A wise person once said, if you want to score a touchdown, then throw the football into the end zone.
You won’t hear any argument on that philosophy from Tracey Koziol. The senior vice president, Workplace Solutions Business Group for Xerox, is an ardent believer in setting stretch goals, which has its own acronym in the halls of Xerox: BHAGs.
As in Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals.
“It’s nice to win, but it’s great to win big,” Koziol added.
Tracey Koziol
Senior Vice President of Workplace Solutions
Xerox Corp.
It’s an exciting time for Xerox, particularly on the heels of the company’s largest product launch in its 110-year history. And Koziol embodies the spirit behind the company’s BHAGs. This 2017 ENX Magazine Difference Maker fully embraces the changes that are taking place within the organization, because she knows the salutary impact it is having on customers.
“Without a doubt, delivering meaningful change that improves the customer experience with our devices, solutions and apps is what’s most meaningful to me,” Koziol said. “When you focus on the customer’s needs and you deliver, it creates that partnership where you both win. There’s no better feeling.”
Koziol had been working in the mobile phone industry doing product line management and engineering, a fast-paced environment that was highly focused on the customer experience. When she got the call from Xerox, Koziol was with a startup firm that stressed delivering the best mobile experience of local and global music.
After a couple of interviews, Koziol knew she had found her ideal destination. “There was a declaration of modernizing the experience, putting customers first and that old-fashioned value of appreciating their people,” she said. “I’ve been with the company now for two and a half years, and it has truly flown by.”
Koziol believes one of her strongest traits is the ability to lead by example. She will never ask her team to do more than she is willing to take on herself. At the same time, Koziol expects her team to be bold. The status quo and mediocrity are not components of her vocabulary.
“Remove the barriers, enable people to grow and excel,” she said. “When the inevitable disappointment or failure occurs, learn from it and move on.”
Koziol has benefitted from the wisdom and insight of many talented individuals within the Xerox chain as she has learned about the company and its technologies, including Russell Peacock, Kevin Warren and CEO Jeff Jacobson. She also credits the Workplace Solutions Business Group for inspiring her with their willingness to do whatever it takes to deliver on that quality customer experience while supporting one another.
Koziol called 2016 a foundational year for the Workplace Solutions Business Group in building a portfolio of end-to-end solutions while making Xerox’s products “true citizens of the Internet of Things” with the release of the ConnectKey i-series. The achievement enabled Xerox to garner its fourth straight award from BLI for solutions Line of the Year.
Now, with the 29 VersaLink and AltaLink products hitting the market, Koziol said the goal is to grow Xerox’s presence in the enterprise and SMB spaces, particularly in building upon its A4 share. “We have a great foundation now and we need to push to be more nimble and easier to do business with,” she observed. “We need to give our partners the best tools and content to make selling Xerox their preference. And we need to continue to improve the end-customer’s experience through innovative solutions and applications.”
Koziol loves spending time watching her youngest son play sports and visiting her older son and daughter in Chicago. She loves sports and considers herself a movie buff, with history and action films topping her list.
“It’s been the busiest 12 months of my career, and my family has been so patient,” she added. “I am looking forward to a family holiday at the end of August and then visiting the U.K. to see the rest of my extended family later in the year.”
