Investing In Your Employees: Vicki Knott Of CruxOCM Now On The Benefits of Offering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Initiatives For Employees
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Allocate a dedicated professional development (PD) budget per employee and encourage its active use. This empowers individuals to pursue relevant training and certifications.
Investing in team development has become increasingly crucial for forward-thinking companies, who understand that their greatest assets are their people. From implementing innovative training programs and wellness initiatives to cultivating a supportive work environment, these strategic investments play a vital role in enhancing employee satisfaction and retention. As the business landscape evolves, mastering effective methods to support and retain employees is pivotal for achieving long-term success. I had the pleasure of interviewing Vicki Knott.
Vicki Knott, CEO and Co-Founder of CruxOCM, brings a unique blend of engineering expertise and hands-on industry experience to the company. Her background in chemical engineering and extensive work in both pulp and paper mills and oil pipeline control rooms provided invaluable insights into operational challenges and opportunities for improvement. Recognizing the potential for automation to enhance safety, efficiency, and sustainability in the industry, Knott founded CruxOCM to develop innovative solutions for heavy industrial control rooms. Through its patented RIPA technology, CruxOCM empowers control room operators by significantly reducing workload, ensuring that the front-line people (control room operators) can operate energy sector assets in the safest, most profitable way.
Thank you for joining us. To start, could you share a little about yourself, and how you got started?
I am from a very small community in rural Canada and had never heard of engineering. My small town had a pulp and paper facility where I ended up getting a job during college. Working in a pulp and paper mill is an intense experience, often described as hot, loud, and dirty. The environment can be physically demanding with high temperatures, humidity, and exposure to chemicals and dust. The large machinery creates a constant roar, and the processes involved can be messy, but it was where I got my first exposure to heavy industry and I loved it.
There’s a sense of pride in being part of the production process, transforming raw materials into essential products like paper, packaging, and tissue. Safety is paramount in these mills, with strict protocols and extensive training to prevent accidents. The work can also be intellectually stimulating, requiring technical skills and problem-solving abilities to operate and maintain complex machinery, which is where I learned what chemical engineering was and decided to pursue my education in it.
Once I graduated college, I began to work for one of the largest pipeline companies in the world and trained as a control room operator for the largest batched pipeline in the world — the Keystone pipeline. Being in a pipeline control room is like being the nerve center of a vast, unseen network. It’s a high-stakes environment where vigilance and quick decision-making are paramount. You’re surrounded by screens displaying intricate maps, real-time data on pressure, flow rates, and temperatures from various points along the pipeline. Alarms may sound intermittently, demanding immediate attention and troubleshooting.
The atmosphere is often quiet and focused, punctuated by communication between controllers and field personnel. The weight of responsibility can be heavy, as any oversight could have significant consequences for safety, the environment, and the company’s operations. However, there’s also a sense of satisfaction in ensuring the safe and efficient transportation of crucial resources — and i loved it.
What became obvious from both experiences is that these “old” pulp and paper mills have more advanced automation tools for their control room operators than the most modern pipeline in the world does. Imagine flying from Houston to Denver without autopilot software, or without a pilot, both would be unheard of currently, but what we discovered is that the critical infrastructure control rooms that provide 83% of our global energy, do not have this level of automation. So, after training as a control room operator for 8 months, it became more painful not to solve the problem than it was to set out and try to solve it.
What was your biggest challenge in those early days?
The biggest challenge in the early days was credibility. My co-founder and I are “deep tech” founders, as in we are deep in the tech of our industry — which we are. Having only worked a short career myself in corporate, I didn’t have a network in the industry to even begin to sell to. I also was not able to get meetings with executives in the industry due to this lack of network. The fastest way we figured for Crux to get access to the network of executives in the oil and gas industry who might be interested in our technology, was to increase our credibility as a company. Initially, we increased our credibility by bringing on advisors that had status and were willing to take a bet on us.
Was there anything specific that inspired you to prioritize CPD initiatives in your company?
I would say my experience in large corporate inspired me to prioritize CPD initiatives. There wasn’t a dedicated budget made aware to me as an employee at any organization I’ve been at, which I found didn’t actively encourage self-directed learning initiatives.
Can you explain why this is important for the success of a business?
Self directed learning initiatives are important to ensure that businesses stay relevant. By employees honing their skills and expanding their knowledge base, they become more efficient and effective in their work, leading to improved performance and increased productivity for the company. Also, we are all just people an in general people love having the opportunity to learn new things which adds to overall job satisfaction. These new skills also help prepare employees for their adventures beyond Crux by helping enhance confidence and credibility. We have had multiple folks from traditional energy sector roles use their PD budget to learn more tech enabled skills and a few folks have even then been inspired to change direction in their careers.
Can you please share with us, and briefly explain the first major initiative you started that directly benefited your employees?
I would say the first major initiative that directly benefited employees would be the dedicated PD budgets. Beyond that we also closed (except for on call folks) between December 25th and January 1st.
What has been the most impactful CPD initiative you’ve seen other companies offer, and how did it inspire or influence your own approach?
One of the most effective initiatives we’ve implemented was a company-wide offsite featuring a dedicated session led by an executive coach. The workshop focused on understanding individual working styles and how to collaborate more effectively. It was not only informative but also created a fun and engaging environment for team building.”
What challenges might companies face when implementing these initiatives, and how can they overcome them?
A strong culture of professional development starts at the top. When employees witness leaders actively utilizing their PD budgets, it sends a clear message that growth and learning are valued within the organization. This inspires team members to prioritize their own development.
Can you share a story of an employee who significantly benefited, and how it affected their performance or career trajectory?
A great example of PD budget impact is a team member on our team who transitioned from a traditional oil and gas engineering role to a Product Manager. By utilizing their PD budget for specialized courses, they acquired the necessary skills to excel in their new position and advance their career in the tech industry.”
Could you please list the “Top Five Benefits of Offering Continuous Professional Development (CPD) Initiatives for Employees”?
- Allocate a dedicated professional development (PD) budget per employee and encourage its active use. This empowers individuals to pursue relevant training and certifications.
- Integrate PD events into your company-wide offsites. Consider incorporating facilitated self-reflection activities, like “What is your work style?”, to spark personal and professional development.
- Maintain a curated reading list within your company’s cultural hub. This readily available resource provides continuous learning opportunities for all.
- Regularly share thought-provoking articles on your leadership Slack channel, even if they seem niche. This demonstrates the value of continuous learning and exposes your team to diverse perspectives.
- Partner with Marketing to submit abstracts for white papers and speaking engagements for various team members. This fosters essential soft presentation skills and broadens their technical knowledge.
How do you measure the success and ROI of these CPD initiatives?
Success is measured in retention and company performance. Company performance being the ultimate goal; however, its not possible without engaged employees. Retention fuels performance. Engaged employees are more productive, creative, and committed to the company’s success. They go the extra mile, provide better customer service, and contribute to a positive company culture. Performance then drives retention. When a company is successful, it can offer better compensation, benefits, and career opportunities. This, in turn, attracts and retains top talent. It’s a virtuous cycle. High retention rates lead to better performance, which further strengthens retention.
Looking forward, how do you see the role of CPD evolving in the next 5–10 years?
I see CPD as an ever-critical part of company building. I believe it will remain just as critical as it is now in the next 5–10 years and beyond. What will evolve will be how its done and the way in which employees consume content for PD.
What advice would you give to business leaders who are hesitating to make these changes?
The positive employee sentiment is worth it. If you can work it into the budget, I highly recommend you do so.
Can you share any upcoming initiatives or plans you have for further investing in your employees?
We are about to start planning our next company wide offsite and am looking forward to extending it by a day and including another company wide PD self awareness exercise.
How can our readers follow your work?
By following our company on our website www.cruxocm.com and following us at the below links for socials
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/crux-ocm
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqlrztVTR1AzX3pLNie7nrg
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein, a seasoned entrepreneur with over two decades of experience as the Founder and CEO of multiple companies. He launched Choice Recovery, Inc., a healthcare collection agency, while going to The Ohio State University, His team earned national recognition, twice being ranked as the #1 business to work for in Central Ohio. In 2018, Chad launched [re]start, a career development platform connecting thousands of individuals in collections with meaningful employment opportunities, He sold Choice Recovery on his 25th anniversary and in 2023, sold the majority interest in [re]start so he can focus his transition to Built to Lead as an Executive Leadership Coach. Learn more at www.chadsilverstein.com
Investing In Your Employees: Vicki Knott Of CruxOCM Now On The Benefits of Offering Continuous… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.