I didn’t go to CEO school and had never worked for other companies, so I lacked any theoretical frames of reference for what good leadership means. What I know, I have learned through serendipity and hard work. After 20 years of very hands-on experience, I’m a typically driven CEO of a very successful small company that has made a conscious decision to stay small. We focus on quality incremental growth because we don’t think dynamic expansion can improve the results of our unique culture strategy.
I’m still learning the lessons of leadership every day by closely observing accomplished colleagues, and by reading up on anything and everything that applies. When I try to define what leadership is - and how a neophyte might start to pull it off - a few points come to mind rather quickly. Here’s what I have learned about leadership on my way to becoming “the guy.”
Have a vision
Eventually, it dawned on me that everybody in the company had to understand exactly where we were headed and how we were trying to get there. Without a clear vision that is articulated often, it’s too easy for co-workers to lose sight of where they fit into the picture and what the whole exercise is about. A leader has to supply tight, cohesive answers to those questions and work hard to ensure that those answers make good sense to everybody. Constantly rearticulating the vision in new ways that keep the message fresh and convincing has been very important to our success at Beryl.
Talk it up
A leader is someone whose words are taken seriously. I continue to believe that communicating what we’re doing and listening to people are the best ways to be a leader and help the business.
I remember reading in a book by Bill Marriott that the seven most important words for a leader are: “I don’t know. What do you think?” This has proven repeatedly to be some of the best advice I’ve ever heard. A smart CEO may have phenomenal instincts and know the answers to 80 percent of the questions that come up. But a good leader has the tact and patience to let the answers emerge from other people. This method gives them pride of ownership. They feel like they share in the decision making instead of always being told what to do.
Our internal communications program gives me multiple ways to cycle messages and collect feedback. The “town hall” meeting format has worked especially well. We look at the town halls as a way to explain what’s happening and also to offer a forum for questions - with no limit in terms of scope or topic. Quite often we’ll be challenged, and occasionally someone will raise his or her hand with a stinging complaint disguised as a question. That’s perfectly OK. The events are “no holds barred,” and the beauty of the odd complaint is that people walk away feeling like they can air out their grievances and ask us anything.
Make it personal
You can’t really bond with individuals in town hall meetings, so on a monthly basis our COO and I invite 12 to 15 co-workers who represent various parts of the company to have lunch with us. These “chat ‘n chew” sessions are very informal sit-downs, strictly intended to help us all get to know one another better. As important as it is for us to be open with our guests, we’ve found that much of the value is the camaraderie that develops among co-workers who may not have interacted much with each other before. I always end the session with the question: “If there was one thing you could change or improve at Beryl, what would that be?” It feels good sometimes when people struggle to find something negative. But just by asking the question, we’ve gotten a number of ideas that have had a big effect company-wide. A lot of major changes at Beryl have been sparked by these little communal meals.
Broaden their horizons
Our monthly business meetings include about 50 primary managers and department representatives. Like every other company in the world, we share specific monthly results as well as trends for the year. But to punch up the energy level, we also use these meetings as a learning opportunity and bring in outside speakers to broaden our horizons and give us fresh perspectives on pertinent issues. One month a Southwest Airlines executive will explain the nuts and bolts of that company’s culture. The next month, we may host a local MBA professor who briefs us on management philosophy. I get great feedback on these outside speakers, and people actually feel like they have walked away with something of value.
Be present
Management by walking around is actually another great strategy for making it personal. Several times a month I pop onto the call center floor with no particular agenda other than to say hello and visit with co-workers. I’ll ask advisors to get off the phone for a few minutes and just chat. It didn’t come easily to me at first. Working on deals and building the business has always been easier for me than checking in with people and making what I used to consider “small talk.” Now that I routinely do “floor tours,” they are always a high point of my week. I’ve consciously worked on my communication skills, and the more you do this, the more naturally it flows and the more fulfilling the interactions become. For the people who look to you for leadership, there is no such thing as small talk.
Keep no secrets, build no barriers
Our approach to information is wide open access. We post our monthly financials publicly and see no risk in that. If we’re doing well, we obviously want employees to know. And the same holds true if we’re not. We’ve found that if you share information through both the good and the bad times, a trust develops that encourages people to take the ride with you. To nurture that trust we blanket everybody with thorough and honest information.
Weed the garden
A lot of leadership has to do with understanding your own limitations and building a support team around you. When I’m lucky enough to have talented folks cross my path, it’s never been a problem for me to promote them or, if they’re outsiders, to invite them aboard. I like people who know more than I do. They enhance my experience and help the company grow in ways that I could not. “Weeding the garden” is the way I look at developing leadership around me. It doesn’t mean firing weak performers. It means creating an environment where people with great potential can grow into peak performance.
Don’t be a bottleneck
As a leader, I see myself as a traffic director. If I’m doing my job right, no task will sit on my desk for long, and no one should ever be waiting for direction from me. Why would I ever bottleneck the organization? I have people I can delegate the task to who are empowered to do the bulk of the work. As a leader, in fact, I strive to be the single most responsive co-worker in the company. When anybody needs something from me - no matter who they are - they get it immediately. Co-workers are my customers, and I want them to treat their customers the same way.
Foster levity
In my opinion, it’s a weak and self-important leader who is too busy to share a laugh and who can’t take a good-natured ribbing. My experience has been that a little levity can relieve stress, build relationships, and spark creativity. I have taken pies in the face and been forced to perform wacky dance routines in a lime green leisure suit and a goofy red wig. Did this undermine anybody’s authority? On the contrary, it underscored the fact that we’re all just human beings here, and we’re all going to work together. When management shows its fun side, the whole organization breathes easier. A culture of levity can also be critical to employee retention. In an industry where turnover usually averages 80 to 90 percent, ours is only a fraction of that.
Seek Out Mentors
Good leaders also surround themselves with mentors who can help them hone their business skills in a variety of areas. I don’t know why a leader would not develop mentor relationships. It’s as simple as asking because most people are more than willing to help. I have relationships with other mentors who’ve given me invaluable advice on how to build teams and get people to work together. These advisors seem to get as much out of helping as they do learning themselves. I know that for a fact because I’ve been fortunate now to become a mentor to others. It’s a lot of fun.
The biggest truth about leadership is this: you lead by setting an example. By valuing the skills, contributions, and assets of those around you, you empower others to appreciate what sets you apart as a leader - natural-born or not.
About the Author
Paul Spiegelman is a cofounder and the CEO of The Beryl Companies (www.beryl.net), the nation’s leading company in healthcare customer interactions and relationship management. He is responsible for setting the vision for the company, building a strong management team, and promoting the unique culture for the 300-plus co-workers. This culture has resulted in Beryl being chosen as the #2 Best Medium Company to Work For in America and recognition as a top employer in the Dallas area as well as throughout Texas. Paul was a finalist for the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. And Beryl made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the country.
Paul is a much sought-after speaker and is particularly passionate about the importance of customer service in healthcare. He is a frequent author whose views have been published in Inc., Entrepreneur, Dallas Morning News, Leadership Excellence, and many other noteworthy publications. His first book, Why is Everyone Smiling? The Secret Behind Passion, Productivity and Profit (www.whyiseveryonesmiling.com), explores how businesses can create the kind of corporate culture that fosters creativity, builds employee and customer loyalty, and benefits the company’s bottom line.
Paul practiced law for two years prior to starting Beryl. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of California Los Angeles and a law degree from Southwestern University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and mentors MBA students through the associate board of the Edwin L. Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University as well as at Texas Christian University.
