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OCTOBER 2015 •
PPB
• 33
What is your philosophy
for successfully managing
people?
Kozel:
Well, actually it starts
by hiring the very best—and
most attractive—people I can
find. (I said the “most attrac-
tive” part just in case they
see this.) But seriously, when
you hire the very best, they
pretty much manage them-
selves. Regardless of the vol-
ume of business you do, you
need smart, dedicated sup-
port from a team that treats
every transaction and cus-
tomer like they owned the
company.
The trick is to hire people
who can and will take care of
your customers as good as or
even better than you would.
On the rare occasions when
they do need help, I don’t
just tell them what to do, we
figure it out together. We do
it that way because I respect
their skills and expertise, and
hopefully they feel the same
about me.
How do you create a
positive culture with your
team and those who report
to you?
Kozel:
For one thing, I never
ask anyone to do something
or perform at a level I wouldn’t
expect of myself. And I try to
set an example in every
aspect of our business.
There’s that word again
“our.” That’s exactly how I
think about it. None of us is
the owner, but we consider it
“our company” as if it were
family-owned and operated
by all of us. When something
goes wrong—yeah, like that
ever happens!—we all feel the
problem and work to get it
right. And, when we do well,
we all share in the sense of
accomplishment and success
from having done a superior
job for our customers.
And, in case you’re won-
dering, it helps not to take
everything too seriously.
Sure, in our business every-
thing has to be just right or
we lose a customer to one of
our competitors. We all know
that, but life is short and
you’ve got to enjoy the work
we do, individually and
together, or it’s just not worth
the long hours we all invest in
our jobs. You just can’t spend
this much time every day with
your team without enjoying
their company and the work
we do together.
What advice can you share
with other managers to
improve their people-man-
agement skills?
Kozel:
It’s not complicated.
Hire the most competent.
Respect their skills and judg-
ment, and they’ll return that
favor. And treat them like
family—don’t fake it, because
they’ll know. And be sure you
have their backs and they’ll
have yours.
Diane Kozel
President, Nyberg, Fletcher & White
(UPIC: NYBE0001)
Glen Burnie, Maryland
Number of direct reports:
18
Cool factor:
She puts her trust in her employees to
get their jobs done.
Nominators:
Kathleen Gubbels, Laura Spear,
Kristina Watt
“Diane is always fair and knows how to treat people; she is
willing to lend a hand to help solve a problem and appreciates
our ideas, thoughts and input,” says Laura Spear, a customer
service rep who has reported to Kozel for the past 12 years.
“She makes our company a fun place to work and is definitely
the best boss that I have ever worked for.” Kathleen Gubbels,
who has been at the distributor a short time, knows what
Spear is talking about. “She sets such a positive work environ-
ment for all of her employees. Some bosses can be so secluded
and stay locked up in their office. My boss is nothing like that;
she interacts with everyone to make sure we are enjoying our
work day.” Kristina Watt believes many employees stay at the
company because of Kozel. “My boss is very understanding,
fair and easy to work for. She is an encouraging person and is
willing to try new ways to sell products.”
Nominators (from left) Kristina Watt, Kathleen Gubbels and Laura
Spear (far right) credit their boss, Diane Kozel (second from right) and
the trust she puts in them, for the company’s ultimate success.
“...hire people who can and will take
care of your customers as good or even
better than you would.”