By: Jacob Perrotti
For my sixteenth birthday, my father gave me the book, “Seven Habits for Highly Successful People” by Stephan Covey. Although at the time I felt I had been shorted in the sense of receiving an exciting birthday gift, I was not aware how much that book would help shape my approach and development of my personal and professional life.
In my experience, the most beneficial of these seven habits is “Begin with the End in Mind”. I understand this habit as to start something after thinking about the result. Beginning with the outcome in mind allows one to maintain a constant sight of your goal during the journey you must complete to accomplish.
A company invokes this habit with a mission statement, which is a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization or individual that are set by the ownership as a guiding beacon for employees and customers alike. The mission statement for Exact Medical Manufacturing, Inc. is “Manufacturing with Integrity”. Another way of saying this is in the words of our president Dave Power, “Staying Pure of Mind and Purpose,” which he articulated masterfully in a previous newsletter. While “Manufacturing with Integrity” has been a governing principle and cornerstone for the company since its inception, as an employee here I had to learn what that meant for the company, our customers and myself.
When I first began working for Exact, there were many challenges to overcome. I was beginning my career in an industry that was new to me. There was a lot of information, discovery and assimilation. At the start, I was provided an excellent orientation into the company, and subsequently, its mission statement. I was given all the necessary procedural guidelines and flow charts to begin acclimating myself to the general business environment. The amount of information, procedures and terminology was at first extremely difficult to fully grasp, but as I began to understand how each task contributed to the overall flow and execution of the business cycle, THAT was when I truly was able to begin fulfilling my goal of becoming a contributing asset to Exact. I have found that people are much more motivated and dedicated to their role when they understand how it is defined to management and how it fits into the overall plan/objectives of the company.
The greatest challenge, however, was not just to be informed, but rather to be transformed. It was not merely learning about the operational procedures of the company, the hierarchy of its personnel and its guiding principles, ideas, and beliefs; it involved literally adopting these guiding principles, ideas and beliefs as my own. If one is able to understand and see the end result that their company is striving to reach and move to align their personal approach and development with the same objectives in mind, then you are able to grow and develop along with your company while all striving to accomplish a unified vision.
“In my end is my beginning” – T.S. Eliot
Biography of Jake Perrotti
Jake has worked for the Exact Medical Manufacturing, Inc. team since December of 2016. He has contributed in a number of ways over the last year and a half including sales support, sourcing and customer account management as well as being instrumental on new product development projects.
Prior to working at Exact Medical Manufacturing, Inc. Jake completed his associates degree in business administration from Erie Community College and his bachelors in business management from Buffalo State University.
Jake enjoys all things sports including a life-long fandom for the Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers. His hobbies include snowboarding, basketball, and fishing as well as spending time with friends and family.
