Leaving a legacy is interesting to Kristin Tucker, managing principal of TDK Technologies. A little more than three years after she, her husband and the third original founder launched the information technology consulting company, her husband lost his battle with a brain tumor and her business partner left the company.
“Because of the history I’ve had, my view on legacy might be a little different than most founders/executives,” said Tucker. “Professionally, I hope my legacy speaks to the good that TDK accomplishes from the positive impact it is able to have on its team members and their families and the technical solutions it is able to build for its clients to the good it is able to do for the community in which we live and work.”
Her legacy has included growing from a startup to a $25 million dollar organization with a bolt-on structure. The company provides information technology consulting and custom software development through individual staff assignments, capacity teams and deliverable-based work.
Since Tucker was first named a Titan 100, she said her proudest moment has been the successful implementation of TDK Technologies’ Organization of the Future – the first reorg in the company’s 20-year+ history. “Change is hard and not everyone is willing to buy into it, which ultimately leads to further change,” said Tucker. “I am proud to say that TDK weathered the transition well and, once the dust settled, we have a stronger, more cohesive team all aligned to the common mission than ever before.”
Tucker said she considers the firm a People First organization. “Treating our team members as the human beings they are is not negotiable,” she said. “We stay in close communication with them and know what’s happening in their lives.”
According to Tucker, every decision make at TDK is determined through a lens of what is best for the people who work for the company. Whether it’s looking at new benefit offerings or discussing whether a potential client is a good fit for the team based on their reputation, she said the things they do start and end with team members in mind.
When mentoring the next generation of leaders, Tucker said she encourages leaders to never stop learning. “In technology, things change constantly; people in the field accept the fact that we must continue to learn, or we will become obsolete,” she said. “While not as obvious, the same is true of every field, and honestly, everything in life.”
For her ability to lead by example and inspire leaders in all fields, Tucker has been inducted into the Titan 100 Hall of Fame.
