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The X-Factor: Empowered Employees and a Competitive Spirit
For this technology-focused third-party logistics company, the key to quadruple-digit growth is a dynamic culture.
Inc.com | August 18, 2020
It takes many factors to power a successful business–from a market gap, to a smart business model, to a top-notch product or service. Dynamic Logistix, a third-party logistics and transportation management software (TMS) provider based in Overland Park, Kansas, checks all those boxes. But the single most important factor in its fast growth is its culture.
Dynamic Logistix (DLX) has doubled in size every year since Jeff Auslander became CEO in 2016, because its amazing work environment attracts some of the area’s best talent. From 2016 to 2019, it has increased revenue by 2,585 percent, earning a number of industry accolades. This year, DLX ranks on the Inc. Best Workplaces list for building a business for which people want to win and a culture people never want to leave.
Empowered Choices
DLX empowers companies–particularly ones that historically could not afford freight management software–to make more intelligent decisions about how they ship freight to save money and improve processes. DLX also empowers employees to make decisions that shape the business. Even the company name was an employee’s idea. When Auslander bought the business, he asked for help renaming it. The moniker conveys the company’s fast-paced environment and exceptional service and technology. The “x” at the end shows edginess and an x-factor.
That x-factor is people. Auslander is proud to have only hired about 10 percent of the staff. His people hired the rest, and they have made great choices, often recruiting people they know personally. “A famous coach once said, ‘If you’re going to ask me to make dinner, let me at least pick out the groceries.’ We trust our people to pick who they want on their team, and that goes back to empowerment,” he explains.
Managers hire people who will thrive in DLX’s competitive atmosphere–fun folks who will “enjoy competing, winning, and celebrating” with the team. And there is plenty of celebrating. The team knows if they get their job done, they can have all the fun they want after because that’s when the work day actually ends. Since employees are invested, managers know they will put in the extra hours if needed too. Auslander recalls stopping in the office on a Saturday morning to pick up paperwork and seeing a handful of employees at their desks–because they wanted to be there to help a customer, not because someone asked them to.
DLX employees are comrades, and they are not afraid of some friendly competition. The company intentionally nurtures this by sharing performance metrics daily.
Constant communication is a staple at the company, and people appreciate knowing where they stand on the leaderboard. Employees win with humility and respect. They really love each other, Auslander says, adding that he doesn’t use the L-word lightly. With hard work and love, and a balance of teamwork and competition, DLX is fueling exponential growth, with no signs of slowing down. In fact, it is in the process of building out a new headquarters, triple the size, to account for its increasing head count. And it is all thanks to the right people and an extraordinary culture.
About Dynamic Logistix
Dynamic Logistix is a third-party provider of shipping and freight solutions that combines a world-class technology platform with stellar personal service. By providing, superior visibility, transparent processes and comprehensive real-time reporting through our transportation management software, clients save time and money. As a result, DLX is nationally recognized as one of the top-10 Third-Party Logistics (3PL) providers by Logistics Tech Outlook magazine and one of the one of the 5,000 Hottest Companies in the United States by Inc. magazine. For more information, please visit our website and check out our LinkedIn page to join our growing team.
