One Pour Problems Leadership Transitions and Building Company Culture
Dec 30, 2024
Kris Kesting, Owner and CEO of DisplayCraft and former U.S. Coast Guard officer turned finance pro, leads cultural and operational change at a longtime exhibit company. He talks about meeting every employee, the platinum rule for motivation, building core values (FAST), hiring to complement a tenured team, and balancing confidence with humility in leadership.
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Culture Changes Slow And Deliberate
- Culture is a living set of written and unwritten rules that evolves slowly and can't be flipped overnight.
- Kris found DisplayCraft's 67-year culture strong and focused on gradual, deliberate optimizations rather than sweeping change.
Start With One-On-Ones To Learn The Business
- Do schedule one-on-one meetings with every employee immediately after taking over to learn their roles, family context, and career goals.
- Kris used hour-long first-week meetings to gather input and spot small culture optimizations before making changes.
Use The Platinum Rule For Motivation
- Do apply the platinum rule: treat employees how they want to be treated, not how you would like to be treated.
- Kris recommends individual-level motivation checks because everyone responds to different incentives.