Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 37
FROM LÜBECK
TO THE WORLD
How Oldendorff broadened its horizons
and applied the proven principles of trust
and autonomy around the world.
Global expansion usually comes when you find a winning formula and export it.
For most companies, this means a world-beating product that is unleashed
into overseas markets. If not, it is a service blueprint, or a way of doing things,
whether that means the digital revolution of Uber or Amazon, or the relentless
kaizen productivity principles that drove the global success of Japanese
companies like Toyota in the 1960s and 1970s. For Oldendorff in the early 2000s,
it was much simpler: it was about putting faith in its ability to spot good people
and trusting them.
This was how it all began. Henning looked to Peter not to adopt his blueprint,
but to repay his faith, thus allowing Peter to follow his own judgement. Peter
then did likewise with his recruitment plan: spotting global opportunities
and putting in place the right people at the right time and giving them the
authority to do what they needed. If these were indeed the right people – and
Peter freely admits he did not have a 100% record – their desire to succeed,
combined with the support and expertise they received from the Oldendorff
organisation was invariably a winning combination.
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