I had the opportunity to interview two longtime leaders for this issue: Mohawk Industries president Brian Carson, who shared his thoughts on how to cultivate a new generation of flooring leaders; and Randy Merritt, president of Shaw Industries, who retired from his role on December 15, and talked about his vision for the future. Something both men had in common, besides heading two of the industry’s largest manufacturers, is their passion for employee development.
I can’t think of an aspect of business management that has a more profound impact on the health of a business than training and planning. Helping employees figure out and prepare for their future seems like a no-brainer, but for a variety of reasons, we don’t often make the time to get a formalized training and development program in place. The result? Employees who may not realize the trajectory their careers could take if they aren’t exposed to new and different ideas and skills.