“America is a land of wonders, in which everything is in constant motion and every change seems an improvement.”

Alexis de Tocqueville,
Democracy in America (1835)

Since its inception, America has been a nation of doers and improvers. Often companies start with a great idea, then continue to transform themselves through visionary leadership.

That is how two well-respected companies with roots in Northwestern Minnesota, Otter Tail Corporation and Polaris Inc., have grown to be leaders in their categories. What began as an ambitious vision for both companies—transforming themselves to stay at the forefront of their industries—has been made possible by investing in high quality talent strategies in partnership with MDA Leadership.

Success Stories, Years in the Making
Otter Tail was initially incorporated as a power company in 1907, when four investors pooled $100,000 to build a hydroelectric dam on the Otter Tail River. Today, Otter Tail is a diversified, publicly traded holding company with electric utility, manufacturing, and plastics segments operating in six states. By year-end 2021, Otter Tail had a market capitalization of $2.97 billion and revenue of $1.197 billion.

Polaris began in Roseau, Minn. when two brothers and a friend sought to build a machine to move hunting shacks through deep snow in 1954. The team created what we now know as the modern snowmobile, and Polaris was born. Today, Polaris is a leading global maker of not only snowmobiles, but also off-road and all-terrain vehicles, boats, autocycles and motorcycles, selling products and services in 120+ countries. After creating, growing, or acquiring some two dozen brands over the last couple of decades, Polaris sales reached $7.4 billion last year (2021).

Though operating in different industries, Otter Tail and Polaris came to a similar recognition: facing new and more complex competitive headwinds, they needed to evolve their talent strategies to meet current business needs and future growth goals. Both saw value in partnering with MDA for this important work.

Make Leadership Development Central to Your Business Strategy
Otter Tail has pursued a robust talent strategy with MDA’s support, including the creation of leadership success profiles as well as leadership assessment and development. “We’ve reimagined leadership development at all levels across the company,” said Paul Knutson, Vice President of Human Resources for Otter Tail Corporation.

“We’ve recognized leadership development is vitally important not only for business performance, but also from an employee value proposition and retention perspective. It shows we invest in our people and it differentiates us from other companies. We’ve created an open, respectful, and inclusive workplace where important conversations are taking place.”

Leverage Assessments to Bring Your Leadership Vision to Life
Likewise, Polaris has worked closely with MDA to identify and develop its next generation of leaders. The company attracts great talent, so one of its challenges is determining who possesses the right capabilities to be most successful. “We look for leaders who will bring agility and critical thinking to our business and enable Polaris to strengthen our position as the global leader in powersports,” said Carrie Guthrie, Vice President of Corporate Human Resources for Polaris Inc.

“We leverage assessments to help us determine who will innovate, deliver for our customers, and contribute to our talent development culture. For our leadership team, the ability to connect and communicate across a dispersed, hybrid and global team is a key requirement. The strength of our talent has been instrumental in our success.”

MDA provides Polaris with trusted insights into selection, development, and succession decisions. Guthrie explained: “MDA’s understanding of our company and culture has been transformational for our talent strategies.”

Invest in High Quality Talent Strategies
By committing themselves to visionary business and talent strategies, Otter Tail and Polaris have achieved new heights of corporate success.