Counsel Others and Yourself
I learned years ago to have a group of people around me I could check in with. While he was still around, it was my father. Since then I have surrounded myself with people I trust; people who are my mentors and truly care about the success of the company. I also learned to do a bit of self-talk when business issues are more stressful or more complex than normal. I counsel myself and although it may seem overwhelming at the moment, there is a solution, life will go on, and most likely get a heck of a lot better. Then I spend some time focusing on the issue and somehow the solution usually presents itself.
Tom Kelly, President
Neil Kelly Company, Portland, OR
Rely on Your Team Members
Tough questions are usually a teamwork challenge and best answered by asking my associates and mentors. Just because I am the leader does not mean I know all the answers, only that I develop a good direction and effective plan that follows our values, vision, and mission.
I depend on many smart and experienced people on our team to offer answers to difficult questions. Team input may come in the form of partial answers, further questions, or advice about what not to do. Experience guides me to interpret and understand what I hear. Arriving at an answer may require real focus and, sometimes, quiet prayer to cut through the static and see the real question—the question beneath the question. Seeing and sensing the real question or issue is critical to identifying an effective solution. Engagement with my team is the key to building trust, gathering wisdom, and building buy-in for solving tough issues. The toughest questions are best shared and solved through engagement with my team. It’s still my responsibility for success or failure, but I prefer knowing what my team advises.
Scott Mosby, President
Mosby Building Arts, St. Louis, MO
Open Yourself to Other Resources
I love the quote from the baseball player Satchel Paige, “None of us is as smart as all of us.” As leaders, if we can resist the fear that we should singularly have the answer because of our position, then we open ourselves to the great resources that surround us in both our professional and personal lives.
Bill Baldwin, President
HartmanBaldwin Design/Build, Pasadena, CA
Take Advice from Others
A proverb said: “He who deliberates fully before taking a step will spend his entire life on one leg.” Sometimes we have to stop thinking about a problem all the way through. We have to stop making up what may or may not happen if we make the wrong decision. That’s what happens to me sometimes. I make up scenarios that paralyze my decision process. That’s when I rely on the advice from others, make a decision, and then enjoy the ride. However it turns out, it doesn’t really matter—I can always change it later if necessary.
Jay Cipriani, President
Cipriani Remodeling Solutions, Woodbury, NJ