12

them happy on the job, which is important for retention. never experienced anything negative from a business standpoint of
work anywhere they want to, and so why would they want to work on doing the right thing for your team members,” he said. “What is
“We know that our team members are highly skilled and can
with us?,” Lydecker said. “We have to think about that every day to
make sure we are not taking advantage of somebody or we’re not
trying to conduct yourself and provide leadership that is focused
good for the team members is good for the company.”
To achieve cohesion in the workforce, Lydecker said mutual
overly or singularly focused on bottom-line initiatives. We really respect is crucial. He said he often speaks to the staff about how to
for our company is good for our team members as well. We have to Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t,
need to be thinking in a holistic way how to make sure what is good
be mindful of the fact that we are lucky to have them working with
us.”
ONE SIZE DOESN’T FIT ALL
When it comes to creating a workplace where employees feel
be respectful, and he has been using as a guide “The No Asshole”
a book by Stanford University professor Robert Sutton.
Basically, the book argues that a constructive workplace is built
around mutual respect, and it recommends that workers check their
egos at the door so an environment of open communication and
collaboration can be created where everybody’s opinion matters.
On the contrary, if a top-down approach is used, discussion
good, there are challenges because of the diversity of a workforce. A on issues is limited, exposing the company to the risk of “one
not be. productivity and sales, Lydecker said.
college graduate may be big on foosball, but older employees may
“We have been mindful of not trying to appeal to one generation
over another, but to appeal across to board to all of our team
members,” Lydecker said.
To achieve this, he has found that hosting a Thanksgiving lunch
or doing field trips tend to work well with all ages.
The efforts also translate to better returns, he added. “I have
DALE ARRINGTON
ORANGE CITY MANAGER
day having a really unhealthy environment” that can reduce
“We don’t want a resolution that is difficult to languish. We need
to address it and get on it really quickly, and the best way to do that
is for more people to be informed,” including the management, he
added. “The best way to do that is for people to feel good about
what they are doing. It is not an environment where we point
fingers. We don’t do that. We just solve issues and move forward.”
THE HEART OF
SOUTHWEST VOLUSIA
Dale Arrington has invested her career in city management.
Today, as City Manager of Orange City, she is building an
impressive portfolio of essential city projects. Among them
are numerous water and storm water management projects.
Major enhancements have been made to Mill Lake Park,
a favorite among residents and visitors. The City has been
recognized as a Monarch City for its butterfly conservation
initiatives. Dale and her team are preparing Orange City for
tomorrow without losing today’s small town charm. And Team
Volusia is proud to have Dale as a Board Level Investor.
TEAMVOLUSIAEDC.COM
386.265.6332
INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT
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