THE INTERVIEW 5 tips for success
1. Take ownership of what you do. it doesn't matter what your actual role is in the company. If it's not your company, then you're in the right position.
2. You're nothing without your team. I've spent most of my life managing teams but without a strong team any leaders are doomed.
3. There's no substitute for hard work, you have to grind to succeed.
4. Fill the vacuum, so if there's a new or existing task that is not consistently getting done by one person on the team, take ownership of it. It shows initiative and allows opportunities to arise within that company.
5. Finally, know your audience. one of the major drivers of success is communication, it’s a big driver. From the interview process to your retirement party, your professional relationships are built on communication, so honing your communication skills and the ability to read people is very important to succeeding professionally.
OCH: What is your business philosophy? DK: I cut my teeth in customer service and coming from a marketing background, that's the bread and butter of marketing. So definitely my philosophy is customer driven. From my days of customer service to my
current role, it all starts with serving the customer.
This is even more challenging in my current role as we have very little direct interaction with our end users as our dealer network are our direct customers. I depend on the knowledge and capabilities of my dealers to pass those values on to our end users and customers. That’s another reason why it's a great fit here. At TCA we have five core values, and the first one is customer driven, so they share the same top value as I do. The other four are training and education,
fiscally responsible, continuous improvement and valued partner. The valued partner value works closely with being customer driven. We have 300+ dealers right now and are one of only a few manufacturers left that will never bypass our dealers to sell direct to an end user. We depend on our dealers to be our local, “boots on the ground” and because of that would never undermine our relationship. I have a team of 10 including inside sales, parts, admin and regional sales managers. Our inside sales, parts, and admins handle the quoting and work closely with our dealer to make sure we are delivering what the customer is looking for. Our regional sales managers are regularly traveling and meeting with dealers to make sure we are following through on what we are promising. Except for a couple of remote people, we are all here in our Elk River office.
OCH: How did you enter this business? DK: I was at a pivotal point in my life. As I mentioned, I spent 15 years in retail management,
as a general manager trainer. I trained managers for a local convenience store chain, but I didn't get to use a lot of my skillset in doing that and felt stuck in the realm. I left that position and was working as a consultant when a role became available at TC/American. I was familiar with the current president Jeff Palkovic, and knew him as a down to earth, jeans and T-shirt kind of guy. This was definitely someone I would enjoy working for. Once hired, I started in a role that was part time marketing, part time inside sales and eventually worked my way up to where I am today. It's funny, I didn't think about my father working in the business until I stepped foot in a shop again. Being in an industrial setting brought back that nostalgia. Being able to have those conversations with my dad as well, he's obviously long retired, but being in a similar realm has been awesome. I went to the University of Wisconsin superior. I was born in North Minnesota what's called the Iron range of Minnesota, known as the mining belt. And then that’s where I went to university, which was an hour-and-a-half south of there.
OCH: Tell us about your success stories DK: I look at where I am currently as my biggest success story. Being brought on as a marketing guy and being promoted into different departments. One of my mottos in life is ‘fill the vacuum’. And that’s how I've found success – meaning, if you see something that's not consistently being done by one single person and you have the time to do it, just do it. And by doing
TC/American's Patented Track Rail Line.
30 Fall 2024 |
ochmagazine.com
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