Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 25
THE OLDENDORFF GENE?
There is a certain trait required
of people if they are going to be
successful at Oldendorff. In a
company without a rule book,
people need to be comfortable
with making their own rules. The
company will give them a lot of
freedom so, if you don’t like the idea
of making your own way, making
your own decisions and backing
yourself to get it right, you’re
probably in the wrong place.
This quality can be seen as a genetic
trait. It is what makes Oldendorffers
do what they do, and it is the single
quality that has driven the success
of the company over the last 25
years. It is ironic that Oldendorff
Carriers has existed for a hundred
years under the guidance of just
two men – father and son – yet
the common trait that drives it can
be seen in so many completely
unrelated people.
THE OLDENDORFF WAY IS YOUR WAY
A survey conducted amongst
employees in 2017 asked what
people thought was the Oldendorff
way. When the survey results
came in, managers were surprised
to hear lots of different answers.
Everybody had a different idea of
the Oldendorff way. How can you
draw any conclusions from that?
Then the truth dawned. The
Oldendorff way is to identify a
certain type of person, employ
them, then give them a lot of
freedom – and to trust them to
put their heart and soul into
finding the best solution.
There is no rule book, and that is
the whole point. The Oldendorff
way is your way.
OUR POLICY: DO THE RIGHT THING
No rule book means no policies.
Although there has to be some
structure in a company of
Oldendorff’s size, there is a
conscious effort not to default to
blanket policies. It is the freedom
to act that fuels Oldendorff’s
success, and every official policy
is an impediment to our natural
entrepreneurial instinct.
Peter provided an example:
“If somebody abuses credit card
spending, we do not put general
limits in place as other companies
might do. That would mean punishing
everyone for one person’s error.
That’s not right.”
So if there is no policy we try to do
the right thing instead. For example
when a Singaporean employee
was seconded to New England in
winter she asked if she could have a
clothing allowance because she had
no winter clothing. There was no
policy for this, and most companies
would have refused the request.
We gave her the money because
it was fair. It was the right thing to
do. And Connecticut in January is no
place for flip-flops.
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