One such team in the early 1990’s the market we served was faced with a big challenge; compact discs that were currently being delivered to retailers in 12” cardboard packaging would soon arrive in just the CD Jewel case as they are today. All our music retail customers were in an up roar over the cost to re-fixture their stores and the perceived theft increase with the package was so small.

We assembled a team; engineering and mold design, finance, operations, purchasing, shipping and logistics, and accounting. We recruited some customer champions to teach us about loss prevention, and I was asked to lead sales and marketing. If I remember correctly that year I spent over 150 nights away from home , out in the market asking questions of music stores, mass market retailers, meeting with security tag manufacturers, a trip to Europe to see how they have already overcome the challenge we now faced. We met with merchandising companies that would prepare music for large retailers.

As your content describes” I could not wait to wake up each morning” often beating the alarm. Our team was faced with an enormous challenge (a quest) with a tight window of opportunity. Our parent company was a small plastics molding company with sales of approximately $35 million.

We met frequently and shared what each of us were learning in real time, and ultimately developed three lines of security devices that would house security loss prevention tags, and accommodate the existing store fixtures.

Because of the trust we built we were free to challenge each other, and explore creative solutions. I credit our owner for sending us into the market with the mission of finding the needs, and don’t try to sell anything at first. We made a list of problems; we walked retail stores and had merchants show us their issues. We met with Automation engineers that supplied the machines to the companies that prepared music for mass merchants. We met with each of the key music labels to understand their objectives and timelines….and the list went on.

As a team each member had their own area of expertise and developed the next level support network need to accomplish our objectives. For example our purchasing manager developed relationships with various raw material suppliers to help us find materials that would help us to solve the needs of our customers. Our operations and logistics team found plastic molders near our key accounts . Each of us had key indicators and timelines and we held each other accountable. If someone on the team fell behind we were connected to the outcome, the goal, so we would jump in and help them.

The year the compact discs shipped in just the jewel cases we produced over 100 million security merchandising packages. We received fair compensation from our customers, but more importantly we solved a pervasive, urgent problem that everyone who sold music had. Our company more than doubled in total revenues and our overall gross margin % increased significantly as well. We grew to have over 90% market share in mechanical security device fixtures and we invested some of the profits to solve other theft problems our new customers shared with us; video games, videos, and eventually DVD’s.

This high performance team eventually dispersed and we launched a security products division that grew rapidly. I can’t explain the rush I even feel to this date, of the experience of being on this team, and how much I learned. Each of us had our area of distinctive compentence and together we served a market in need. Being free to challenge each other we were all also exposed to other areas and broadened our overall outlook and experience.

To this day, when I see our devices still in retail stores I still have a sense of accomplishment and pride that overwhelms me.

Our owner used this approach when we entered international markets and I was on this team as well. Not to make this response even longer, but that team drove over $20 million of incremental revenue within 18 months. This model was used over and over again and we were sold in 2002 for just over $300 million.

I am a strong advocate of high performance teams and for years what I used to put under my signature was the quote “none of us are as smart as all of us” as it became my battle cry. For the 30% of us who have lived in this kind of a team we long to return to the rush of everyone’s unique gifts blending and being used to serve others. To this day I am still in contact with Eric, Jim, Larry, Gerhard, Ron, and Steve as well as the others as something happenes when you share your unique gifts while trusting others with theirs on a quest. A bond is created, and it all starts with trusting your team, and understanding your market.

Every company has the opportunity to create high performance teams, and realize the personal, financial, and professional growth they provide.

(Sorry again for such a long response Art)

Mark Allen Roberts