Executive Suite: Steven Tiffen, Hauppauge

Steven Tiffen, the youngest of four children, was considering going to law school after college.

Instead, he joined the company his father and two uncles founded, Tiffen Co., a manufacturer of photographic equipment. "I came right out of school and came to work," he says.

Tiffen became president and chief executive in 1987. The company won a Business Achievement Award from the Hauppauge Industrial Association last year.

Tiffen, 50, holds leadership positions with the Consumer Electronics Association. He is married with six children.

How did you learn to manage other people?
"I did an enormous amount of reading. I was exposed to some great mentors early on. My dad actually hired a consultant to work with me when my family decided that I was going to be president of the company. The other thing that I did at an early age was I joined the YPO, the Young Presidents Organization, which was extremely beneficial to me."

Describe your leadership style.
"We have really good managers on our team. We try to foster an environment of creativity and entrepreneurialism. The individual managers are set forth to do what they need to do in the marketplace. I read once that the best management style is the one that's needed at the time. Any leader must change course and change direction and change their style based on the waters and seas that you're in."

How has the recession impacted business?
"Quite frankly, we're very fortunate that the part of the business that we're in, the movie and television business, tends to do well during tough periods. People flock to films and movies. The recession created some opportunities for us to partner with some companies. We were able to pick up some staff from competitors."

What qualities do you look for when you're hiring?
"We nurture a familial culture. We look for people who are friendly and can work together with other people. We look for people that are creative. The knowledge part about our business you'll learn and develop. But you've got to be able to coexist with other people and be able to work as a team."

What are your plans for growth?
"As a company, our mission is to help create the world's greatest images. So we grow by continuing to add products that help people do that. We're very much a product-based company that runs on a very simple credo, which is: 'Find out what our customers want and give it to them.' "

Do you have advice for someone considering taking over a family business?
"Remember that it's a business. While a family may have founded it, in the end it needs to operate like a business. I'm big on mentoring. It's really important to get insight from people who've been there and done that."