Lisa Allen, president and CEO of Ziegenfelder Company in Wheeling, West Virginia, has made a career of making people smile and helping them find their happy place.
Ziegenfelder Company manufactures and sells Budget $aver® twin pops and other frozen treats worldwide.
Allen talked with Jim Matuga, host of Positively West Virginia, about her company and why she is so proud of the vision, value and culture behind it.
Be proud of your company.
The Ziegenfelder Company employs more than 300 team members, over three states, and they are proud of every single person who has come to them.
“We don’t call ourselves a team. We call ourselves a tribe, and our tribe is diverse,” Allen said. “I am proud of our tribe.”
Stay positive, even when there is something negative happening within your company.
“When I look at people in our tribe and see we’ve done something to disappoint them, or when a consumer calls us to tell us that they are unhappy, that’s the worst moment,” Allen said. “But, I dig deep and try to stay positive.”
Highly motivated, as well as an inspiring leader, Allen is responsible for the strategic leadership and growth of the Ziegenfelder Company, which is privately-owned and in the highly competitive food industry controlled by global corporate competition.
While it may be hard to stay positive while negative things are happening, use these three tips:
- Breathe
- Cultivate a positive environment through teamwork
- Go slow
Teamwork is the ultimate competitive advantage.
A mistake that business leaders make is thinking that they can go at it alone; however, a smart business leader will surround themselves with people who will challenge them.
“Surround yourself with people who think differently than you,” Allen advised.
Realize that success comes in many types of packages and all types of backgrounds, and through building employee loyalty.
“We have awesome, amazing people inside of our tribe who came to us from all walks of life from the highly educated to the homeless — folks that have been with international, multi-billion dollar companies to folks that have never worked before. People who have no background to second chance reentry citizens to people who have checked pasts,” Allen said. “We focus on what is important. We focus on taking care of people. It helps us grow as leaders.”
“Developing leaders at all levels inspires creativity, commitment and effective problem solving, reinforcing the scalability of our valued tribe,” Allen said.
Talk to people. Look them in the eye and smile.
Networking is essential in business. Like you, we’ve read many books on how best to stick out in someone’s mind or which way is better to remember someone’s name. Here are some simple tricks to networking.
Network before you need it. If you start networking before you are panickily trying to get someone’s contact information, people are more likely to talk with you. You are not out to just get information. You are there to discuss and build relationships. Look the person in the eye, and don’t be afraid to extend a hand!
Get a plan together and know your value. If you are valuing everyone in the room, it’s only right that you should know your value. Get a list of your talents or skills that you can bring to the table.
Connect. After you’ve listened to everyone’s skills and elevator pitches, start thinking about how you can help all of them connect. This will not only help them, but can help you in the long run.
Allen was a guest on Positively West Virginia, an initiative to get positive stories about West Virginia business who serve their communities. Listen to the full podcast about the Ziegenfelder Company and building employee loyalty here.
Building Employee Loyalty
- Be proud of your company
- Have team work
- Network, even if you don’t need it