Moore’s Law, famous for describing the driving force of technological and social change doubling every two years, also applies to the speed of business. Companies need to continuously evolve, always preparing for striking changes into the foreseeable future. Business leaders must be ahead of that curve, not only to best react to changes, but to help shape the changes created by new technologies and business practices on an ongoing basis. That’s what’s behind a global initiative at Daimler that we call Leadership 2020.
In February, senior leaders from Daimler business units – Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz, smart, car2go -- met for a global conference in Germany to discuss new leadership principles and business game changers that will help drive our company forward.
From the very top, starting with Daimler AG’s CEO and Chairman Dr. Dieter Zetsche, representatives across the company are committed to adapting new ways of doing business from small calculated actions to big leaps of faith.
This isn’t always an easy ship to turn. As the company that invented the passenger car and the commercial truck over 100 years ago, some practices are hard to break. Through the global conference and many Leadership 2020 initiatives, however, we know an agile mindset will help us continue to pave the way to innovating transportation of the future.
Leadership 2020 began with 144 folks from all corners of the world, including some of us from DTNA, who volunteered to help shape the future of Daimler. While there was much to learn, we were pleased to find that much of what was proposed at the conference has already been adopted at Daimler Trucks North America, including contemporary leadership practices, including placing a priority on the employee experience from the hiring and onboarding processes to performance feedback and recognition programs. In recent years, we have implemented many cutting-edge practices, including offering top notch benefits packages and stunning workplace environments, like our new LEED Platinum Certified headquarters in Portland.
At Daimler Trucks North America, we have a long history of producing innovative products, be it Freightliner Trucks or Thomas Built Buses or our Detroit engines and transmissions, but it is the people behind those products who make it all possible. When we think of how we will disrupt our own business, we look at making transportation safer and more efficient than ever before, using the power of the both future technologies and forward thinking.
How in the world are these topics connected when it comes to engineering our products? The connection is very strong if I think about Fuel Economy, one of my favorite subjects.
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