Andrew Haag has served as president of Moore Oil since October of 2012 and has worked for the family-owned company since 2003, filling a number of leadership roles.
At Moore Oil, a distributor of finished lubricants for automotive, fleet and industrial markets in Wisconsin, northern Illinois and upper Michigan, Andrew works alongside his father and chief executive officer, Scott Haag, and his brother, Tyler Haag, who specializes in accounts receivable. Andrew represents the fourth generation of Haags to work in the oil distribution industry. As president, he spends a lot of time on strategic focuses in markets, products and marketing initiatives. He says this responsibility – and its ripple effect throughout the entire company – is something he thrives on.
“There is a statistic that states, ‘Less than 10 percent of all organizations successfully execute their strategy.’ What most of those that fall into the 90 percent are missing is strategic alignment. Most strategy and planning meetings discuss how their product(s) are aligned with the markets that they serve, but the alignment discussion shouldn’t be exclusive to markets and customers. It should also include employees, departments/divisions, suppliers, etc.
“Here are two components to think of:
“Employees – Communicate the strategy, vision and mission in terms that everyone can understand. (That might mean you have to be generic and less specific than you would like to be.) Always relate employees’ job function to how it plays into meeting the strategic goal(s). Share how the other departments’ roles play into meeting the strategic goal(s) so the employees know that not just their department is being held accountable.
“Suppliers – Ask your suppliers for their strategic plan. In that discussion you’ll find out if they have a strategic plan and, depending on how critical their product(s) is to your product or operations, you may realize that you have the right supplier or you might need to look for a new supplier. You may also learn about product advancements or new technology that they are working on, which could affect your strategy.
“In today’s fast paced world, if we don’t produce results quickly, someone else will. To make sure you’re getting the results on time, on plan, and on budget, make strategic alignment a focus in your strategic planning meetings, and watch your company grow!”
