Leadership

Four years ago, our family moved into a newly constructed home that was built on an old farm property. In the early fall that year, we contracted someone to plant grass seed. As the spring approached, we waited in anticipation for our beautiful green grass to sprout, and some of it did. But more frequently, what rose out of the earth was quack grass. It turns out that quack grass doesn’t need fertilizer or water to grow. In fact, had we been okay with its presence, we could have allowed it to take over our yard at a much-reduced cost than conventional grass. It turns out that the best grass doesn’t naturally rise to the top of the soil.

I often hear leaders say that the best ideas rise to the top of their organizations and of course they think that. But how true is this in reality? While I cannot speak for other organizations, I am always concerned at Hoffer Plastics about whose ideas are not being heard because I have discovered that like Kentucky blue grass, these ideas are not going to naturally sprout to the top of the organization. Rather, we have to be intentional so that we do not miss them. To that end, here are three actions to keep in mind.

First, leaders need to over-communicate their willingness to hear new ideas. Hearing ideas means that the leader not only listens to the idea, but also considers its merit. If no action is ever taken on ideas coming from lower levels of the organization, don’t expect a lot of input! Earlier this year, for example, a few of our team members voiced concern about a perceived lack of training with regards to workplace violence. The tragedy in Aurora, Illinois, soon followed, and so did our Executive Team’s decision to engage our local fire and police departments to setup two Saturday training events in April and May, which we most likely would not have prioritized had our team members on the production floor not voiced their opinion. Their idea that we needed training was spot on.

Next, leaders need to be willing to listen to great ideas from anyone. What am I about to write may be a little controversial, but my experience indicates that it is true: Some team members have lost influence with their peers due to their personal behavior. Therefore, when they have a “good idea” it doesn’t go very far because people are not listening to them anymore. These people are most likely good at what they do –some are even great which can also be a hindrance to peers listening. Still, leaders need to create rhythms – one-on-one check-ins along with other communications –so that they ensure they are hearing from these people. Good ideas won’t naturally rise to the top, and good ideas can come from just about everywhere, so leaders need to be canvasing for them.

Finally, leaders need to filter those that have 20 good ideas before the first morning meeting. This has been an area of weakness for me in the past because I find new ideas, and the people that come up with them, energizing. I would much rather surround myself with these kinds of people than the “just so you know [all the bad stuff] that is happening around here” kind. (My comeback to this now is “and what are you doing about it?”) Still, the organization cannot go in multiple directions at once –another weakness we are personally resolving –with team members no longer having the mental stamina to focus on multiple initiatives. To this end, leaders need to carefully reign in idea creators, without putting a muzzle on them, and filter what makes sense given the direction the company is going. You simply cannot do everything, even if the ideas are “good.”

While the list above is not meant to be exhaustive, it will help leaders ensure that more of the good ideas rise to the top. And more importantly, these actions will help some of the good ideas to take root and sprout.

This post was written in real-time on site at the Entreleadership Summit (April 28 – May 1, 2019). The purpose of the post is to share how beneficial Summit was, share interesting nuggets of wisdom, and what my takeaways were from the experience.

April 28, 2019

I have arrived in San Diego, checked-in, worked out, and am about to depart for the opening reception. My goals this week are the following:

1. Grow my relationship with my sisters.

2. Connect with my sisters on pertinent succession related topics at HP.

3. John Felkins (my Executive Coach) would say “have fun.” Yes, have fun!

4. Strategy: I want to take away a strategy related nugget that I can apply to our upcoming commercial strategy sessions. My guess is this may come from Dave Ramsey, Dr. Henry Cloud, or Chris Hogan.

5. Corporate Culture – I also want to take away a culture related nugget to apply at HP. We have some awesome new team members on our team, and I want to continue leading in more positive energy. I know my sisters are on the same page here, yet we can always use another nugget or piece of advice.

April 29, 2019

5:10 p.m.

Day one is a wrap. Whew. My first inclination is to write that none of this is rocket-science, but it is all doing-science. Leadership is the art of doing something, or moving from here to there. Most of what was talked about today is to a level common sense, but it is talked about because it is not common doing. Leaders act.

To this end, Patrick Lencioni challenged me about addressing behavior problems within the organization. The leader doesn’t have time not to address these issues, and these are exactly the kind of issues that we (or I) don’t feel like I have time to address. But it is MY JOB to. Period.

Dr. Henry Cloud defined accountability as “answering to a trust,” with emphasis on a “future state” and getting to that desired outcome. My accountability partner John, for instance, hears my “accounting” of how I am living because he and I are committed to each other becoming more Christ-like. So, I am answering to a “trust” and not a “boss” because John is invested in my getting to that desired state. I share because I found this distinction helpful and believe focusing on the “desired future state” is helpful.

Overall, I end the first day encouraged to lead more passionately, positively, and intentionally. I felt 90% of the day was wrapped in culture pieces and found the “break time” discussions with my sisters on these pieces very beneficial. I’ll close with two reminders (and personal applications for me) from Carey Lohrenz, the first female F-14 Tomcat Pilot: “Leaders need to show up, put a smile on their face, and no chip on their shoulder. Everyone is watching.” And,”a negative attitude kills your ability to adapt.”

April 30, 2019

9:25 p.m.

Trying to capture all that happened on day 2 at this time of night is foolhardy. But as Dave has so unapologetically reminded us the last two days, leadership without courage is not leadership. So here goes…

Simon Sinek smacked me square across the forehead with his talk on the “Infinite Game” when he reminded us that the goal is to “stay in the game and become the best version of yourself.” That might not be the exact quote –Simon talks fast –but the gist of it struck me. My sisters and I are in the midst of succession planning and staying in the game is our mission. Period. We don’t stress about “beating the competition” (that’s playing the “finite” and not the “infinite” game). Rather, we desire Hoffer Plastics to become the best version of itself. And we want to be a company that lasts.

Chris Hogan reminded us that our team is the family that some of our team members have never had. Meanwhile, Marcus Buckingham convinced us that believing people have potential is a lie because it infers that others don’t (he also talked about 8 other powerful lies, including how awful we are at rating others, which is a blog post for later!). Finally, Ken Coleman talked about “The Power of Proximity.” As powerful as that talk was, he closed it challenging leaders to rest from inputs. Without rest, he said, our capacity to serve others gets diminished.

This brings me to my Executive Coach, John Felkins. He really challenged me on this end last January. Since then, I have followed a 24-hour weekend sabbath that has positively impacted me in ways that I cannot fully describe here. While his challenge was not prescriptive, and while I was only following God’s prescription, his challenge to rest played a role in me getting to where I am at today. Thank you, John.

May 1, 2019

4:09 p.m.

The closing session just wrapped up 12 minutes ago. Today featured more Dave Ramsey, Peyton (freaking!) Manning, Jesse Itzler (dude makes me want to run through a wall), and Sara Blakely (whose sweet smile hides a tenacity that is second to none). “I wasn’t going to let my success be determined by the work of others,” Sara said. She then told the story of how for 21 days she sold Spanx up and down the coastline of California, all after she had Neiman Marcus as an account.

That’s right, there are no accidental billionaires.

This post has gone on long enough, so here are my biggest takeaways from this week:

1. I need to lead boldly and passionately.

2. I need to ruthlessly PROTECT the Hoffer Plastics’ culture. And when issues arise – and they will always arise – I have to deal with them.

3. I need to REPEATEDLY tell everyone where we are going and why we are going there.

There are countless takeaways (and actions) from the last three days that fit into these areas.

My concluding thoughts are these:

This year has been hard. While we have a lot of success right now, there is also a lot of change. And frankly speaking, there is a lot more change that needs to happen. I can’t look to the left or right anymore. That ship sailed a few years ago. And while I am proud of where we have come already, we have a long road still to travel. None of this is going to be easy. I hear the doubters, the complainers, and the critics. Louder than them all is the self-critic inside my soul that I have to continue to get past.

RISE UP, Dave says, and he’s right.

Despite all this, maybe because of all this, I leave this conference surer of one thing:

I WANT TO DO THIS.

I want to lead, with my sisters, Hoffer Plastics. I don’t want to quit, sell, or cave in.

I don’t want to move.

I hear people advising all that. Look, I get it. Our state has a LOT of challenges. Seriously, it does. Its being run by people making some very questionable decisions and people advise that we should be running our business in other “more friendly states.”

Plastics are also under attack… maybe we should sell?

NO.

We might fail, but I want to do this.

So do my sisters!

We want to keep serving our customers. In fact, this conference challenged me to do it more uniquely in the future.

We want to keep serving our TEAM. I am still chewing on what Chris Hogan said yesterday – we are family to some of them.

We want to keep serving our community – in this town and even this state!

I want to spend my life using whatever leadership gifts I have in making a BETTER corporate culture.

NO, it isn’t going to get easy. And NO, it won’t ever be perfect.

But this is a manifesto that I want to STAY IN THE GAME AND WORK ON GETTING BETTER.

RISE UP?

LET’S GO.

One of my core beliefs is that leaders can learn from anyone. To that end, one of my most highly recommended leadership books is Extreme Ownership, specifically its chapter on “leading up and down the chain of command.” It has largely impacted my views and challenged me to handle a recent situation differently—and better—than I would have been naturally inclined to do.

I love the diverse team we have at Hoffer Plastics. I want to surround myself with people who feel like they have a say in the direction we are going. Sometimes, however, this passion can overboil, like it did recently when the team disagreed on the direction of a business strategy. Not being in the meeting when it happened, I was left to getting the facts from others present.

I talked about what happened with all the parties involved, but found myself gravitating to the input from the youngest person on the team. What they lack in experience is made up in their wisdom, and their ability to discern the intricacies of team dynamics. As a leader, I wanted to be intentional in processing the situation with this person as I considered what my next move should be.

So what exactly did it look like to “follow down the chain of command”?

The first action I took was to ask questions about the situation, and listen for themes and revelations within their responses. Before diving into any discussion, I was careful to ensure that any processing of the issue stayed with the issue and did not delve into the complex personalities of those involved in the situation. Sticking to the facts of what happened safeguarded us from gossip, which is both unproductive and unhealthy. Of course, the personalities of those involved come into play, and may need to be addressed, but this should be done one-on-one with the person, not a 3rd party.

Once the clarifying questions gave some scope about the issue, I moved on to the second step by asking this person what they would do if they were in my shoes. This question is powerful because it invites the person into the decision-making process of what action to take. Sitting in the recliner, or the “arm-chair quarterback,” is different than being invited into the decision-making process of what to do next. In fact, this team member stated that what to do next was a hard question to answer given the complexity of the situation at hand. But as they verbally processed the issue one more time, a theme around a lack of role clarity developed in their retelling of the situation. As the leader, I had allowed this lack of clarity to exist, so unbeknownst to this person, their verbal processing helped me clarify what action to take.

The last action I took in this process was not until a day or two later. Going back to this person’s office one more time, I reported back and affirmed that they were helpful. More importantly, I told them exactly the action I was taking based on their inputs. I also reiterated that their help allowed me to take a better action than I might have on my own. As the title of the post suggests, I was following their lead.

Leading people is a hard endeavor. Often leaders like myself look for inputs and help from more seasoned leaders, or through the advice of experts in books and podcasts. As I learned, however, we can also learn from those who are down the “chain of command.” And sometimes following their lead is the best path forward.

One of the most clarifying moments of 2019 was when I received criticism for leading the business with “family values.” The critic believed that running the business with a value of “family” weakened our position, and that caring for people first will eventually be our demise.

To this, they may be right. Most businesses eventually fail, and we are not exempt from that reality.

Core values have to do with how a company behaves, rather than what it does. Like the blood running through our veins, core values are the company’s DNA. While what we do matters immensely, I believe how we do things matters more. To that end, I am here to say that if Hoffer Plastics fails because of how we do things—treating each other as family members, treating suppliers and customers like we would treat extended family, and treating the environment and community we inhabit as best we can since we are stewards of it—I will rest well when it is all said and done.

If, on the other hand, business is all about gaining the next percentage of margin while disregarding human relationships and partnerships, telling half-truths to gain an upper hand, demeaning the competition and even rooting for their demise, blaming the “other” when things don’t go our way, or exhausting all natural and community resources while failing to ever give anything of value back in return, then I want no part of it.

Like any family, we are not perfect. Like any family, this is best seen internally inside our walls. We have our share of people problems because we are human beings after all. These conflicts can be frustrating, even infuriating at times, but we deal with them best we can by always giving the human being the benefit of the doubt. “Sorry” is a word that gets its fair use because we are family. And as a reminder to myself, saying “sorry” must first be modeled by me.

Of course, there is a downside to family. Consultants have told the Hoffer family that we have often allowed poor performers too much runway, that we have failed to confront those problems, and that we can be taken advantage of both internally and externally because of these values. While I think there is some truth to these warnings, I continue to believe for all the reasons listed above that “family” makes us who we are, and clinging to those values is worth the risk.

So yes, we run the business differently than others. If a prospective team member only wants to climb the next step on the ladder, and does not value those around them, we are not for them. If a prospective customer only wants the lowest price and does not value a long-term relationship built on mutual trust and shared growth, we probably are not a good fit. And of course, it is politically correct for everyone to say they prioritize these values, but we aim to be the kind of people that actually live it.

To be sure, this is not the only way to run a business, and to the critics’ point, it may not even be the best. I make no claims that it is.

I just claim that the family core value makes us who we are.

This is what makes us Hoffer Plastics.

Much has been written on meetings in the past several years. Are they good? Bad? Productive? Or just frustrating interruptions to the flow of the day?

My position is that meetings are becoming MORE essential than at any other time in corporate history. With digital technology at a premium, meetings serve to bring people together in the flesh, or at least in real time through the use of ZOOM, and other virtual meeting software. These are the places where leaders truly LEAD! It is the treasured battleground where your influence is put to the test. It is where direction is given, and the journey from moving here to there begins. It is where a team begins to “buy in” and starts to act.

But admittedly, meetings can also be the breeding grounds for waste: people’s time, their pay, and even their morale. Worse, people can leave a bad meeting feeling like they’re on the same page, but finding out later that they weren’t even in the same book!

Leaders, it is our job to improve this.

The number one thing a leader can do to improve meetings is demand that every current meeting’s length is cut in half. Every meeting. Increased time does not lead to increased efficiency. So, if we are not going to allow for “scrap” on the manufacturing floor, we shouldn’t be okay with it in our corporate meetings. Furthermore, decreasing the time in meetings creates a sense of urgency in the room. We don’t have fluff time to mess around, so when we are meeting, let’s get down to business. This can create urgency elsewhere as well.

To do this effectively, however, every meeting needs a leader. Ideally, this is THE leader, or a leader, in the organization. For the purposes of the meeting, they’re the boss. They’re the person that explains the issue, or issues at hand (never more than a few), and they keep the discussion tied to these issues alone. When people bring up problems outside these issues, they write them down so they can be addressed at a separate meeting. In other words, meetings cannot cook a “stew,” they should cook a single entree.

In addition to a meeting boss, a good scribe is also needed. While it is tempting to let the meeting boss to do this, they’re a bad choice because they need to be focused on the conversation going on, rather than writing it down. The boss should be asking clarifying questions, and paying attention to body-posture clues inside the room. The scribe, however, is free to keep their head down and type. Done well, they also can free some people from attending– those who really just need the information from the meeting. Like cutting the time of meetings in half, most meetings can also cut the amount of people attending in half. But this is only possible if a scribe is sharing in detail what happened at the meeting.

Finally, there needs to be clear action items from the meeting. Every organization does this. To make it effective, however, the meeting boss needs to go through each action item with the group to assess commitment level, understanding, and the plan going forward. If this does not happen prior to everyone leaving, the time spent was most likely a waste. As elementary at it sounds, there is power in a person saying, and owning, their action items. There is also value in finding out who is not committed, or said more politely, who would be more committed with one of the action items. Clarifying this here is vital, and keeps the organization moving forward.

Everything above could be done well and still no action be taken because individuals lose sight of the action needed to take. We all live with “information overload,” so unless we have a process for keeping up with our own action items, we are doomed from the start. As mentioned before, I use, and highly recommend, Michael Hyatt’s Fully Focused Planner. The act of physically writing down tasks, checking them off, and doing a weekly-review keeps me on track. Admittedly, Hyatt’s system isn’t the only one out there. But to me, it is the best. Whatever system you choose, find some way to keep your goals in mind, and keep your team accountable for the action items you agreed upon.

If successfully implemented, these ideas will save time, save resources, and enhance productivity. Meetings have gotten a bad rap, but done well, they are a leader’s best tool to create a motivated, productive organization. As Patrick Lencioni once said, “Meetings are where leaders lead!”

Lead well.

Emails were bouncing around despite it being a Friday night. One report, one response, the downward spiral had begun. Selfishly, I was both annoyed and angry. I was ready for the week to be over, and frankly speaking, I was ticked off that this couldn’t wait till Monday.

Instead of throwing gasoline on the fire, I decided to wait till Saturday morning to respond. So, the next morning I began crafting the ultimate email response as I sipped my morning coffee. At first the response was too stern, so I edited it until it sounded somewhat polite. I read it aloud. Would this be okay if everyone in the company saw it, I asked myself? I assured myself it would.

Then a quiet voice in my head reminded me that Abraham Lincoln often wrote letters that he never sent. I have even written about this practice before, but would I have the discipline to follow it?

Instead of sending the email, I sent it to myself and filed it away in a “do not send” outlook folder. If things were terrible Monday, I thought, I could send the email then. Or even better, I could call a face to face meeting.

The first primary benefactor of this decision was my family. Instead of being around a grumpy, stressed out husband/dad all weekend, Sarah and the kids got a better version of me. The process of writing down my thoughts and sending them to MYSELF (no one else has seen them still) had that strong of an impact on me. It was almost as if I had worked the stress out of my body.

Meanwhile, my teammates were oblivious to my frustration, and even my anger. They didn’t receive a weekend email, and were free to have a break, which allows them to refresh and be at their best for the work week.

By Monday, things had already calmed down. One of the sales people involved admitted that they had not only overreacted in the Friday email they sent, but they also now see the other individual’s point of view. By the middle of the day, it seemed like the “conflict” was over and done with. Everyone had moved on. Would that have been the case if I had thrown gasoline on the fire?

Several weeks later, no one is even talking about this situation anymore.

Do yourself a favor and create a “do not send” file today. As leaders, we are going to occasionally say or write the wrong things. This won’t resolve that. But it will be another safeguard against such occurrences.

We just have to form the discipline to use it.

When I was playing competitive golf in high school, my dad would advise that I needed to get off the practice tee and play. While “practicing” had its place, his view was that playing was what mattered most.

You can’t simulate real-life experience.

I have thought about that lesson a lot so far this year. In a business sense, there are ample opportunities to “practice:” Books, seminars, conferences, podcasts, classes, etc. While I participate in many of these, and while I would never steer someone away from such activities; the fact remains that leadership happens when you actually lead other people.

This means you stop reading the book, and start walking the floor.

This means you turn the podcast off, and call a team member to talk (remember when we talked?).

This means you stop writing the blog, and pay attention to the sales person that just walked into your office (hello, Tammy).

You can’t simulate real-life experience.

Lead now.

I have noticed an alarming trend in society, and even in our business, that can be summed up by what a recent retiree said to me in their exit interview: “It seems like a lot people are waiting for everyone else to do THEIR job.”

I can relate to this comment, and unfortunately at times in my life, I also have given into the temptation to voice all the problems I see in the world without putting in much effort into fixing them.

It is easier being the expert without absorbing the blows of leadership. For instance, it is easier pointing out all the things your favorite team’s general manager should be doing differently than actually being the one making the calls. Or, it is easier to point to all the things your local church should be doing differently, than serving and being part of that change.

And in the context of business, it is easier pointing out all the things the company should be doing differently rather than leading that change yourself.

Leaders always fix problems. They may get it wrong, they may screw things up even more, but they do SOMETHING.

Waiting on the world to change?

Change it then.

Otherwise, stop whining about it.

Earlier this year, I was afforded the opportunity to hear filmmaker Jon Erwin talk about storytelling. His discussion of a concept I had never heard of before, called “emotional jamming,” is what stood out the most. “Emotional jamming,” as Erwin defined it, is how a narrative creates disorientation between one’s heart and head. This disorientation opens up the possibility for one to change their mind about a particular topic.

Shawshank Redemption is arguably my favorite movie of all-time. It is filled with “emotional jamming,” as the audience is forced to reconsider their views on such topics as prison reform, the abuse of power, and even biracial friendship. For instance, whatever one’s prior views towards incarceration may be, the film’s story creates disorientation on this topic: Andy Dufresne may be at Shawshank unjustly, but what about the gang that tortures Andy at the beginning of the film? Or, what are we to make about Red’s (Morgan Freeman) admission to guilt, and eventual release from prison after serving 40 years of a life service? Not to mention his, or Brooks Hatlen’s, lonely and challenging life on the outside after being released, or Red’s commentary on “rehabilitation.”

The power of Shawshank Redemption, or any film, lies in its ability to change the way we feel. As Erwin reminded the audience in his talk, people tend to make decisions emotionally, and then back up those decisions rationally. Thus, the true power of story is in its ability to tug on our emotions, and open us up to change. Shawshank Redemption is memorable for its ability to do this. And if you have seen the film, I suspect you can remember certain emotions you had watching the film just by remembering some of the scenes in the paragraph above.

As you probably have guessed already, I believe story-telling to be an absolutely critical aspect of leadership. The temptation for the leader, especially in vision-casting, is to begin by sharing all the facts about why whatever needs to change needs to change. If people tend to make decisions emotionally, shouldn’t we lead rather with storytelling and let the facts follow after? Please hear me, this doesn’t mean that the facts do not matter. They always do! But the power of facts is limited until people’s emotions have allowed them to be considered.

The power of story is in its ability to create the disorientation between the head and heart that is necessary for change to occur.

Therefore, as leaders we would be wise to use its power!

Accountability is like getting a colonoscopy (so I am told!): Everybody knows it is best to have it done, yet no one wants it done to them.

As I have shared before, I went through a 360-degree review last fall. Those interviewed suggested that I hold other people more accountable. Since receiving my results right before Christmas, I have made a concerted effort to do so.

Here are some take-aways about holding other people accountable:

-I need accountability in all areas of my life, even in the area of holding other people accountable.

-Holding people accountable means first explaining what “success” looks like. Without crystal clear expectations, it is not only difficult to hold others accountable—it can be downright unfair.

–The tendency is for people to want someone ELSE to hold OTHER people accountable. Thus, starting to hold people accountable begins with earning their trust.

-I can give anyone a title, but leadership is earned. This makes all the difference in accountability, because management often only creates change through policies, corporate discipline, and the like. It is change by “force.” But a good leader can impact someone’s entire life through influence. This means everything in accountability. If someone is only listening because they have to, real change is limited, and short-term.

-Accountability NEVER discounts the value and dignity of the human-being. In fact, the most humbling lesson I have learned is that the opposite, not holding someone accountable, is unkind, and even unloving. It is akin to saying to yourself, “I value my own comfort over the other person’s improvement as a person.”

This is only a sampling of what I have been learning.

If you consider yourself a leader, start by asking someone to hold you accountable. Then, work to create the trusting relationships with your followers that ensure them that you have their best interests in mind.

Once this kind of relationship is established, dive in. It is never easy, but I can promise that it is worth the effort.