Mini-Circuits Europe is growing — and under the compassionate and empathetic leadership of Caroline Norris, the sales team is flourishing, too.
Located in Camberley, Surrey, UK, approximately 30 miles southwest of London, Mini-Circuits Europe houses a team of engineers and account managers who work closely together to deliver top-quality products and exceptional service to our European customers.
Caroline, who celebrated her 12-year anniversary with Mini-Circuits in March 2022, oversees sales and account management for the UK office, which serves as our European distribution arm. With plans underway to expand the capabilities and reach of the UK sales hub, Caroline’s team has nearly doubled over the past year.
In describing her leadership style, Caroline emphasizes the contributions of her team in creating a productive and supportive work environment. This mindset could in part explain why several team members have been working with Caroline for upwards of a decade.
“When I’m interviewing a candidate, I think to myself, ‘I am lucky to have this person in front of me,’” Caroline said. “I like to think that they’re interviewing me to see if Mini-Circuits is the right fit for them.”
Once hired, team members are empowered to take on new responsibilities and advance within the company. Kim Burgess, for example, started just 10 months ago as a sales administrator and, in 7 months, was promoted to account manager.
Among their many functions, the Mini-Circuits Europe team is responsible for keeping our customer relationships strong. When a rare complaint arises, Caroline sees it as an opportunity to learn and improve.
“I feel that you sometimes only realize how good a service is when you experience the full extent of it,” she said. “When something goes wrong, it’s about how we resolve it — and how quickly we resolve it — and how we make that customer feel.”
“Fortunately, we don’t get a lot of complaints here,” she added.
When it comes to managing her team, Caroline finds inspiration from all areas of the organization — from senior leadership to the people she manages. For such a big company, she says, it’s unusual to have a leadership team that is as open, accessible and receptive to new ideas as that of Mini-Circuits.
“They listen to us,” she said of Mini-Circuits’ leadership team. “They listen to ideas, which we’ve been encouraged to come up with. When I share suggestions from my team, I make sure the ‘powers that be’ know they came from my team and not from me. And they do come up with really good ideas.”
When asked what motivates her as a leader, Caroline points to a sentiment we all share at Mini-Circuits: the desire to do our best — for one another, and our customers.
“I often find myself in awe of my colleagues,” she said. “Sometimes, in meetings, I just listen to them and think, they’re — we’re — so proud to work for Mini-Circuits. The family ethics and nurturing feeling behind the company make us want to strive to do the best we can.”
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