Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1040159
14 PalletCentral • September-October 2018 palletcentral.com ANNETTE WALTER PRESIDENT & CEO TIMBER INDUSTRIES M y leadership style is collaborative. Someone once told me "Leadership is getting stuff done through others and offering others to grow to their best potential." I believe this. Being a leader is a gift. Giving people the opportunity to grow and show their best potential is important on the path to the company's success – and that's how we started. One of my biggest leadership challenges has been growing and selling a real estate company during the worst economic downturn of the 21st century while starting a family. You quickly learn how to survive, thrive and persevere. What's best is the opportunities you face once you are through major obstacles. One of the best leadership books I've read that truly plays a part in how I run my business is Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott. It is definitely not a beach read, but a book I keep on my bookshelf and reference frequently. There is a great tool to help me be a strong leader: Core Values Index (CVI). I use this tool with my team and all of the companies that I coach nationally on the sidelines. It is a powerful, objective tool that plays a part in hiring, team building, sales, growth and strategizing. In an effort to honor their ability to be successful without corporate involvement, I encourage them to first take the initiative to come up with and formalize solutions and present them to leadership. We are always here to help, but we encourage a sense of ownership and independence for our managers so they can see the fruits of their own ideas and their ability to make change. Before I insert myself, I always ask them "what do you think?" For the most part, they all have the answers. I think encouragement and trust go a very long way with our managers and with our employees. We have a very smart group of people working for us and when they know we believe in their capabilities, it's impressive to see their solutions come to fruition. KATHLEEN DIETRICH OPERATIONS MANAGER COMMERCIAL LUMBER AND PALLET COMPANY A t Commercial Lumber, we communicate to our employees the company's core message: our core value, LEADERS