Successful leaders want to make a profit while being good to their people. Former CEO, SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment director, and author of the popular book Love Works, Joel Manby joins us for this episode to discuss this goal You may know Joel from CBS’ hit show, Undercover Boss, where he impacted the show’s 18 million viewers by demonstrating the beauty of servant leadership.
Joel shares with us how leaders can prioritize their most important asset — their team — while ensuring their business thrives.
Here are some takeaways he shared:
1. The art of leadership is the intersection of profit, guest results and employee results.
That’s your leadership sweet spot — and leadership is a balance.
Focusing on just one area might lead to success rather than overall health. Good leaders know how to focus on all three at the same time to make their organization as healthy as possible.
And you must remember that profit must be seen as a result. It is not the goal in and of itself.
2. The enthusiasm for your customer experience will only go as high as your employees' enthusiasm.
Your people are your front line, the face of your company, and you interact with your clients daily. If their jobs don’t energize them and they don’t have a shared sense of values, your customers will eventually sense that.
You should spend as much time on your people's results as your financial results.
One way to do this is to give consistent feedback. Be sure to provide consistent reviews to a person or consistent feedback after a presentation or task is done. This way, they will know exactly where they stand.
3. When deciding, always ask yourself: “What’s the worst thing that can happen, and can I live with that?”
Let’s say the marketing team makes a decision you might not think is best. Is it okay to let it go, or should you intervene? Or if there’s a spreadsheet that isn’t designed exactly the way you like it, can you live with that?
This question will help you refocus on the more significant issues and let go of some of the things you should be delegating.
Another important factor in scaling your business is trusting your people and avoiding micromanaging. To avoid micromanaging, you must let people do their jobs and make mistakes.
Now, consider these questions when thinking about how you’re prioritizing the people in your business:
How would you describe your company’s values? Could one of your team members describe them accurately
What does prioritizing people over profit mean to you, and where is your company currently?
How would one of your clients describe their interactions with your company? Would you change anything about that?
Do any of your values align or not align with your company’s values? For those that don’t align, what can you do to bring the two closer together?
Learn how to overcome common mistakes many leaders struggle with by downloading Joel’s 5 Leadership Mistakes to Avoid.