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Enterprise Minnesota: Any tricks you've learned that have helped you assess whether or not there's a potential fit with a customer? CC: I think that observant CEOs can easily determine the compatibility of a prospec- tive customer with some basic research on the company. One of the things I always look for is consistency in people. If you see people within the organization with similar values and with a similar approach to business, chances are this is more than a coincidence; it's an initiative from the leadership of the company. We've found that it's much easier to deal with consistent people who understand the goals and objectives of the company that they are working for. If there isn't clarity in this area, it makes it very difficult to be successful for suppliers because there are a variety of measurements being used. Deals are lost and relationships are severed because of misinterpreta- tion-don't let poor cornmunicat~on cause your do~nfalla CHRIS CARLSON Perhaps the most effective way to learn about the culture of an organization is to simply sit down and ask some of the employees. Do they like their job, the company, the direction the company is moving? Are the corporate goals and objectives clearly defined to all employees? Do they feel that they have an opportunity to con- tribute to these goals in their roles? It's amazing how much you can find out about a company just by asking a few questions of the folks that work there. Enterprise Minnesota: Beyond the resume, what should a company consider when hiring new employees? CC: I often refer to our culture at Sportech as the company's foundation-it's that important to us. If this is something that we are going to cast in stone as a core value, then we should be committed to bringing in the right people to sustain it. We look for "who" before we look for "what." In other words, we look at the person, who they are and what they stand for, before we look at specific skills or core competencies. There are lots of talented people out there, but only a few talented people who also happen to align with our corporate values. This is espe- cially important with salespeople and others who have direct contact with customers. Again, it's the responsibility of the key leaders in an or- ganization to clearly define the values, what they mean and how the company puts these values into the company's daily operation. When these values have been solidified, then the hiring pro- cess takes on a whole new level of importance. Corporate commitment to excellence starts with the hiring process. I really believe that the best companies have a tendency to over-hire. They bring in overqualified people and sur- round themselves with excellence. Then, when the company grows, they are far better equipped to deal with it. One hard lesson that I learned early on was the difference between knowledge and wis- dom. One of my favorite sayings is "wisdom is knowledge with a drive train." I've hired people who could spew lots of facts-think Cliff Clavin-but were lost when it came to the wisdom of applying that knowledge at the right time and place. They were strong in theory but had a hard time gaining traction when it came time to produce. I've learned that wise people are far more effective in the real world, and even though they are much more difficult to find, you are always better off holding out for wisdom than settling for knowledge. Finally, know that your OEM customers are watching as you build your team. I also en- courage periodic meetings with my customers in which we very openly discuss how our two teams are working together. It's a great oppor- tunity to get an honest assessment of how your team is interacting with the customer. If there is a problem, it's far better to find out in this settirig than to have things blow up on you later. I simply ask how we are treating the customer, and what we can do to bring more value as a supplier. And if they really trust me, my custom- ers will give me an opportunity to critique their employees. The result is a situation in which you anticipate and fix smaller problems before they become big ones. One of the things I've taken away from these customer meetings is a i8 ENTERPRISE MINNESOTA SEPT/OCT 2008