Laura Henderson is managing director-Americas at TEKLYNX Americas in Whitefish Bay, an international barcode labeling software company. Henderson says that establishing goals for the company and executing them through teamwork is critical to success.
"The momentum created when a team of people work towards a common goal is more powerful than any other competitive differentiator. Where are you going? And how are you getting there?
"Your entire team needs to know the answers to these questions. Not just your management team – every single employee in the organization. To build momentum, everyone must be able to visualize where they fit on the roadmap and how they contribute to the greater good – regardless of their role.
"With every decision we make, every customer we interact with, every marketing campaign we execute and every employee we interview, we ask ourselves, 'Does this get us closer to where we are going and fit in our plan to get there?' To stay on track, we measure the progress we're making along the way – we can't manage what we don't measure. We make all team and individual goals visible and tie them directly to our company's goals so everyone has the same destination in mind.
"You will know you are heading in the right direction and at the right speed when…
- There is a high level of engaging debate and an acceptance of healthy conflict.
- Team members are vulnerable – they openly and freely take responsibility for mistakes.
- You can feel the energy or buzz in the office.
- Your team holds each other accountable, which is far more powerful than top-down accountability.
- The people answering the phones or greeting your customers sound like they could be the CEO – because they know where you're going and the plan to get there!" n
