WHAT CLIENTS SAY ABOUT WESTWIND PERFORMANCE

"Westwind Performance helped our mine operations, maintenance and engineering departments set a common goal and establish a structure and schedule for regular communication that improved coordination and cooperation in meeting that goal. All the groups take part in the meetings, so all are engaged in, and accountable for their contributions to meeting the common goal." 

"Westwind Performance also helped us establish a process for looking for ways to improve performance. They broke down roles into very specific activities and then got us to focus on which activities would provide the most return. "

"They also spent time one on one with employees and supervisors and got to know people.  That process built the kind of mutual trust and confidence that allows honest answers and real buy-in. When people feel listened to and they see their ideas become priorities, positive results in performance follow."

"Generally, when an organization has outside consultants in, the question is, "When are they going to leave?"  But not long after Westwind came to the mine, the question we heard from our people in the mill was, "When are they coming to talk to us?"

-- Frank Amon, Manager of Operations, Highland Valley Copper, Teck

 "What Westwind first brought was accountability to management. They held a mirror up to our team and once supervisors and superintendents focused on the issues, we moved forward a lot quicker than we otherwise would have. Westwind people were equally good working right on the floor with live mentorship. Unlike other consultants I’ve worked with, they had rapport with the employees, the human touch. That is key to sustaining change."

-- Mac Palmeire, VP & General Manager, Canfor

"I feel that Westwind’s one-on-one coaching with focus group leaders was the most valuable portion of our work with Westwind. In our very busy operation it is very easy to go back to what you have been doing all along and put off what is important to bring about the critical performance improvements that are needed. Through working one-on-one, the Westwind team were able to recognize these behaviors and help the individual group leaders refocus on the important things or overcome obstacles."

"We have a very knowledgeable and cooperative workforce willing to participate in performance improvement but we had never fully incorporated them into our plans and actions. By including them in the entire process with Westwind’s help, we aligned on what would bring about the desired improvements and collectively worked to make these improvements happen. Because the workforce were involved and aligned with the improvement tasks we would perform, they worked hard to ensure that the actions were successful."

-- Chris Nichols, Plant Manager, Coca-Cola

"The techniques that Westwind used in its initial assessment survey -- one-on-one interviews on a cross section of our workforce that allowed for more in-depth responses -- increased the value of the survey exponentially. The results showed that management weren’t keeping employees abreast of developments in their department or the business overall.  Westwind then introduced a process that enabled the supervisors to do so regularly and comfortably.  The flow of information helps to keep the workforce engaged and management and employees aligned."

"Westwind helped us improve safety with a safety observation program in which employees observed each other – instead of management observing employees. More experienced employees showed others how to perform tasks safely with minimum effort. It was more like coaching, showing someone how to do something better instead of finding fault. The result has been a significant improvement in safety that continued after Westwind’s team left."

"Westwind also helped us establish measurement systems for both quality and scrap that let us plan, track and correct performance based on reliable data. The process lets us identify and take action before problems get out of hand. It changes the culture so we’re not handing out tickets for poor performance but rather focusing on solving problems."

"What Westwind did exceptionally well was make sure that the changes they helped to institute actually took hold. They didn’t just throw one over the fence, they actually participated, coaching employees until the implementation took root.  And the changes they helped to initiate didn’t require expensive training, or sending people off to seminars. The processes they taught are easy to learn and simple to implement."

-- Harold Manifold, Manager of Operations, Tree Island Industries (Wire)

"It's not about the consultants, it's about the process. We don't want the process to leave with the consultants. With Westwind, the process is continuing to permeate the organization, so that it’s becoming second nature, part of the organization."

"I have seen many types of consultants over the years. One of the big differences between Westwind and others is their parking lot, the inventory of ideas that comes from interviewing management and the workforce. Westwind can assist in developing specific actions and accountabilities and follow up on the specific priorities to bring about change."

"Westwind brings a lot of enthusiasm to the task– and their people are a tremendous resource. They really know how to deal with people, win their trust and respect, and have fun while getting the work done. One measure of their ability to engage at all levels is how well the hourly workers received the Westwind team. I heard no negative feedback during the interview process when they first started with us. That’s extraordinary."

-- Dave Assmus, Superintendent of Mine Operations, Highland Valley Copper, Teck

"In a very short engagement, Westwind introduced a performance management process for a small group that helped them put first things first instead of doing the urgent but not important tasks. It wasn’t rocket science, but the process gave them focus – and held them accountable.  I think it gave them more confidence to do what they knew they should be doing in business development."

"For one fairly large account, Envision had been doing lower value work, but had not developed the business for higher margin services. Applying the Westwind process, one of the group committed to asking for all the business, and because she’d be held accountable, she did. And she got the business. I don’t think it would have happened without Westwind."

-- Tim Mackie, Assistant Vice President and General Manager, Envision Insurance Services

"The Westwind people had an innate ability to quickly identify business issues that were most meaningful for us. They helped us determine what practices required immediate attention, and what would provide the best ROI."

"While we tend to know the issues, they got us into workable methods of how to improve performance."

"They really helped facilitate improved communication between departments – mine engineering, operations and maintenance."

"The people that we worked with are really good at what they do. Even without much mining experience they were able to assess the situation. They’re intelligent and personable and able to develop very good rapport. They gained trust very quickly."

-- Peter Witt, Superintendent of Mine Engineering, Highland Valley Copper, Teck

"Westwind has a very hands-on, common sense approach. They focus on facilitating, giving us simple, totally adaptable tools that allow us to capitalize on our strengths in our own improvement program. The proof of their effectiveness is the very high degree of buy-in from our people, which gave us a very rapid escalation in improvement -- from ideas generated by our people."

-- Roger Perry, Manager, Cowichan Bay Sawmill, Western Forest Products

"To me, Westwind's biggest benefit was their ability to help us communicate better with our employees by getting everybody involved in focus groups that enabled us to get their opinions - and let them get engaged. The focus groups allowed us to identify top priorities.  Other consultants looked at improving performance with more manpower or equipment - or reducing costs by cutting the workforce - but Westwind focused on doing more with what we have now."

"Westwind also helped us hold more productive meetings. We accomplished what we needed to do so we could keep moving forward."

"While we did add manpower and equipment in the transition to extending the mine's life, we started seeing results with Westwind's help before we brought in the new people and new equipment."

"Another way that Westwind helped us is with better tracking tools and the ability to relay information to employees.  The graphs and charting they introduced let employees see the production arrow going up. And that helped them get - and stay - engaged."

"Of all the consultant groups I have worked with in 20 years in mining, Westwind Performance is the best I've dealt with. "

-- Mario Costa, Assistant Superintendent of Operations, Highland Valley Copper, Teck

"Westwind’s biggest asset is their ability to break down silos that may arise in an organization. They bridged the communication gap between departments, between generations and personalities, especially at the higher levels."

"They asked us why we do things a certain way and sometimes the answer was that we had always done it that way. They forced us to look at what we do. And as we explained, we gained a new perspective. At the same time, they brought an impartial view to the suggestions they made. They brought their experiences from other industries to the mine site and that was beneficial."

"Westwind got us to look at our weekly planning and helped us establish a meeting process that brought everyone to the table. That gave an opportunity for everyone to have the same information, to buy-in to the plan – and to be held accountable for their part in the plan."

-- Jason Sangha, Senior Mine Engineer, Highland Valley Copper, Teck