By Thijs van den Hoven
Working in our company involves working with different cultures, time zones and bridging large distances. With all the new technology, communication is only a mouse click away, and of course, that is absolutely necessary to serve our customers in a timely manner.
It still raises the question as to how you can form a successful team when the team is far apart. I believe it can be explained in the slogan we are using in our logo, “Manufacturing with Integrity”. Integrity is a term which refers to the quality of being whole and complete, in reference to the materials we use and our products.
Just as important is leadership with integrity, as pointed out in this quote:
“The supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.”- Dwight D. Eisenhower
How does all this relate to successful teamwork?
It is both simple and comprehensive. We live by the true meaning of integrity, and in using “we”, I am referring to all our workers, from production floor to management. We all know what the company expects of us.
Another big factor is the respect we have for each other, and in respecting each other’s culture, we first listen to what the other person has to say. I believe that management had an enormous influence in establishing this culture. Great leaders are great teachers, and we have a great teacher. Not only within our company do we follow the rules of integrity, but we also follow these rules during our contacts with customers and suppliers. An example of good team work was the team we had at the Medica show.
From left to right: Ryan Power, Elaine Lu, and Thijs van den Hoven, representing the company from the United States, China and Europe (The Netherlands).
We had the busiest show ever, signing up new customers and connecting to our customer base. That is what I call achieving successful teamwork when the team is far flung!
