GRCA Commerce Quarterly Winter 2020 - 20

Feature

3 Leaders; 30 Thoughts
Continued from page 19

Karen
Norheim

s President and COO of American Crane and Equipment
Corporation, Karen Norheim oversees the successful dayto-day operations of a 180-person manufacturing facility
headquartered in Douglassville, Pennsylvania. Karen manages all
company operations with an emphasis on continued expansion,
growth and long-term strategy. This includes all marketing and
information technology utilizing
*

RECHARGING Take care of yourself and encourage and
practice disconnecting. Time away from work and devices
allows us to recharge,refresh, refocus and rejuvenate. Often
this provides new perspectives, creative boosts and enhanced
clarity thus increasing productivity and producing better
results.
*

"Relationship currency cannot be bought. It must be
earned." - INVEST THE TIME Relationships don't form
overnight, they take time. By being authentic and curious,
you can show your people you care and are interested in
them. You can build trust. Share yourself, be relatable. Show
your scars, be human. Build up your relationship capital just
like a currency. You never know when you will have a rainy
day and need to ask for help.

"Keep it real. Life is too short to be someone else." -
BE AUTHENTIC I used to only bring 95% of myself to
work. Then, I realized many years ago, it is way more fun
and I am way more effective when I embrace who I am and
stay authentic all the time.

"Be a perpetual student." - BE CURIOUS As Albert Einstein
said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."
There is no finish line for leaders. We are on a journey. Stay
sharp, look for others who have been successful and learn.
Mistakes can be great learning moments. Leverage your
failures for future success. Sharpen your weapons both
physically and mentally, work life and home.

"Be the Gardener." - GROW YOUR PEOPLE As leaders
we must be the gardener, ensure that the environment at our
companies allows our people to thrive. The most important
part of our business is our people. Leaders become great not
because of their power, but their ability to empower others.

"One time has to be the first time." - GET OUT OF
YOUR COMFORT ZONE I think Eleanor Roosevelt said
it best - "Do one thing every day that scares you." Challenge
yourself, success comes by putting yourself out there. Growth
only arrives when we venture outside of our comfort zone.

"Today I will be happier than a bird with a French fry."
- DON'T TAKE YOURSELF TOO SERIOUSLY I am
a firm believer in having fun, and not taking ourselves too
seriously. Have gratitude and live in the moment. Remember
to be intentional about your happiness. Happiness to me,
means enjoying life. Life is a journey, enjoy the ride.

"Create your ripple effect." - BE A ROLE MODEL Mother
Teresa once said, "I alone cannot change the world, but I can
cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples." Years
ago, I attended a conference and one leader had a profound
impact on me. This person doesn't know who I am, and the
impact they had, but they were a role model and created a
ripple effect that touched me.

"Find Your Sun stone." - KNOW WHO YOU ARE
Vikings were long-distance seafaring travelers,venturing as
far as the Middle East and North America. With no access
to modern navigation instruments, they used a Sun stone,
a crystal called Icelandic spar, which allowed them to locate
the sun in the sky even when it was cloudy. Calibrate your
Sun stone - Vision, Mission and Values. Use this Sun stone
to check if you are on course, even when faced with obstacles
and uncertainty.

"Be your mind's commander, not its soldier." -BEWARE
OF MULTI-TASKING Studies of the brain have shown
we do not multi-task, we switch. Constant switching makes
us more prone to making mistakes. Instead practice single
tasking by finding focused targets using your sun stone to
guide. Encourage this with your people as well. Single tasking
can help employees to feel less scattered and distracted,
and therefore less stressed, contributing to their feeling of
well-being at work.
"You are no good to your people or your company,
if you are burnt out." - PRACTICE & PROMOTE

20 COMMERCE QUARTERLY WINTER 2020

GRCA Commerce Quarterly Winter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of GRCA Commerce Quarterly Winter 2020