[View Point]

For nearly a quarter of a century, PCT magazine has had the privilege of honoring some of the industry’s most accomplished PMPs at the Crown Leadership Awards. Held annually at NPMA PestWorld, this ambitious program would not be possible without the support of Syngenta Professional Products, our longtime industry partner that has sponsored the awards ceremony and commemorative Leadership Issue of PCT magazine since its inception in 1989, a corporate commitment unmatched in the structural pest control industry.

While the Crown Leadership Awards annually recognize industry professionals who have made a positive difference in the lives of their employees and the communities they serve, as anyone who regularly attends this event will attest, it’s really a celebration of the entire pest management industry. Sure, each of the more than 200 industry professionals who have been honored over the years has possessed uncommon talent and a genuine desire to succeed at the highest levels, but the vast majority of them also have benefited from the support of a devoted spouse, loyal colleagues and a dedicated staff of co-workers who have helped make many of their accomplishments possible.

A prime example is Chuck Russell, president of Eradico Services, Novi, Mich. Russell, as many of you know, is a second-generation PCO whose leadership style was molded and nurtured by his father, Bill Russell, who took the once headstrong young executive under his wing at an early age. Like many of our readers, Chuck worked part-time in the business during summer vacations and school breaks, learning about pest control from the ground up, while quietly observing his father’s leadership style.

Upon joining the company full-time several years later, Chuck quickly rose through the ranks, eventually being named president, leading a talented team of managers that today includes brother Steve, vice president of corporate development, and David Sidder, vice president of administration. His father has long since retired, but Chuck’s experience is not unlike others in the industry, the story of an immature young man who grew into a leadership role thanks to a father who took the time, along with other senior managers at the company, to transfer their leadership skills to the next generation, not creating a carbon copy of themselves, but a hybrid version of an effective business leader.

"We have very similar traits," said Russell of his father, who retired from the business in 2005. "We don’t like being in the limelight. We can be very competitive, driven and goal-oriented." There are also differences. "My father tends to be a much nicer person than me," Russell admits. "He’s more patient than I am. If people look at me and say, ‘He’s half the man his father is,’ I’d consider that a huge compliment."

Which raises the question: What are you doing to cultivate the next generation of industry leaders at your company? It’s a critical question, perhaps the most important question you’ll ask yourself in the coming year. For the long-term success of your company and your employees, you better hope you have an answer.

The author is publisher of PCT magazine. He can be reached at dmoreland@giemedia.com.