Our Shared Values: The Power of Staying United, Kind and Growing

Hi! I’m Dan Cnossen, a three-time Paralympic athlete and, since 2021, proud UKG Ambassador. Prior to training for the US Paralympic Nordic Ski team, I served in the US Navy from 2002-2015 as a member of the SEAL teams. In 2009, while on a deployment to Afghanistan, I was severely injured on a nighttime combat mission which resulted in the amputation of both of my legs above the knees. I live in Natick, Massachusetts now, but am originally from Kansas and grew up on a 5^th generation farm. I joined the Navy to see the world, serve on small teams, and have a sense of adventure. 

For many reasons, I’ve really enjoyed over the years getting to work with UKG and meet many of the UKG family of customers at various events. As a skier, I’m proud to wear the UKG logo on my training gear—the UKG logo with the smiley “U” is the best! This year, I’ve learned of three UKG core values—United, Kind, and Growing—which I’d like to discuss here. Although I know that this is not what the acronym “UKG” actually stands for, these three values seem to fit so perfectly into UKG’s culture!

United

Looking back on my time serving in the US military, it was a very special thing to be an integral, valued member of a united team—united in purpose, united in camaraderie. This sense of unity—together knowing the mission, believing in the hard training, and knowing that the other members of the team will be there for you should things go wrong, just as you would be there for them—makes all the difference in elevating performance. As I saw it, unity comes in the Naval Special Warfare community from tough training, and subsequently from the bonding process which results from this hardship. Unity also comes from culture: emphasizing that this is a team and a community which looks out for its own. And unity comes from leadership: establishing and upholding the right kind of team climate to foster unity. 

  I’m reminded of UKG Aspire 2022, when at the end of the conference all participants came together with the UKG team for the Imagine Dragons concert in Las Vegas. It was great to see this happen and to be a part of that fun event, which speaks to UKG’s commitment to being united with its extended family of customers. 

Kind

In addition to the fantastic UKG logo with its embedded smile for all to see as a reminder to be kind, I remember something one of my instructors said in military training in 2003 to the class: “Do not mistake my kindness for weakness.” Granted, the instructor meant this as a threat to punish the class for failing to perform up to standard! Ever since, though, the phrase has stayed in my mind. Nevertheless, I do believe that in many organizational cultures—to include the US military—the mindset of leaders may be such that they fear being viewed as weak if they are consistently kind. Therefore, they may be likely to adopt a “tough” personality, wanting to be seen as strong. We have the personality we have, and only so much can be adjusted without seeming inauthentic. For those who do not naturally come across as kind—and for that matter, anyone else as well—acts of kindness are the best way to display kindness. Kindness is strength, and it should be the default mode for a leader. For a leader to be inconsiderate, rigid, aloof, or unkind to the team so as to demonstrate “toughness” is, in my mind, weak because it may come from insecurity. Should someone try to take advantage of a leader’s or teammate’s kindness, then this same confidence and strength of kindness can be ratcheted into firmness to do what is necessary to address the situation. 

Growing

As a Paralympic athlete, I’ve learned over the years to be open to feedback, to seek it out even, as I attempt after a long time in the sport to continue in development and growth. It’s not always pleasant to be told of mistakes, or about things you should have done better. However, because my goal in the sport ultimately is to ski as fast as I can when it counts the most, I’ve concluded that I should be open to any information which assists in this pursuit. Asking advice, seeking quality mentors, studying what you can to master your craft—these are but a few ways to grow personally. A growth mindset is one in which setbacks or obstacles are reframed internally into challenges and opportunities. For teams to grow, this all depends upon leadership. Leaders do or do not create the kind of climate where mistakes, instead of being viewed as intolerable, are seen as opportunities to catalog and share such lessons so that the team can improve and grow together. It begins with a willingness to admit one’s own mistakes. This is all part of a broader commitment to growth. There are many forms of growth, to include economic and financial expansion, but I would also recommend looking at a team’s and organization’s ability to grow in terms of the depth of its interpersonal culture, in terms of its ability to recover and learn from mistakes, and in terms of its overall capacity to pursue the larger mission. 

“All in”

Another UKG theme I’m learning about in 2025 is to be “all in” and, to me, this has a twofold meaning. 

First, “All In” relates to effort. I’m sure that all the UKG athlete ambassadors can relate to this. To excel in ultra-competitive international sport, the athlete must be all in, which means: tedious, patient attention to detail in training and practice in preparation for competition; setting specific, meaningful goals; monitoring progress; communicating with relevant coaches and other personnel; adjusting training based on feedback and corrections; studying to master the technical, physical, and mental aspects of the sport; applying discipline and perseverance of effort over lengthy periods of time; and giving 100% effort during critical competitions. For UKG to succeed in its competitive environment, things are no different. We cannot realistically give 100% effort for 100% of the time for years on end, yet excellence demands 100% effort during times when a max effort is critical for success. Excellence also demands 100% cumulative effort over the long run. This to me is what “all in” means in terms of effort. 

Second, “All In” relates to another UKG theme: unity. To be “all in” means for everyone to be in it together, united in common effort to succeed as a team. “All” are in. If a few members are giving it full effort, but other members of the team are not, then we are not all in. At many of the UKG events I’ve attended, this theme of unity is present. I remember attending the UKG Retail summit in Nashville in May 2023. The closing daytime event was team guitar building. In teams of 8-10 people there were various mechanical assembly and artistic design tasks required for completion of the project. To finish within the amount of time provided meant that division of labor and delegation of tasks within each team would be essential. At the end of the allotted time the assembled guitars were displayed, each eventually to be donated to a military veteran for music therapy. As an outsider who joined one of the teams, I felt after the exercise much closer to the people on my assigned team than prior to it. The guitar building activity sent subtle yet vital messages to the UKG Retail participants: the importance of public service, especially for companies with resources to give back to help those in need in their communities; delegation of tasks within a team to accomplish a mission on time; and no matter how full the calendar is, an organization should carve space for team-building activities to foster unity and camaraderie and, ultimately, mission success. 

United, Kind and Growing—with “all in” this together—I’m excited to see where UKG goes in 2025 and beyond!