Territory Director Selection & Development: Week One Report

Focus: Understanding the Current State, Learning From the Field, and Establishing the Foundation

1. Week One Overview

The first week has focused on understanding RED RHINO's expectations for Territory Directors (TDs), reviewing the work already completed, and beginning to connect the formal leadership framework with the realities of running a territory.

Progress has centered on three areas:

1. Document Review

Examining the TD role, Success Profile, Three Buckets framework, existing assessment materials, and development resources.

2. Field Engagement

Spending time with Adrian Salazar at the Fort Lauderdale branch, observing field operations, and incorporating insights from conversations with Greg Cutler.

3. Initial Analysis

Identifying questions and potential gaps that will help guide the development of a practical, consistent TD selection and readiness process.

The initial review reinforces that RED RHINO already has a strong foundation. The opportunity is to build upon the existing work, simplify where appropriate, and create better connections between selection, readiness, and development.

An important consideration throughout this effort will be ensuring that the process reflects how TDs actually lead their territories and does not introduce unnecessary administrative complexity.

The objective remains to develop a process that is practical, useful, and supported by the people who will use it.

2. Document Review — Progress to Date

A substantial portion of the initial work has involved reviewing and organizing existing RED RHINO materials.

The purpose has been to understand what has already been developed, how the different resources relate to one another, and where additional clarification may be needed.

Core Documents Reviewed

1. Territory Director Position Description

Establishes the TD as the cultural and business leader of a territory, with responsibility for people, operations, customers, partners, and financial results.

2. Territory Director Success Profile — FINAL

Defines the seven competencies that will serve as the foundation for selection and readiness assessment.

3. Territory Director Hierarchy & Three Buckets

Provides the operating philosophy: RHINOS first, Customers & Partners second, and Numbers last. Helps explain how successful TD leadership should translate into business performance.

4. Detailed Competency Workbook — 58 Skills

Provides behavioral descriptions and progression levels across leadership, operational, financial, and people-related capabilities. Offers useful supporting detail for assessment and development.

Additional Materials Available and Being Incorporated

The working materials now also include:

• Internal TD Promotion Readiness Workbook
• External TD Interview Workbooks
• Draft TD Leadership Assessment 101 With Metrics
• Adam's 12-Month Development Plan
• RED RHINO Onboarding Materials
• Voice of the Rhino 2026 Executive Summary

These resources provide additional context for the current selection, leadership assessment, onboarding, development, and employee-experience processes.

The detailed review and comparison of the internal and external selection tools remain important next steps. The draft incumbent TD assessment will also need to be examined separately from candidate selection.

Key Takeaways From the Document Review

1. The Success Profile provides a solid foundation.

The seven approved competencies capture the major leadership requirements of the TD role:

• RED RHINO Culture & Care for People
• Talent & Team Development
• Partner & Customer Leadership
• Financial & Operational Acumen
• Business Ownership & Judgment
• Strategic Planning
• Execution, Innovation & Results

At this point, there does not appear to be a need to recreate the competency model.

The priority is determining how to assess these competencies consistently and what evidence demonstrates readiness.

2. The existing materials contain useful detail, but their roles need to be clarified.

The 58-skill workbook, selection materials, development plans, and draft incumbent assessment provide different types of information.

The next step is to determine how these resources can work together without creating overlapping assessments or unnecessary requirements.

3. Selection readiness and current TD effectiveness should remain separate.

The draft Leadership Assessment 101 focuses on evaluating existing TDs using leadership behaviors and performance measures.

Selecting someone for the role requires a different evidence approach, although both processes should be grounded in the same Success Profile.

4. Development should connect directly to assessment.

Adam's 12-Month Development Plan offers an example of structured development, regular check-ins, and the use of actual work and results to demonstrate progress.

This is an important connection as we consider how readiness gaps should translate into practical developmental experiences.

Current Status

The foundational document review is substantially complete.

The next phase will focus on examining the existing selection tools in greater detail, clarifying their intended use, identifying gaps or redundancies, and determining how they align with the approved TD competencies.

3. Field Engagement — Fort Lauderdale Branch

Meeting With Adrian Salazar

I spent time with Adrian Salazar at the Fort Lauderdale branch to better understand the day-to-day responsibilities of a TD and how the company's leadership expectations translate into actual operations.

Adrian brings experience in both corporate and field environments and has been involved in rebuilding the Fort Lauderdale operation following a period of significant challenges.

The discussion covered recruiting, onboarding, training, leadership routines, internal talent development, and the operational demands of the territory.

Leadership and Branch Operations

Adrian described a Thursday morning team meeting that incorporates the Three Buckets framework.

This was encouraging to hear because it provides an example of the company's leadership philosophy being integrated into branch-level operating conversations.

We also discussed his experience rebuilding the Fort Lauderdale market.

A follow-up conversation focused on the specific steps involved in that turnaround could provide valuable insight into the leadership behaviors associated with successful TD performance.

Recruiting and Staffing

Adrian walked through the recruiting process, including the use of Jazz and the support provided by HR.

While HR assists with candidate screening and interview coordination, Adrian emphasized that the TD retains responsibility for staffing the territory.

The TD can contact candidates directly and move them through the recruiting process rather than waiting for HR to initiate every step.

This provided a useful example of how corporate support and field accountability are intended to work together.

It also reinforced the importance of clarifying the balance between TD ownership and Shared Services support.

Training and Onboarding

Adrian described a structured approach to onboarding new leak detection and repair specialists.

New employees receive a training roadmap and access to the appropriate technical manual through their company-issued phones.

Adrian also personally conducts an initial branch orientation covering company background, expectations, industry knowledge, and essential systems.

The training manuals serve as both technical references and guides for conversations and practical learning.

New specialists typically begin accompanying field personnel as early as their second day, allowing them to gain early exposure to the work.

This approach combines structured training materials with hands-on experience.

One minor issue encountered during the visit involved difficulty accessing a training manual following a change in its location. Although isolated, it reinforced the importance of making resources easy for field employees to locate and use.

Developing Future Talent

Adrian indicated that he is currently working with three employees he considers high-potential talent.

All reportedly have relatively short tenure, approximately six to nine months or less.

This may be a useful example of recognizing potential early and beginning development before a formal leadership opening becomes available.

I would like to better understand how these individuals were identified and what experiences are being used to develop them.

Field Observations

Following the branch discussion, we visited three customer locations and observed:

• One leak detection engagement.
• Two repair engagements.

These visits provided helpful exposure to the technical work, customer interactions, and operating conditions that TDs are expected to understand and lead.

They also reinforced the importance of considering operational knowledge and field credibility as we evaluate the requirements for successful TD leadership.

4. Additional Perspective — Conversation With Greg Cutler

My conversation with Greg Cutler provided another perspective on the TD experience, particularly for someone entering RED RHINO from outside the organization.

Greg brought leadership, management, and business experience but did not have a background in RED RHINO's technical field operations.

His onboarding included approximately six weeks in Florida, incorporating hands-on field experience.

Greg's experience suggests that developing familiarity with leak detection, repairs, and the realities of field operations can be challenging for an external leader.

At the same time, he appears to be adapting and progressing.

This provides an interesting contrast with Adrian's experience and raises an important consideration for the selection process.

Internal and external TD candidates may bring different strengths, but both must ultimately demonstrate the capabilities necessary to lead a territory successfully.

Internal candidates may have stronger technical and operational familiarity but need additional development in broader business leadership.

External candidates may bring substantial leadership experience but require more time and support to develop field knowledge and credibility.

These observations are preliminary, but they suggest that selection and onboarding should be considered together when evaluating TD readiness.

5. Early Observations and Emerging Themes

Based on the document review and initial conversations, several themes are beginning to emerge.

These are working observations that will require further discussion and validation.

1. Leadership Readiness and Operational Readiness May Need to Be Considered Separately

The TD role requires business leadership, people development, operational understanding, and sound judgment.

An important question is how much technical knowledge a TD must personally possess before entering the role.

The goal should not necessarily be to make every TD a technical expert.

However, TDs need enough operational understanding to support their teams, recognize problems, make informed decisions, and know when to involve others.

This distinction could influence both selection standards and onboarding expectations.

2. Internal and External Candidates May Need Different Developmental Support

The company has legitimate reasons to develop internal talent while also recruiting experienced leaders externally.

Rather than favoring one pathway, the opportunity may be to establish common readiness expectations while recognizing the different developmental needs candidates bring.

This should help us distinguish what must be demonstrated before selection from what can reasonably be developed afterward.

3. Effective Practices Already Exist in the Field

The Fort Lauderdale visit highlighted several useful practices related to recruiting ownership, onboarding, early talent identification, and team leadership.

Before developing additional processes, it will be important to understand how these activities are handled in other branches.

Some of the best opportunities for improvement may involve sharing or refining what is already working.

4. Corporate–Field Alignment Will Influence Implementation

There is some skepticism toward corporate initiatives among field personnel.

This needs to be considered as the selection and development process takes shape.

The approach should emphasize field involvement, practical application, and clear value.

Corporate should provide consistent standards and useful support while respecting the accountability and operating realities of territory leaders.

We should build with the field, test in the field, and avoid introducing processes that add work without improving decisions or leadership development.

5. Simplicity Should Remain a Design Requirement

RED RHINO already has substantial leadership and competency material.

The challenge is making it useful rather than adding another layer of complexity.

A successful process should provide clear expectations, credible evidence, straightforward decisions, and actionable development guidance.

6. Outstanding Items and Areas for Clarification

Several items remain important to completing the current-state review and moving into assessment design.

1. TD Authority Working Notes

Why this matters: Clarifies decision rights, Shared Services responsibilities, and escalation expectations.

2. Current TD Selection Tools and Historical Examples

Why this matters: Helps establish how selection decisions are actually being made and where improvements are needed.

3. Internal and External Assessment Workbook Review

Why this matters: Necessary to identify competency coverage, evidence standards, and potential gaps or overlap.

4. Current TD Selection OKR Workback

Why this matters: Confirms project priorities, timing, ownership, and dependencies.

5. Operational Knowledge Expectations

Why this matters: Helps distinguish essential Day-One capabilities from knowledge that can be developed through onboarding.

6. Additional Field Perspectives

Why this matters: Provides a broader understanding of internal and external TD experiences and variation across territories.

Some of these materials or practices may already exist and simply need to be located, reviewed, or clarified.

The goal is to avoid recreating work unnecessarily.

7. Focus for the Coming Week

The next phase will move from understanding the existing materials toward organizing the evidence needed to improve TD selection and development.

Priority 1 — Continue Targeted Conversations

Engage additional TDs and operational leaders, with attention to both internally promoted and externally hired leaders.

The goal is to better understand the demands of the role, common transition challenges, and practices that contribute to success.

Priority 2 — Complete the Assessment Tool Review

Examine the internal and external TD selection materials against the seven Success Profile competencies.

Identify where the existing tools provide useful evidence, where standards need clarification, and where opportunities exist to simplify.

Priority 3 — Clarify TD Readiness Expectations

Begin distinguishing between:

• Essential leadership capabilities required for selection.
• Operational and technical knowledge necessary for effective field leadership.
• RED RHINO-specific knowledge that can be developed through onboarding.
• Specialized expertise that can appropriately be accessed through other leaders and technical resources.

Priority 4 — Begin Developing a Practical Readiness Framework

Use the approved Success Profile and the existing tools to begin outlining a consistent, evidence-based approach to assessing TD readiness.

The objective is not to create a complicated assessment system.

It is to help RED RHINO make clearer, more consistent decisions and identify meaningful development needs.

Priority 5 — Keep Field Involvement Central

As working tools begin to take shape, involve selected field leaders in reviewing their practicality and usefulness.

This will help ensure that the eventual process reflects real territory leadership rather than becoming an additional corporate administrative requirement.

8. Overall Progress and Direction

The first week has provided a useful foundation for the work ahead.

Completed or Substantially Advanced

• Reviewed the core TD role and leadership framework documents.
• Established the seven-competency Success Profile as the foundation for the work.
• Examined the relationship between existing competency, assessment, and development resources.
• Conducted the Fort Lauderdale branch visit and observed three field engagements.
• Gathered perspectives from Adrian Salazar and Greg Cutler.
• Identified initial questions related to operational readiness, internal and external candidate development, and corporate–field alignment.
• Established priorities for the next phase of discovery and assessment design.

Still in Progress

• Detailed evaluation of current internal and external selection tools.
• Review of historical selection practices and evidence.
• Clarification of TD decision authority and technical-readiness expectations.
• Additional stakeholder conversations.
• Development of a practical readiness assessment framework.

Closing Perspective

The early work reinforces that RED RHINO has already invested considerable effort in defining successful TD leadership.

The immediate opportunity is to build upon that investment and determine how the existing resources can be made more practical, consistent, and connected.

The field conversations have also reinforced the importance of understanding the actual demands of the role before finalizing selection and development expectations.

As we move forward, the emphasis will remain on listening, validating assumptions, making use of existing work, and keeping the process straightforward.

The goal is not to create more tools. It is to help RED RHINO make better decisions about who is ready to become a TD and provide meaningful development for those preparing to lead.

End of Week One Progress Report