Page 103 - How America's Best Places to Work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times

90B RE-ENGAGE

contribute to the success? What didn’t go well that we could learn
from? Only with a strong relationship in place can you really be a
good judge of their character.
Karolski: We also know that when we have a strong relationship with
an employee they’ll be more open to advice and receiving feedback. We
give and ask for a lot of feedback around here, so for people to be okay
about that it’s important that a strong relationship is in place.

Q: When approaching leadership you are a self-described ma-
nipulator. How so?
Hoogeveen: I think the term “manipulate” has gotten a bad rap in
our society. For those of us who have children, we learn to become
master manipulators—it’s called parenting. The issue is not whether
we’re manipulating people as leaders. The more important question
is, “What is our intent?” If our intent is to help a person grow, to help
them discover and develop their talents, to be more effective at serv-
ing, then when it comes to manipulating, I stand guilty as charged.

Q: You’re not a group that tends to shy away from conflict. Tell
us more.
Karolski: As we mentioned before, we work very hard to develop
strong relationships at QLI. If you have a strong relationship with
someone, you can have a disagreement and the person you’re disagree-
ing with doesn’t feel that it’s personal.
Elson: And with our culture it really isn’t personal. Our culture is
about doing what’s right for QLI and the people we serve. Good people
can have genuine disagreement on how to go about doing some-
thing—that’s just part of being around a very talented team.
Pearson: Kim has a saying that we genuinely mean when it comes to
conflict: “That’s a stupid idea. Let’s go have lunch.” It’s a great way
of telling a person that your disagreement with someone really isn’t
personal.

Q: How has your approach to leadership influenced your ability
to develop future leaders?