In my role as Chief Business Officer, I’m privileged to collect perspectives from a diverse set of support groups: business continuity, corporate communications, mergers and acquisitions, global procurement, and corporate real estate. Our teams are spread around the world and, of note, as primarily support functions, our teams touch in one way or another every other team within TD SYNNEX.  As such, we take responsibility and pride in equipping these groups with both the tangible and intangible tools they need to be successful in supporting our co-workers, our vendors and our customers.

I have nearly 24-years service at TD SYNNEX; over the past few years, I feel fortunate to have witnessed the transformation of two very distinct organizations come together as one TD SYNNEX.  In that process, I’ve seen us build a corporate culture centered around collaboration, selflessness and finding paths toward common wins. I see our co-workers, and especially our leaders, prioritizing the development of others, rather than standing firm in a traditional command-and-control approach to management.

One of the ways we’re achieving growth from within is through the concept of Servant Leadership in Action (SLiA).

Defining SLiA

Unlike traditional leadership models that may emphasize the leader’s success and power, servant leadership is a guiding principle where leaders prioritize the well-being of those around them, by fostering their development and boosting the ceiling of their potential.

Research has shown that strong servant leaders can:

• Maximize individual and team performance
• Generate higher levels of employee satisfaction
• Increase trust
• Improve organizational success

This approach is often characterized by leaders who excel in empathy, listening, awareness and inclusion, all traits that I challenge myself and my staff to be mindful of in our day-to-day interactions.

The 5 Pillars of SLiA at TD SYNNEX

At TD SYNNEX, servant leadership isn’t just a buzzword, it’s the cornerstone of who we are. Our servant leader strategy is built on five pillars:

For me, positivity is the pillar that resonates most and nurturing a culture of kindness starts from the top down.  We all have our own way of being – an emotional signature.  Some people can walk into a room and instantly put everyone at ease.  This comes naturally to some and for other, they need to work at it.  I want to be, and encourage others to be, the person who can brighten the mood of a room by smiling as soon as they walk in. It’s so important to have positive energy, as it builds a level of comfort and trust for everyone in that environment. Challenges and conflict can sometimes make it easy to conjure up thoughts of negative intent, but it’s far more effective to assume positive intentions.

“You can accomplish by kindness what you cannot by force.”

— Publilius Syrus

Transformation and Adaptation through SLiA

Merging two large organizations (and meshing two different cultures) didn’t happen overnight. One commonality brought leadership together: SLiA.

While we have some amazing programs and solutions built for our partners at TD SYNNEX, we’re equally aware that we may not have the innovative appeal that so many of our amazing vendors have. TD SYNNEX’s primary value happens behind the scenes, where we prioritize adding value to vendor and reseller partners.

At the end of the day, our “secret sauce” is our people – co-workers are the most important part of this company. As Rich Hume often says, we don’t work in a business-to-business environment, we work in a human-to-human business. Our mission is to make our partners shine, and it’s our people, not our logo, which is central to achieving this goal. Our co-workers and customers choose TD SYNNEX because of the outcomes of our commitment to servant leadership.

Prioritizing Team Growth Over Selfishness

We’ve defined SLiA and determined how to exhibit it, but what are the hopeful outcomes? One of the most tangible demonstrations of servant leadership is providing a path for growth opportunities for our co-workers. By fostering open conversations about development and then offering guidance, education and resources to get there, leaders have done their job well if they’ve set their team up for success, both now and in the future toward their career goals.

We aim to ensure that no high-performer feels capped or stuck in their responsibilities. In a perfect world, we would retain every high-performer in our business; but the reality is that sometimes there are external opportunities that may be too lucrative to pass up. It’s still a win when they are presented with an opportunity and they look back and say, “I had a great experience learning and growing with TD SYNNEX.”

Walking the Servant Leader Walk

SLiA is about showing vulnerabilities, trusting in the process and building on the “us” rather than the “me.” Overall morale of our company, and even extending in the IT channel, can start by exhibiting characteristics of our five SLiA pillars. Our strength as an ecosystem lies in our collaborative spirit and the healthy give-and-take that defines our interactions across different business units, roles and industries. By walking the SLiA walk, we ensure that TD SYNNEX remains a place where people thrive, grow and succeed together.

Have we completed the transformation of the two legacy organizations?  No, it’s an ever continuing journey because even after the merger and the coming together as one TD SYNNEX, we can still be better.  My mandate to our team is to continue to walk the SLiA walk.  I hope that you join us.