Q&A: Taking turns taking the lead

Boating Industry: How have you prepared your team to be successful in 2011?

We went against the crowd a bit and purchased increased levels of inventory during 2010 and into 2011. While 2010 was our best year ever (sales volume and profit), we feel we are positioned even better for 2011. For the first two months, we are tracking ahead of 2010 and are very comfortable with our inventory position going into the busy season.

Boating Industry: How would you describe the culture at your company?

Our culture is one where everyone knows they are playing on the same team. We have to work together, identifying new ways to delight our customers. In 2010, our motto was “It may not be our fault, but it is our problem.” Worked wonderfully when serving our customers. Our new motto for 2011 is “Take turns taking the lead.” If we all buy into this theory, our efficiency will increase tremendously. And, we will all share in the rewards at the end through the company’s lucrative profit sharing plan.

Boating Industry: Please explain your strategy as it relates to employee satisfaction.

We expect our co-workers to find the work environment challenging and rewarding. While good, solid pay and profit sharing provide monetary satisfaction, true job satisfaction is knowing you put in a hard day’s work. It’s understanding that you must be open-minded, learning new things. You must put in just a little more effort and have a little more endurance than everyone else to be successful. And to be rewarding, there needs to be some element of fun along the way!