Eagles
Why are we called Eagles? Our dear Alan Drew suggested employees should be named after an animal or bird, perhaps one aligned with the noble efforts of the lineman trade. The Eagle was aptly adopted.
At NLC, we proudly refer to our employees as “Eagles” because the eagle represents strength, vision, and leadership. Just as eagles soar to great heights with clear purpose, we rise above challenges with a commitment to safety, knowledge, and quality. Eagles have an unparalleled ability to see from great distances, symbolizing the foresight our team brings in preparing students for the complexities and demands of the lineworker’s profession.
Much like an eagle teaching its young to take flight, our teams foster independence, confidence, and the skills needed to succeed. In an industry where precision and resilience are key, we embody the spirit of the eagle, ensuring that each student not only learns but also soars to their fullest potential.
NLC Professional
We strive to nurture an environment that allows Eagles to soar while demonstrating the characteristics that influence our students to be First Choice.
How To Be A ‘First Choice’ Professional:
- Act with courtesy, kindness, and class
- Be accountable for your thoughts, words, and actions
- Recognize the contributions of others
- Promote a culture of direct communication; speak to people, not about them
- Always assume good intentions
- Resolve conflict quickly and with mutual respect and honesty
- Embrace change, be positive and flexible
Special Sauces
What special sauce do you bring to NLC and your team? Many great new recipes are constantly being produced by our Eagles. We believe YOU may create the best recipe of all!
Every family has a recipe that is carried forth through the generations. A unique blend of diverse ingredients combines harmoniously to dazzle your tastebuds! It’s adored, it’s protected!
NLC recipes include special sauces. Our recipes do not involve food. They have to do with how we educate and lift each other, our students, and our industry friends. NLC’s recipes involve connecting every employee to the success of each student.
Eagles are our special sauces!
Eagles and their complementary skills, unique perspectives, and diverse experiences give NLC its competitive advantage.
Ownership
Brings Growth
Being accountable fosters trust and credibility. Owning your words, actions, and mistakes takes awareness and courage. We see you! We applaud you!
NLC empowers Eagles to apply critical thinking and creativity to their processes and encourages ownership of their roles and interactions. NLC seeks to provide an environment that allows trial and error but fosters accountability as a catalyst for growth and to capture lessons learned.
How Can I Help?
A hurricane in Florida . . . a fire in California . . . a global pandemic. . . a workplace tragedy . . . an Eagle’s personal strife. In all these circumstances, a phrase is heard over and over, “How can I help?”
We all know the best thing about working at NLC is the people, our fellow Eagles. Their compassion is without bounds. Their willingness to pivot, to uplift, and to step in and cover is always remarkable. Eagles collaborate and respect each other, strengthening their teams and our culture.
Listening ears, encouraging smiles, and helping hands are never in short supply at NLC!
Wins Beneath Our Wings
Recognition at NLC comes in many forms as we strive to hail the exceptional.
Daily, weekly, monthly!
Peer-to-peer, top-down, bottom-up, 360 degrees!
From simple successes to big and audacious achievements, for individuals or storming teams – ALL contributions matter to our students and provide an opportunity for recognition and connection between Eagles.
Some ways we recognize:
- Crystal Awards
- Shout outs on The Nest
- Hard hat stickers
- Legacy of Service anniversaries
- New hire milestones
- Birthday celebrations
- Promotions
- Personal notes
Crystal Club – White Gloves Recommended!
NLC values our Eagles and provides a peer-nominated process highlighting some of our best! Every year, one exceptional Eagle is honored with the prestigious First Choice Crystal Award. Other individuals can receive the New Frontier Crystal Award or one of the eight P.I.E. Awards. Training Specialists can be acknowledged as Training Specialists of the Year for their respective home campus. Additionally, NLC recognizes an EQ Specialist of the Year and an
Educator of the Year.
These gorgeous awards are all custom made of crystal and winners become lifetime members of the Crystal Club.
Think UP
Change is necessary, but it can be hard.
Applying a positive lens to the opportunity through the suggested UPs will help us reach exciting and new frontiers!
Adventure is out there!
Looking UP
Maintain a higher vision, out of the weeds, while seeking and bringing value.
Showing UP
Trust that your presence and example are vital to the journey.
Speaking UP
Be open, ask questions, offer unexplored perspectives, and shape the solution.
Teaming UP
Partners or teammates can reduce anxiety and support social learning during change. Never go it alone.
Never giving UP
Persistence is essential, yet so is flexibility.
Lifting others UP
Hearten, share credit, and celebrate victories – large or small.
Kitchen and Dining Room
PIEs and special sauces are prepared in the kitchen. Kitchens are often cluttered and messy, especially when cooking. Conversely, dining rooms, where food is consumed and enjoyed, are clean and organized.
At NLC, when we build or modify campuses, curricula, processes, catalogs, operations, and marketing materials, we are in the kitchen. We are hard at work organizing and creating something fantastic. This is the part of the business customers don’t see.
When students and customers are interacting with us, we move out of the kitchen, and into the dining room. The dining room is where we aim to have everything in perfect order to best represent the brand. Here is where our customers should have a quality and enjoyable experience, as they are in the dining room, not the kitchen.
The kitchen and dining room: an analogy for collaborating and brainstorming behind the scenes to ensure we put our best foot forward for students and customers.
If we get this wrong, customers will find somewhere else to eat.
We’re all brand ambassadors!
We hope NLC students, alumni, and Eagles are proud of and believe in the efficacy of our programs. Ownership and engagement with our external presence are always appreciated.
Ride for the Brand
Just like a well-rounded and successful child, it takes a village to raise up and carry forth a brand. In the Old West, when a cowboy rode for the brand, it meant he had committed to the ranch owner’s mission, goals, and aims. It meant that he was a committed and dedicated team player.
Rather than a logo, specific colors, or font style, our brand is built on quality, safety, and innovation in training. It’s a valued asset built over 30 years through our reputation and word of mouth. Just like the cattleman’s stock, land, and mark are of great worth, our brand is a valued asset. Protect it and promote it.
Riding for the brand has a powerful impact.
Own It, Fix It, and Move Forward
We’re in the business of hiring and training humans, so we don’t expect them to perform their work fault-free. The learning process is usually riddled with errors and because things move fast in education, we don’t linger on the problem or a mistake; instead, we should focus on the fix and find ways to move forward.
Problem solvers abound! If you are stuck coming up with a solution, collaborate and communicate with your team or other departments. They might have great answers or ideas, and chances are they’ve found themselves in a similar predicament. Solutions may include an apology to a customer or fellow Eagle. It may mean providing a credit, or it may be some nice thing that we cannot yet imagine.
Even with the best of intentions in the mix, mistakes happen,
and that’s because we’re human.