Baking & Snack - December 2013 - 26

OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

it might not be her best-case scenario), Ms. Waggoner's
intent is to help her understand the needs of the plant
and the employees. "How can I be the best leader I can
be if I haven't seen everything I'm responsible for, and I
don't understand the good, the bad and the ugly?" she
asked. "I need to understand a plant's strengths and
weaknesses, so I can see what they need or don't need.
It helps me determine where capital funding goes for
things like infrastructure or facility improvements."
Plant visits also help her take the pulse of her people.
"It's not unusual to find her in a bakery on the midnight
shift or on a weekend to meet the staff and learn what issues and challenges they are dealing with. She constantly
wants to know the people, processes and equipment
better," said Al Koch, director of engineering, Global
Biscuit, Mondelez International, and Baking & Snack's
2011 Operations Executive of the Year.
"I get a sense of morale, but I also get a sense of skills
and capabilities. I can see the up-and-coming talent,
the 'bench strength,' " Ms. Waggoner observed. When
it comes to her people, she has another clear objective
when getting down and dirty on the plant floor. "You

never want to ask your employees to do something that
you can't - or wouldn't - do yourself. It's good for us
to occasionally put ourselves in our employees' shoes to
understand what they go through on a daily basis."
Mr. Koch noted that Ms. Waggoner's dedication is an
inspiration to her staff and the organization as a whole.

Bringing the joy
Without a doubt, Ms. Waggoner is no-nonsense. She is
results-driven and known for driving a hard bargain.
Tough cookie she is, though, it's important to remember that even the toughest cookies are made with some
pretty sweet stuff.
Leadership aside, Ms. Waggoner lives a life that puts
her needs second, both professionally and personally.
Each decision she makes every day comes with two
qualifiers: "What's right for the products we make, and
what's right for my people? Period. It's not about my career or my position. It's about making the right decisions
for the right reasons," she insisted.
Ms. Waggoner will stand up for those who can't stand up
for themselves, even if it means being the loudest, or only,

>>The next step toward your success: Coperion and K-Tron share a passion for successful

partnerships with our customers. We are pooling our collective know-how and experience
in food production to offer you a perfectly aligned portfolio of products and extensive
services. Whether it's ﬁne powder or grains, we are specialists for the entire processing
spectrum: from pneumatic conveying and feeding to extrusion and even complete systems.
Experience what it means when a global company unites engineering excellence with
partnership on a whole new level. >>www.coperion.com/next-level

For more information, see Page 105

http://www.coperion.com/next-level

Baking & Snack - December 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Baking & Snack - December 2013