From Hiring to High Performance: Building a Leadership System That Strengthens Workforce Reliability
(Room 121 A&B)
14 Sep 26
2:45 PM
-
3:45 PM
Tracks:
Workforce Development
Workforce challenges in water utilities are often treated as hiring or training issues. In reality, most persistent problems—turnover, inconsistent performance, preventable safety events, and cultural drift—stem from leadership systems. In this session, Dave Taylor presents a practical, field-tested framework for building a high-performance workforce culture in safety-critical environments. Participants will learn how alignment, team design, disciplined processes, and proactive coaching shape decision quality, accountability, and operational reliability. Drawing on decades of leadership experience in high-consequence settings and partnerships with utility organizations nationwide, this session provides actionable tools leaders can implement immediately. Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of how leader behavior drives culture—and how to strengthen workforce reliability before small issues become costly failures.