Bill Parzybok suffered only one disappointment when he accomplished the feat of scaling Mt. Rainier two years ago. The guide service wouldn’t allow the experienced climber to plant a flagpole containing a microfilm copy of his company’s mission statement atop the 14,410-foot peak.
Mission statements are sometimes written off as empty words, but not in Parzybok’s book, He’s convinced that Fluke Corp.‘s statement has revived the once-struggling maker of test and measurement devices instruments, in essence, that measure other instruments in computer networks and a variety of automotive, marine, electrical, and heating equipment.
“It was a good company, with good people and quality products-and no sense of where it was going,” says Parzybok, describing affairs at Fluke when he was recruited from Hewlett-Packard as its chairman and CEO in 1991. Sales at the Everett, WA, firm were tumbling: Its biggest customers, aerospace and defense companies, had been hit by cutbacks in government contracts.
Undaunted, 52-year-old Parzybok rallied his new colleagues and crafted a mission statement-“to be the leader in compact, professional, electronic test tools,” then put it into action. Businesses that didn’t serve the core $8.5 billion market, such as the production of screens for bank automated teller machines, were sold off. So far, so good: Revenues in the fiscal year ending April 30 are expected to reach $375 million, up some 5 percent from the year before; net income for the first half of the year is up more than 67 percent to $5.6 million. With the recent acquisition of its European joint-venture partner, a division of Dutch electronics giant Philips N.V., more than half of Fluke’s business will come from overseas.
Inevitable puns about Fluke’s name taken from founder John Fluke-led the company to consider a change. But when it was discovered that customers testing anything from a traffic signal to an air conditioning unit used the expression, “Did you ‘fluke’ that?”, the idea was scrapped. “The identification was just too strong,” Parzybok says.
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1:00 - 5:00 pm
Over 70% of Executives Surveyed Agree: Many Strategic Planning Efforts Lack Systematic Approach Tips for Enhancing Your Strategic Planning Process
Executives expressed frustration with their current strategic planning process. Issues include:
Steve Rutan and Denise Harrison have put together an afternoon workshop that will provide the tools you need to address these concerns. They have worked with hundreds of executives to develop a systematic approach that will enable your team to make better decisions during strategic planning. Steve and Denise will walk you through exercises for prioritizing your lists and steps that will reset and reinvigorate your process. This will be a hands-on workshop that will enable you to think about your business as you use the tools that are being presented. If you are ready for a Strategic Planning tune-up, select this workshop in your registration form. The additional fee of $695 will be added to your total.
2:00 - 5:00 pm
Female leaders face the same issues all leaders do, but they often face additional challenges too. In this peer session, we will facilitate a discussion of best practices and how to overcome common barriers to help women leaders be more effective within and outside their organizations.
Limited space available.
10:30 - 5:00 pm
General’s Retreat at Hermitage Golf Course
Sponsored by UBS
General’s Retreat, built in 1986 with architect Gary Roger Baird, has been voted the “Best Golf Course in Nashville” and is a “must play” when visiting the Nashville, Tennessee area. With the beautiful setting along the Cumberland River, golfers of all capabilities will thoroughly enjoy the golf, scenery and hospitality.
The golf outing fee includes transportation to and from the hotel, greens/cart fees, use of practice facilities, and boxed lunch. The bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 am for a noon shotgun start and return to the hotel after the cocktail reception following the completion of the round.
