Mike Ubl – Senior Director of the Technical Solutions Team
What is your management philosophy?
I am a Demming grad, meaning I went to Dr. Demming’s school of quality management. We learned to treat associates like a plant. Make sure they have EVERYTHING they need to do their job, then get the heck OUT of their way. Stay available for guidance, but that is it. I stay engaged with them, listen to their needs, and do whatever it takes to keep them productive. Most of all, MAKE IT FUN in the process. As most know, I am rarely very serious.
Who has been your most effective manager, and what did you appreciate about them?
I’ve had 3 at Standard Electric and they all managed differently. No one was better than the others, and I highly respected them all.
What would you name the autobiography of your life? Why?
Honesty. As most people know, I am about as honest as it gets. That was from my father, who made it clear that the ONLY thing people can’t take from you is your honor. You have to give that away, and you do it by being dishonest. If you know me, you know I rarely hold back. I would rather get past the weirdness of decorum to attack the problem at hand.
What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? Why?
Tinkering. I love to build things, fix things, weld, program, design, etc. I have built 3D printers and several laser cutters/engravers which I use all the time.
Ten years ago, are you where you thought you would be now? How alike or different is it compared to what you imagined?
I was already 10 years into the start of SE Automation, and we were already the largest Siemens distributor in Wisconsin. Moving back to take over all of the Technical Solutions Team (TST) was not something that I saw coming, but it made sense to bring some of the disciplines we created within SE to all of the engineering teams. So yes, I am where I wanted to be.
Who inspires you? Why?
My father was my inspiration. He landed on Normandy during WW2 and made it all the way to Battle of the Bulge in the Ardennes where he was captured. He spent the rest of the war as a POW and was not treated very well at all. His feet had frozen from working in the snow with no boots, etc. but he never once complained about any of it. He was a self-made man, soft spoken, and a genius as an engineer. He passed 15 years ago.
What’s the best meal you’ve ever had?
Montgomery Inn ribs in Cincinnati, Ohio
What is your favorite part of working at Standard Electric? Why?
Our culture. It has certainly changed over the years, especially with COVID. I’m not a home-type person, so when I am in town, I am in the office. I feel that is the best place for me to be effective when not with customers or suppliers.
What’s something most people don’t know about you?
In the fall of 1989, I was working in East Germany on a machine installation. Being a communist country, I travelled to the job site on Monday and came back to West Germany on the weekends. One day, while at work, I was told the leave the country as fast as possible. The wall had fallen, which we didn’t know at the time, so from then on my commute was much easier as they quickly made roads through the border in a matter of days.
If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do?
I would tell nobody.
What is your personal philosophy? How has this guided you?
Be honest. I think it defines me. You will never have a hard time in a conversation as long as you stick to the truth, no matter what.
If you could meet anyone, living or dead, who would you meet? Why?
Being the youngest of 7 and having parents as old as other kids’ grandparents, I had a brother who passed before I was born. He would be the one person I would like to have met.
What is your favorite TV show or movie?
Too many to list.
What’s one thing you can’t live without? Why?
My family
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen/traveled to?
Negril, Jamaica
What led you to this career?
I was always fascinated with electronics as a kid. Could not get enough of taking things apart, figuring them out, then putting them back together with as few parts left over as possible. Imagine a 10-year-old taking mom’s brand-new Kirby vacuum apart to figure out why they were so special. FYI, neither mom nor dad were amused.
When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Air traffic controller