Cross Borders Drilling Breaks Stereotypes to Get Ahead
For more than a decade, Saskatchewan’s Cross Borders Drilling has been embracing innovation in an effort to forge ahead the energy industry. With a team of 150 people, Cross Borders recognizes that to be a leader, you must start on the inside. “Within the past five years, we have been relentless in the commitment to developing a culture that inspires and motivates our people both inside and outside the workplace,” says Jared Mills, President.
Tyler Mills, Operations Manager and Jared Mills, President, Cross Borders Drilling. Photo by Shane Luhning.
Over the past two years, Cross Borders has made a significant commitment to building their team up from all angles through an intensive leadership program based in Seattle called 21st Century Leadership. It is not your typical leadership course. There is a tremendous amount of time dedicated to self-reflection and self-ownership. Participants identify what they want out of life and learn to hold themselves accountable for their successes and failures. Cross Borders has invested more than $200,000 and sent 15 staff members to the seven-day course. It’s paying off. “Our people are coming back with a better sense of not only who they are at work, but in their personal lives as well,” says Mills.
The company has been through other training programs before, but after a while the principles learned tended to slide. With 21st Century, it’s not just a course. It’s something the Cross Borders team live every day and it’s almost has become a way of life. “I believe that when people have good lives outside work, they are far more likely to bring the best version of themselves to the job,” says Mills. “In turn, when they have a good working environment, they bring positivity back into the home.”
Since the company began in 2006, they have worked hard to defy the industry stereotype. Cross Borders knows there are bright spots in the oil patch, and they like to think they are one of them. Cross Borders is not your average drilling company. There is a lot of ownership and commitment from the team that makes them who they are. Cross Borders wants the team to be happy and productive, offering perks like yoga at lunch, encourages physical fitness and good nutrition, and helps people get the personal financial advice they need. “A good workplace is more than a good paycheck. There is a stereotype in our industry that people are hard living, big spenders. We’re breaking that mold and giving people the tools, needed to be healthy in all aspects of their lives,” says Mills. “It’s the right thing to do, and it pays off. We lead from within.”
Cross Border Drilling. Photo by Shane Luhning.
Cross Borders is innovative. The leadership team sees the value of cultivating good ideas to make work more efficient. “We’re always looking for ways to be better and stand out in our field,” says Mills. “When our team has an idea to improve our work, we engineer it to life.” In order to stay focused on innovation in an arena where survival is key, Cross Borders has created an internal innovation committee. This innovation team is made up of operational employees giving people a voice in the company and to better their work environment. Recently, one of their drillers invented mechanical tubular handling equipment in an effort to prevent carpel tunnel syndrome.
Innovation allows Cross Borders to attract and retain quality staff to their industry. The company believes that people want to be a part of something that is directly making their career easier, or more stimulating. Over the years, they have innovated drilling rigs to be more efficient, safe, and less manual. Cross Borders has engineered their coring rigs to be set up to the same standard so no matter which one an employee is working on, they’re all the same, and know their way around it. “They are engineered with hydraulic stairs, hydraulic catwalks, and hydraulic floors minimizing the risk of injury and allowing for faster production times,” says Mills. “We are always looking for new ways to do business and welcome all of the feedback we can get, both internally from our people, and externally from our customers.”
Leadership, culture and innovation drives Cross Borders Drilling to be the best in their industry. Providing safe, professional drilling and exploration services throughout Western Canada, the Cross Borders team can handle it. Learn more at crossborders.ca and see what they can do for you.
Cross Borders Drilling
Box 509
Pilot Butte
1 (866) 788-3380
crossborders.ca
