In 2003, sales at Brady Corp. were flat, and
profitability and morale were both low.
Frank Jaehnert began his tenure as president and CEO by addressing this boldly,
implementing the largest restructuring in the
company’s history, telling employees, “While
making cuts is not the way one wants to start
out as CEO, we know
that we can’t get to
where we want or
need to be in small
steps. We have to
take dramatic ones.”
He challenged his
leadership team to
think boldly and set
high goals for the company to achieve.
The turnaround was dramatic, with the
company reaching its five-year goal in three
years. Jaehnert attributes the success to
focus and discipline in executing the company’s business strategies, and says it’s a team
effort and a team success.
In addition to fiscal success, morale has
also risen dramatically. Jaehnert commits
to speak to as many employees as possible
every year. He travels around the world,
giving state-of-the-company speeches and
taking questions from employees. In the
last employee survey, only 5 percent disagreed with the statement “This is a great
place to work.”
Jaehnert believes in creating an organization with a flat management structure that
does not impede decision-making. He
believes in empowering others rather than
dictating actions.
The vision set in 2003 was for the company
to be a market leader in all its businesses. The
strategy for achieving this is twofold: organic
growth through expanding global operations,
exploring new markets and introducing new
products; and acquiring companies that
enhance the company’s product offering.
Brady Corp. has achieved many milestones
but continues to invest in new product development to make sure it doesn’t lose its gains.
HOW TO REACH: Brady Corp., www.bradycorp.com or (414)
438-6810