3. Roll up your sleeves (but think big picture) 36 hours without sleep, hunched over a laptop: this is the image Gary calls “one of my favorite pictures of Dave.” It was taken during the implementation phase of project Accelerator, which aimed to harmonize global processes in SAP. Not pictured are the many tough conversations leading up to that point, where Dave advocated at the highest levels in the company to change processes that just didn’t work for North America or its customers. His ability to understand the nuts and bolts of an issue, engage people at any level of the organization and still drive a vision make him an inspiring, effective leader, according to colleagues. And when the team is under pressure to get things done, Dave is there, too: “He was in the war room with his sleeves rolled up, working through the night,” says Greg. 4. Bring the outside world in Fascinated by gadgets and a known “tinkerer” outside the office, Dave brings his passion for technology to everything he does. “He always wanted to be that next step ahead, always pushing,” says Pat Nestor, Director, Global Supply Chain Performance Management. Keeping pace with the outside world – and customers’ expectations – has led to many ideas that would now be considered digitalization. Dave’s spearheading of the region’s first transportation management system in 2006, which replaced a sprawling system of spreadsheets, is one example. In the early 2000s, Greg recalls working with Dave on an idea to attach GPS trackers to BASF’s rail fleet. The technology wasn’t quite up to the task yet, so it never materialized the way they’d hoped. But for Greg and his teammates, the lesson was a lasting one: “We had a lot of trial and error, and he kept supporting us. For me the takeaway was, don’t be afraid to fail.”

5. Make time for people Through 40 years of organizational changes, integrations, new roles, international moves and nonstop travel, there has been one constant: “Dave just radiates respect for people,” says Chuck. This means making time for them – no matter what. “If I need advice, I can pick up the phone and he’ll be there for me,” says Pat. Greg agrees: “When I worked for Dave, there wasn’t much I couldn’t say to him. He gave us the space to vent when we needed to.” In better times, he’s funneled that energy into building up the team. Gary describes his earliest memory of Dave as they worked on the first implementation of SAP in 1996: “Motivation is the word that comes to mind. He was always walking the hallways getting people fired up.” Asked what was most important to know about Dave for this story, every colleague had the same answer: “He’ll be missed.”