That approach relies on having talented and dedicated team members. Again, Laverne says that’s why they place such a priority on team building at Woodland. When it comes to that team building, he explains they have learned a lot from Patrick Lencioni, an organisational culture expert and best-selling author who talks and writes about teamwork. “In one of his books, he writes that the ideal team player has to be hungry – they have to want to be there, want to be a part of the team – they have to be humble – not arrogant, not self-centred – and they have to be smart – as in, smart about teams and how they function. If someone has those three attributes, they are the ideal team player and you can teach that person anything.” “So over the last number of years, that’s what we’ve looked for,” he continues. “We’ve really switched from interviewing and hiring based on skills to interviewing and hiring based on attitude and cultural fit. Because you can teach a hungry, humble, smart individual just about anything – and you can teach them quite quickly. And that’s worked out fantastic. We now have a phenomenal team of people. Our people are why we’ve been able to grow and be successful.” Laverne also credits the company’s growth to their extended team members, including their roster of suppliers and vendors. Over the years, he says they have been very loyal to those partners, and that loyalty has been rewarded – particularly during the supply chain shortages of the past couple years. “There were many occasions where suppliers would call us up and say ‘Hey, we’re down to our last two lifts, do you want to put your name on one of them?’ or ‘Hey, just so you know the price is going to go up, do you want to put your name on some old stock?’ That happened over and over and over. That was really helpful during a tough time.” An example of such a supplier is Kipco Hardware, a valuedriven, family-run cabinet hardware supply company that has been operating in Kitchener since 1980. Kipco’s focus is on product quality, brand representation and cordial, knowledgeable customer service. Over the years, they have successfully maintained an every-growing list of happy customers including Woodland Horizon. The team at Woodland highly appreciates their locality, their friendly service, and the family values by which they do business. OCTOBER 2023
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