“My leadership style has evolved,” reflects EMCS Industries Ltd CEO Trevor Tasker on a process of change management. “I’ve worked for, and owned, other businesses where I was managing the business and managing people. I learned the hard way that if you’re managing your employees, you’ve got the hiring wrong. Team members need to be autonomous and motivated, and you should create the right environment in which they can succeed.
“Why hire talent and then tell them what do? You have so much to learn from the great people you hire. Micromanaging is not management, and it’s certainly not leadership. Let your people thrive!”
Electrolytic Marine Growth Prevention
EMCS Industries Ltd are specialists in antifouling and anticorrosion solutions for the marine industry since 1955. “We are the inventors and manufacturers of the first electrolytic marine growth prevention system (MGPS) and the exclusive North American distributor of Cathelco products and services,” notes seasoned CEO Tasker.
“We are passionate about supporting our customers with time-tested and sustainable antifouling solutions that work and support the marine industry in decarbonisation by decreasing vessel drag, increasing fuel efficiency, and helping to reduce invasive aquatic species’ translocation.”
Leadership
During his tenure at EMCS, Tasker has been inspired by the company’s history to continue to innovate on new products. “Building a collaborative team and welcoming their contributions is how we succeed… I don’t want to be looking over anyone’s shoulder guiding them,” he says. “They have the freedom to speak freely; that way there is room for new ideas and untapped potential to shine. There’s truth to the idea that you should hire people smarter than you if you want your company to grow. If you’re a leader that ‘manages’ people and has all the answers, you assume that nobody is smarter than you, and then you miss out on great ideas. I think that is where most of the leadership in the world right now falls down.
“Your job as a leader is not just to create a job for somebody shackled to a job description. Your role as a leader is to develop other leaders who can thrive in an environment. And if they thrive in the environment, your company benefits. This makes my job so much easier because we embrace the team’s ideas. Everybody has buy-in, everybody is respected, and there’s no fear to speak up because we allow dialogue to build for success.”
Change Management
As well as constantly looking for new markets, Tasker’s team at EMCS is looking for new applications for its products across different sectors of the marine industry, including land based. “For example, there’s also fouling in any hydroelectric power systems or ocean-based wind farms,” notes Tasker. “Offshore platforms are another market as well as the FPSO’s that hold the oil from the platforms until tankers can pull alongside and retrieve the oil to transport it to where it’s needed.”
“Change management requires focus. You can’t do multiple things at once. You’ve got to agree on the things you have to do, prioritise them and then systematically implement your strategy. We have identified areas where we need to change, and we’re working on that. Strategically, my role as CEO is getting these new markets to a place where I understand them, and then introducing our senior sales team into these environments to go and create awareness about what we do.”
