Before you can understand how to best build and run your business, you need to understand your situation.
Since becoming the chairman and CEO of PMSI in December 2008, Eileen Auen has been reading the lay of the land that surrounds her and the 600 employees at the provider of solutions for the workers’ compensation market. From that, she has set about building a business and culture that can react to the changes in the market terrain.
“I think a good leader needs to have a very clear sense of purpose and vision and needs to communicate that very well throughout the organization,” Auen says. “You need clarity on where you are going and where you need to go. You need an absolute focus on the customer, and that varies depending on what service you’re in. Once you have all of that in place, build an execution-oriented culture — a culture of people who do what they say they’re going to do, who will honor their commitments and deliver what the market expects.”
To make it happen, Auen has formed a tight focus on the type of people she hires, how they’re trained and how she communicates the vision and goals of the company with them.
In addition, she creates an environment where employees and managers are enabled to both speak up and listen to what is going on — creating a culture that values different opinions, ideas and allows for constructive criticism from subordinates, peers and superiors alike.
