This facility picked and shipped 72 million eyeglass lenses to fill half a million orders last year. Our shipment accuracy was 99.997%. But just as important, we continued our streak of zero no-ships that started April 11, 2002. Keeping that alive has not been easy, but there are some things that make it possible.

Right up front we ensure that training doesn't just take place but is effective. You have to keep in mind that we have nearly 30,000 SKUs (stock keeping units) and use only manual materials handling. That means people have to know how to fill orders from their first day on the job. They also have to know the values here and how to live them.

Managers develop five goals each year for each person in the DC. Then four times during the year people have to provide hard evidence that they are meeting the goals.

It's also critical that managers recognize the hard work and achievements of people on the floor. And it needs to be much more than just a pat on the back or a raise. We have done a video of the DC and have shown it to our sales people at their annual meeting. That way they can talk about how great the facility is and that attitude filters back to our people. We also have an annual employee appreciation week. Not a day, but a week with various activities, some of which include people's families.

Now we do all this to help them out. But ultimately, it's up to them. And that requires having people who are driven to do what's right for customers – and so far, it's working.