Smart Business Magazine, October 2017

October 2017 Smart Business Pittsburgh 27 Takeaways Belief and change starts at the top but takes time Market forces shouldnt shape core priorities Theres always room for improvement we ignored it or denied it or argued whether it really existed he says These are the actions that have won people over even though not every employee gets it and not every transaction is done as it should be OBrien says Always building on Despite the progress OBrien and Peoples are not done The world technology and customer expectations keep changing Were not perfect We dont treat every customer the way we want We dont handle every issue the way we would like to but weve made dramatic changes in how weve done things he says Its hard to make big changes but OBrien says every day there are opportunities to continue to incrementally improve whether thats using drones to inspect pipes under bridges adding technology to make it easier to know which truck is closest to a problem or tracking work orders similar to FedEx packages so customers have real time information If people believe in a culture of improvement for customers and the community they wont be embarrassed or afraid to take a risk on new ideas OBrien knew his vision and values were becoming a reality when he heard employees lower in the organization say something that reflected what hed been talking about or they did exactly what he hoped theyd do not what theyve done in the past You need a few of those wins that say It can work It does make a difference and were just going to keep the journey going he says Whenever that journey seems too long or he gets discouraged OBrien likes to meet with his employees He tries to get to all 28 locations twice a year Sitting down with the people out in the field and listening to them not just talking to them but listening to them it reinforces gets me energized and reminds me at the roots of what it is we do OBrien says However as your organization gets bigger the length from your head to your arm becomes further away There are more people out in the field who are away from the executive office But its a good challenge to have To me thats why tomorrow will be an interesting day and the day after tomorrow will be an interesting day OBrien says Because you always have new issues new challenges and things you hadnt thought of that come up How to reach Peoples Natural Gas Co LLC 800 764 0111 or www peoples gas com Were not perfect We dont treat every customer the way we want We dont handle every issue the way we would like to but weve made dramatic changes in how weve done things MORGAN OBRIEN PRESIDENT AND CEO PEOPLES NATURAL GAS CO LLC @ peoplesnatgas