4/2009 - Dachser GmbH und Co. KG

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