In this episode, we have invited Matt Bennetto, Operations Manager of Linkforce. He worked on and supported some of WA's largest projects and companies Chevron Gorgon load-out facility, Christmas Creek, Utah Point, KCGM to name a few, with success and efficiencies improved every time. Matt understands reliability, communication, transparency but most of all honesty, which has assisted greatly throughout my career. Today, Matt talks all about shutdowns; his experiences, how he manages his people and leadership.

Shutdown during the pandemic

[01:22]

With current situations relating to COVID, Matt and his company had to work closely with state and federal government to make sure that proper protocols are followed, like social distancing. As well as working closely with BHP, who were instrumental in coordinating and organizing everything from the information packs prior to attendance, coordinating multiple planes, and multiple buses to carry people. They had four meetings a day, with all the contractors as well as the morning client, and the key decision makers. These are then reported through to the federal government and state government of how they were managing it.

Managing people

[03:26]

Matt work with a very large workforce, it is diverse and has different personalities. Leadership is key to any business, and it always sets a tone of culture, performance, and attitude. He thinks that Linkforce has a very strong and solid culture. From that, it runs into the leadership that are on site. Not everyone gets along in life, and there are different personalities but each of their leadership is significantly similar in that some may have stronger empathy than others. Matt believes in a leadership that cares and has passion for what they do. Because they are people driven business. Empathy is the most important thing.

Good workplace culture

[06:40]

Matt thinks that what creates a good workplace culture is honesty, integrity, support, and ensuring that, at the end of the day, if you say something you stand by that having everyone's ability to voice their opinion in the company is very important. As wells as working with people that have similar passions, that operates or is pulling in the same direction as you. He has may similarities with his people wherein they come from a rural background, so they have similar interests like being early morning risers, the fencing all day, or cattle mastering or working in the cattle yards, etc.

Attitude towards failure and mistakes

[07:37]

Matt shares that their business is people driven, they make mistakes. It's just how people own it and accept it. They have a very close leadership in their business where they monitor all sorts of aspects of whether it's a safety incident, or if we're seeing a trend, or if we're seeing sort of behaviors that could be coming from them as leaders.

Software development

[10:47]

Their company developed a software because there needed to be an ability to measure and monitor how people are operating in shutdown. To reduce the time of meeting with a client and having one key leader talking to the client directly, and where you need your frontline leaders to be monitoring the field, so that there are no delays of time of where they actually need to be. Because of this, not only can they show the client the areas where they can potentially improve, but it also drives an improvement in their business.

[13:05]

The software was developed purely for something that has a timeline. So, everything that Matt and his people do each day at work, they are coordinated, one task flows to the next task because of this. They could be backfilling or working on the pace plan, looking at the pressures, and all of that will be in a timeline directed by either the client, the company, or the contractor.

Go to https://www.linkforce.com.au/ to know more about their services.

You can also follow Matt on LinkedIn. Thanks to our producer Trixi for the tireless effort that goes into the production of these episodes and also to Rosie Allen for joining us on the show.