When seven-time Dutch National Champion diver Hanneke Faber accepted a full athletic scholarship to the University of Houston, she had yet to set foot in Texas. But soon after arriving in the Lone Star State, Faber realized that true team bonds were often formed in the moments outside of the pool. Those shared experiences, she recalls, were what transformed a group of talented individuals into a unified team.
“I call it filling the scrapbook. You have to invest time getting to know each other,” Faber explained. “It was the days of the Southwest Conference, so we would go everywhere in the van. I learned there are only two kinds of music, Country and Western, which, to a Dutch girl, was news.”
For Faber, those hours spent singing along to unfamiliar music with her teammates created memories that formed the foundation of lifelong friendships and taught her that strong teams are built through shared experiences.
Studies show that bonding with employees, especially younger ones, helps strengthen team connections and build loyalty to the company. That’s something Faber has implemented at Logitech, where one of her approaches to connecting with her team is through company-wide events.
“Celebrations are part of filling the scrapbook, with a huge Halloween bash at the office,” Faber shared on the podcast. “Chinese New Year for our businesses in China and Taiwan is a big, big deal. When you do those things together, you start to know each other. You have things to talk about, you have shared memories. And then I find it easier to win together.”
In this episode, Faber shared other insights into her leadership at Logitech, including:
- How her background as a 10-time national springboard diving champion and her experience at the 1987 World Diving Cup inform her approach in the boardroom.
- The importance of small wins and gradual improvements in achieving big goals.
- Why involving the entire company in creating a strategy can strengthen alignment and purpose.
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