In this industry, results are earned on the front lines: deliveries, customer relationships, safety and service all depend on people. At its core, my role as chief people officer at DSG is to enable business success through people, empowering employees at every level to realize our strategic aspirations.
My team ensures we have the right people in the right roles at the right time — and that they understand how their work connects to the company’s broader goals — to build capability at the organizational, team and individual levels.
We do all this by committing to four key practices: building trusted partnerships, listening deeply and communicating clearly, approaching hard decisions with care and compassion and always believing in our people.
Build trusted partnerships
Within our business and other wholesale distribution businesses, it’s important to balance operational excellence with human capability. This requires that my team spend time where the work happens, not only where the decisions are made, building relationships with all our employees and being accessible to them.
Visiting our branch locations regularly helps strengthen relationships and helps us see and understand the business through a different lens. I’ve found that the people closest to the day-to-day operation of a business are often the ones who give us deeper insight into what’s working, what’s getting in the way and where leadership attention really matters.
These trust-based relationships with our employees give us insight into how culture is actually experienced and reinforce a simple truth: Culture is shaped every day through the decisions, behaviors and interactions of people managers. Many companies have a set of values posted on the wall or published on their website, but what’s written down matters less than how leaders show up.
The way employees interact with one another, solve problems and serve customers starts with the behaviors that leaders model and the environment they create. If those daily actions don’t reflect company values, no amount of messaging or process will make up the difference.
Listen deeply, communicate clearly and optimize capabilities
Employees need to understand the company’s vision and strategy, why it matters, what it means for them personally and the role they play in getting us there. When people feel valued, informed and supported, engagement shows up as greater contribution and commitment. People managers are the single biggest lever. How leaders communicate, prioritize and interact with their teams sets the tone for a consistent culture — or a fragmented one.
As leaders, when employees come to us with a concern or a suggestion, understanding their everyday experience is invaluable. I often ask employees, “What do I need to know that other people might not be telling me?” I also encourage other leaders to invite people to tell them the truth, and then respond in a way that shows them you value their perspective. Make sure your people know the “consequence” of being honest is appreciation, not punishment.
A team of engaged employees is essential for growth as a company, but engagement doesn’t happen by itself; it requires intentional planning and clear communication. My role is to help translate strategy into shared understanding, ensuring that employees understand where the company is headed, why that direction matters and how their daily work contributes to both business success and their own personal growth and success.
Practically, this means giving people clarity about roles, expectations and growth paths — and equipping them to succeed where they are today, while preparing them for what’s next. Career development is for everyone, regardless of role, tenure or career stage. Early-career employees may be more advancement- or experience-oriented, while later-career employees may seek depth, mastery or opportunities to mentor and transfer knowledge.
As people managers, our responsibility is to connect the business’s needs with what our employees are great at and interested in, too.
Approach hard decisions with compassion and care
As a for-profit enterprise, our first responsibility is to make decisions that support the long-term health of the business. That clarity is essential for sustainable growth and competitiveness. Before any decision is finalized or implemented, however, we take equal responsibility for understanding its impact on employees and for being intentional about how it will be carried out.
When decisions may negatively affect people — whether in practice or in perception — our focus is on thoughtful execution, clear and honest communication and ensuring that employees are treated with respect and care throughout execution.
This is why it’s so important to spend time with the people who are closest to the work. Having strong, trusting relationships with our employees ensures we get better information (and have higher confidence) when tough decisions need to be made.
Never underestimate the power of your people
When everyone is fully engaged and aligned around a clear direction for the company, there is nothing we can’t do. That’s especially true for DSG because we have an employee stock ownership plan, meaning employees have a personal stake in the business as owners.
Being an employee-owned company doesn’t fundamentally change what good HR looks like; it raises the bar for leadership, meaning transparency isn’t optional, and clarity isn’t a nice-to-have. My goal is for our employee-owners to understand how their daily decisions connect to long-term value — for the business and for themselves as owners.
We’re at a time when change is the norm, and the pace of change is accelerating; keeping everyone engaged and aligned is critical to our overall success. My team and I are focused on building change capability and readiness at all levels in our organization.
This means taking the time up front to connect with people and help them understand the changes we’re making, why we’re making them, how they affect their jobs and what we need them to do to support the process. Only then can we get their acceptance and full engagement in that change.
We keep that in mind when it comes to acquisitions, too. We want to make sure we take the time to understand what has made a business successful, what makes it special and how we can support its people on their journey into DSG. To do that, we need to honor who they are, what they’ve done and the value they bring.
Never underestimate the power of your people. What I have found at DSG is that we not only have talented people here, but they are also incredible people. Our employee-owners care about this company and each other, and every day I feel it.
Ultimately, operational success and people success are inseparable. Strategies, systems and policies may change, but it’s the people within an organization who ultimately determine its future. When leaders model clarity and care, invest in building the capabilities of their people and create an environment where employees feel appreciated, they build companies that are not only more resilient but also more meaningful places to work — and that is what drives lasting success.
Kjirsten Mickesh is the chief people officer at Dakota Supply Group (DSG).
