Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/734166
40 SMT Magazine • October 2016 by Laura Huckabee-Jennings TRANSCEND Leadership in many industries is undergo- ing broad systemic change, and ours is no differ- ent. The growing number of millennials in the workplace, the globalization of both customers and competitors, increased uncertainty in the marketplace, and increased demands for flexi- bility all conspire to make a leader's job more challenging. To continue to grow and remain competitive, leaders must continue to evolve their own leadership skills and approaches, and make better use of the talent they hire. David Raby, founder of STI Electronics, has seen enormous change in his industry and growth in his own leadership as a result. His core principles in starting the business haven't changed, but he has learned in his 30+ years in business to be a better leader and, in turn, his company has grown and responded more suc- cessfully to market needs. Core Principles Every great business and great business lead- er has clear principles around which the busi- ness is organized. David's core principles were straightforward: Treat people like you want to be treated, and do what's right. As the business has grown and changed in the past three de- cades, those principles have remained steady; but the way in which David and his compa- ny implement those principles has changed to meet demands in the marketplace for both cus- tomers and talent. Treating people like you want to be treat- ed seems like a simple concept. However, ev- ery person is unique, so treating them all the same is not very effective. Instead, great lead- ers work to understand the needs and motiva- tions of each individual, and try to treat each person well, and the whole group of employees fairly. In many successful companies, leaders have learned that if you want to treat your cus- tomers well, it starts with treating your employ- FEATURE