Not many embody the quality of building relationships like Rose Hochgraef, director of Supply Chain for the Space & Intelligence Systems (SIS) line of business. Her keen ability to develop and sustain relationships at General Dynamics Mission Systems has led to great success with customers and within her career.
According to Bob Burns, director of Enterprise Procurement Solutions, Rose has consistently worked for more than 15 years to increase her capabilities to align with the ever-changing demands of the business. "But Rose's success goes beyond her broad business acumen, as her ability to develop and sustain relationships is the cornerstone of her achieving positive results for the business."
In her role, Rose is responsible for managing the business needs of SIS to ensure that Supply Chain can support them effectively. "She is reliant on successful relationships to allow her to influence the matrix team to work collaboratively to meet the various programmatic needs across the life of business," Bob says. "She has proven that she can pull the right people together across the matrix to produce favorable results, and her relationship-building skills are key to her being able to do this successfully."
"Rose always takes the time to listen and assesses situations in a modest manner that establishes an inclusive environment that sets the foundation for identifying paths to success," Bob says.
Simple Deeds Yield Strong Results
Bob notes that Rose's personality is contagious and drives a culture where positivity and optimism are encouraged. "In addition, Rose is a true team player who works hard to motivate and engage those around her because her desire to improve the business isn't driven by selfish motives or short-sighted goals," Bob adds.
"Through observation, I have learned that Rose's focused listening is vital to establishing and maintaining positive relationships," Bob says. "She approaches situations with an open mind and values the input from those who are closest to the issue and then leverages her breadth of knowledge spanning across Finance, Contracts, Program Management and Supply Chain to bring value to the team."
"Rose's positive attitude and calm demeanor make her very approachable, which creates an environment where team members are motivated to bring ideas to the table," Bob says. "She makes an effort to do the little things, such as acknowledging people in the hallway and simply saying "hi," and these small gestures go a long way when building and maintaining relationships."
Building Relationships Early Helps Navigate Problems Down the Road
"Having especially good relationships established with leadership across the many diverse space programs helps drive success for my team," Rose says. "Strong relationships are also key to me being able to influence the matrix team for collaborative engagement, which in turn leads to more effective issue resolution because if there is an established relationship, we don't start at ground zero if a problem arises."
"I have seen firsthand, time and time again, how important positive relationships are, especially when it comes to early inclusion on programmatic issues rather than being brought in late when everyone is in a panic," Rose adds. "In addition, establishing a trust-based relationship with our suppliers allows for transparent communication that leads to our teams making informed decisions."
Rose's advice to colleagues is simple yet impactful. "Be brave enough to start new relationships and commit to nurturing them by being kind and genuine – this is what is required to strengthen them," Rose says. "Make time to personally connect when developing relationships because it's much more effective and personal than developing relationships via IM or email."
Thank you, Rose for setting a high bar for the rest of the General Dynamics Mission Systems community in building and sustaining relationships that impact General Dynamics Mission Systems' bottom line.