PPB October 2020

ANNETTE JENSEN Vice President of Sales North America Victorinox Swiss Army Monroe, Connecticut With a finance degree from Southern Connecticut State University, Annette Jensen was working as a financial services account manager at Prudential Securities when she realized it wasn’t the right industry for her. “I searched for a new career and found that Victorinox Swiss Army had some great opportunities and was a fast-growing company. Twenty-six years later I am still in the promo products industry and enjoying every minute of it,” she says about the fourth-generation, family-owned supplier. She’s managed others for more than 20 of those years, starting in the customer service department and working her way up to vice president. “Annette is a boss who is able to recognize the strengths in her employees and apply them to their fullest extent,” says nominator Stephanie Sage, who’s reported to Jensen for almost two years. “She taught me to look at people as individuals and to understand that almost everyone has something positive to offer. She is easy to talk to, understanding and supportive. I could not think of a boss more deserving than Annette Jensen.” Janet Jones, another of Jensen’s four nominators, says, “She is admired and appreciated by all who work with her. She leads by example and with a great sense of humor. Annette expresses interest in each of us, providing the tools we need to continue to grow in this industry. She advocates, supports and provides creative ways to meet our accomplishments. In all my years with this company, I’ve never met anyone who does not speak highly of Annette Jensen.” Annette Jensen on her best boss. My best boss was Andy Peabody at Victorinox Swiss Army. He was a true mentor and wanted his team to always perform at a high level and had high expectations of his team and most importantly of himself, too. There was no ‘I’ in his team. He taught me much of what I know about this industry and for that I will forever thank him for the opportunities he gave me. (Ironically, he is now one of my customers!) The most valuable lesson she’s learned frommanaging others. I have learned to be a better listener. Over the years, I better understand the needs of individuals, the need for recognition and the power of consistency. Good direction with a strong team equals success. And when we do fail, we learn from it and do better next time. Her best advice for being a great boss. I would say be consistent, set goals and allow your team to be autonomous. I have high expectations, but they know what they are. I give my team the opportunity to work independently and empower them to own their roles. Give clear direction, listen to your team, be a team player and being a great boss is easy. Without a great team there is no chance to be a best boss. DAN LUK Chief Operating Officer 2020 Brand Solutions South St. Paul, Minnesota Before finding his way into the promotional products industry four years ago, Dan Luk spent more than three decades in high tech, marketing, printing and publishing, and working for customer satisfaction, research and assessment companies. Managing others was a responsibility he grew into. “Although I have been a project leader, manager, director, vice president for a number of years and am currently chief operating officer, I’ve been practicing servant leadership or the inverted pyramid leadership model for probably the past 10 years,” he says. “In a servant leadership model, the key aspect of my job is to serve my team. I, therefore, work for them to clear the way for everyone to be successful, and in turn, for the organization to succeed.” FEATURE | Best Bosses 2020 24 | OCTOBER 2020 |