4/2009 - Dachser GmbH und Co. KG

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Forum: Dachser face-to-face Bernhard Simon meets Dr Thomas Bach Faster, higher, stronger: in the run up to the Winter Games in Vancouver 2010, the Olympic motto is keeping the world with bated breath. Bernhard Simon talks to the Vice-President of the Olympic Committee, Dr Thomas Bach, about success in sport and business. >> Mr Simon, you are an active sportsman yourself. What do you as an entrepreneur get out of sport? Bernhard Simon: Sport provides me with the physical exercise I need. When I go jogging in the mountains in the morning, I utilize the time to find inspiration and develop new ideas. Challenges like marathons are another way of motivating myself and improving my performance. Here, I see clear parallels to my professional life. Thomas Bach: Apart from the fitness and health aspects, the common denominator in 08 DACHSER magazine sports is competitiveness and the performance ideal. This goes for the individual as well as the team. There are many parallels to the business and social environment. For example: every athlete knows that in sport, talent alone is not enough. In addition to a well- developed sense of determination and discipline, you also have to have a strong team, a common vision and a unifying set of values in order to succeed. The all-important values here are fair play, solidarity, equal opportunities and tolerance. >> Fair play also implies integrity and honesty. Respect and tolerance in our contacts with each other are therefore firmly anchored in our corporate values Bernhard Simon
A lot is already gained if top performers – whether in sport or in business – focus on their role of being an example for others Dr Thomas Bach >> Sounds good, but at the end of the day doesn’t it always come down to performance? B. Simon: Performance is the measurable result of strategic management. But success is based on a clearly defined corporate philosophy that is shared by all members of the company and builds on uniform values. This has to be understood and lived equally all over the world and at all corporate hierarchical levels. If this is the case, motivation and a sense of belonging will generally also result in enhanced performance. Th. Bach: Performance always results from a number of different factors. But creating the basis for success requires many years of training, staying power, energy, discipline and ambition. That’s something I have come to know from all sides in my career as a fencer. Add to this the fair play ideal. To my mind, it is this above all that turns successful athletes into role models. A lot is already gained if top performers – whether in sport or in business – focus on their role of being an example for others. >> How can top performance be leveraged in companies’ everyday business activities? B. Simon: Competition generates creativity and innovation and is an incentive to perform better. Just as in sports, companies need a clearly defined performance plan with meaningful milestones. This produces stringent workflows and creates a motivating sense of achievement. But top performances are also the result of consolidating competences and knowledge management. Just compare this to an Olympic team. It is made up of different talents: one person fences, the other swims. In the same way, at Dachser we promote individual skills and consolidate them to build powerful project teams. In this context, knowledge is not a private asset, but a production factor that is networked throughout the entire organization. >> It seems some athletes believe they can only live up to the Olympic motto “faster, higher, stronger” with doping. How does this affect the rules of the game? Th. Bach: Unfortunately, just as in other areas of life, in sport, too, some people want success at any price and are prepared to go to any lengths to achieve it. As people with responsibility, we should therefore protect honest performers. Above all by showing a zerotolerance approach to doping. Sport, incidentally, is so far the only social community to prohibit doping. You won’t find any such ban in ballet, mountaineering, music, business or politics. B. Simon: Fair play also implies integrity and honesty. Respect and tolerance in our contacts with each other are therefore firmly anchored in our corporate values. We keep our promise and create transparency on all levels, vis-à-vis customers, competitors and our staff. We are also familiar with the legal limitations of our business and adhere to these strictly. >> Victories only really become meaningful through defeats. Does this statement in fact also apply to business? B. Simon: Oh yes, because even in a business context it’s an accepted fact that you learn from your mistakes. Dachser views itself as a “learning organization”. Even an unawarded tender is no reason to bury your head in the sand. Indeed, then more than ever, it’s important to precisely analyze the selection procedure to see what went wrong, and then turn this to advantage for future projects. And if we don’t win over a customer until the second or third attempt, then the satisfaction is all the greater. >> Former Federal Constitutional Court judge, Professor Udo Steiner, once said: “Companies don’t need competition, but sport thrives on it” – What does this statement mean for fair competition? Forum: Dachser face-to-face Dr Thomas Bach is Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee and President of the German Olympic Sport Federation. The 56-yearold commercial lawyer from Tauberbischofsheim was world fencing champion in 1976 and 1977, and in 1976 achieved Olympic gold in Canada with the foil fencing team in Montreal. Bernhard Simon is spokesman for the Dachser management. The family-run company relies on well-rehearsed teams of associates for whom a “climate of cooperation and mutual responsibility” is a decisive factor of success. Th. Bach: For a company, it may be attractive not to have any competition, but for an athlete, beyond a training situation, it would be pretty unappealing. Athletes always strive to measure themselves against the best and rely on the fact that the rules of fair play apply to athletes all over the world. These are what help to maintain fair competition and promote the competitiveness of athletes and associations. At the end of the day, this is what makes sport appealing to spectators. B. Simon: For companies, a lack of competition is anything but attractive. In business as in sport, competition stimulates productivity. This is what drives the necessary and ongoing self-reflection and innovation. And what consequently produces ever new market opportunities. Th. Bach: In sport the same applies as in business: when it comes to being competitive, mutual respect and fair play are what count. However, this is something we continually have to work at, not only in sport, but in all walks of life. You can find the full-length interview on the Internet at the following link www.dachser.com/discussion DACHSER magazine 09
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4/2009 - Dachser GmbH und Co. KG

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