Last post you met Le Herron (CEO of O.M. Scott & Sons from 1965-1983) and learned the foundational principle of his leadership style; putting other people’s interests first. This, he learned as a lieutenant in World War II while being admonished by an old sergeant.

A business leader putting other people’s interests first. “Naive? Not at all.  In fact, study history and you’ll find that, whether in war, government, or business, those with that mind-set were the most successful.

His book, Making Your Company Human: Inspiring Others to Reach Their Potential is inspiring me greatly and I plan to start taking it to my live events and quote from it often. If many of today’s business leaders would embrace his principles, their companies would be a lot more functional…and a lot more profitable.

I was going to take one or two of his quotes and expound upon them. I then considered how very presumptuous that would be. Instead, I’d like to simply share a few of his thoughts with you. Today, we’ll focus on leadership itself; in the next post, how it ties into a successful marketing message.

“For a leader, getting results is more important than getting credit.”

“There is little value in defining what a company stands for unless its leaders live by similar principles.”

“Before people can decide whether to contribute their abilities wholeheartedly, they need to understand not just what you stand for, but what you believe the whole enterprise stands for.”

“An important personal benefit follows from discovering and documenting your company’s character: you are forced to reveal your true nature to yourself.”

“Managers often worry about over-informing. In my experience, that’s impossible. We all tend to underestimate what others can contribute when they understand a situation.”

“Only by expressing what you honestly believe will you give others in the company the courage to stand up for their own beliefs and ideals.”

“In communicating {a written message to employees, which he did throughout his tenure, sent to their homes in order to include their families} to make your company human, the most important rule is to send out a message only if you believe it, can defend it, and are willing to act consistently with your words.”

“Many times, workers are given too little information about what their company stands for. Without the opportunity to understand and be inspired by its values, they are cheated of a chance to discover the scope of their own abilities.  They may still work hard, and if other conditions are favorable the business will prosper. But the loyalty will be missing, {as will} the resilience that keeps companies strong when the going is hard.”

“Trust can’t be bought.  It can only be built, bit by bit, by all of us.”

“If we’re considering a shift in course to take advantage of more favorable conditions, it’s our values that should tell us how helpful that shift would be in terms of where we really want to go.”

“The nature of a good company – like that of a good person – is that it tries to keep becoming better.”

and, finally…

“Change when it’s necessary to protect your principles…but don’t change your principles.”

I head down south today for a speaking engagement tomorrow morning. So, while I won’t be able to quickly acknowledge your responses, I’d love to read them. What are your thoughts about any or all of the above quotes? What about the very last one? How and when might that occur in your business or personal life?

Next time we hear from Mr. Herron we’ll focus more on his marketing expertise and see how he was able to humanize that, with great profit as a result.

I’m reading an amazing book on leadership, given me by my friend, Kristin Kern, whose company, Kernacopia, Ltd.  did the cover design. It’s entitled, Making Your Company Human: Inspiring Others to Reach Their Potential.

Written by a hugely successful former CEO, Le Herron (with Sherry Christie), it’s truly a roadmap on why/how Go-Giver-type leaders finish first; how they cultivate an environment of loyal, excited team members and similarly motivated customers.

However, it’s more than just a book on leadership by a man who was definitely the kind of “Level Five Leader” that Jim Collins discussed in his excellent book, Good to Great.  It’s also a book on sales and marketing. No, that’s not the focus, but the lessons in that area are terrific, as well.

Le Herron was, most notably, CEO (1965-1983) of the very profitable O.M. Scott & Sons (now The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company), the national manufacturer and marketer of lawn care products. Though long retired, he wrote this book as an answer to the current climate of distrust between business leaders and their employees. He opines on the reasons for that distrust in no uncertain terms, feeling they are well-deserved.

Mr. Herron was a leader who focused on a consistent message (and effectively communicating that message) to both his associates and his customers and always maintaining the company’s guiding principles.

The Dedication he made at the front of the book sums up his feelings on leadership:

—–

“When I was a brand-new second lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers during World War II, I was out with troops in the field on a training mission. It had been a hard day, and when the mess line was ready, I went over to eat. But before I could be served, an old sergeant took me aside.

“’Lieutenant,’ he said, ‘when your men have been fed, if there’s any food left, then you will eat.’ And while he was at it he added, ‘And after all your troops have been bedded down, if there’s a place for you to lie down, then you will sleep.’

“This book is dedicated to that sergeant, who in two minutes taught me a lesson about leadership that has been at the center of my beliefs ever since.”

—–

Over the next few posts, we’ll learn some additional lessons from the book.

I don’t know Mr. Herron personally. I don’t know if Kristin knows him. However, while I’m only halfway through the book, he’s fast becoming one of my heroes. I checked out the book on Amazon.com. Amazingly, few people even seem to know about it.

And, at nearly 90 years of age, I’m sure he’s not looking to go out and actively promote it. I’d sure like to see to see it become popular through word-of-mouth (or, word of Internet) however, and take on a life of its own.

Let’s see.

In the previous post I shared a very valuable lesson I learned while speaking at a Ritz Carlton Hotel property. In essence, it’s that rather than greeting someone with – what I call – a typical “non-greeting” such as “How are ya’” or “How ya’ doin’” (notice the lack of question marks because neither are a question), a terrific, classy and value-based way is to instead say either “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, or “Good evening.”

Readers comments were awesome and added much value to the original post.

So, let’s look at another “Lesson from the Ritz.” This has to do with responding to someone saying “thank you” after you’ve helped them.

Do you think the guest-contact employees answer with, “No problem”? No way!

They say, “My pleasure.”

Ohhhh. Beautiful. And it works anytime, anywhere, with anyone and in practically any situation.

“My pleasure.” It says it all.

I was speaking to a class of high school seniors and suggested that, whether working at a restaurant, running your own car detailing service or interviewing for a job, “You can separate yourself from the rest of the pack simply using those two words.”

Same if you are an adult.

“You’re welcome” is good. “My pleasure” is even better.

My suggestion is to make this a habit. You won’t regret it.

Glad to help. In fact, it’s…(okay, you saw that one coming, didn’t you?)

Years ago I was brought in to do a program for one of the Ritz Carlton Hotel properties. While there, I learned a valuable lesson.

Whenever crossing paths with any of their staff – and I do mean any of their staff – you’ll never be greeted with the meaningless expression, “How ya’ doin’?” Nor will you be greeted with, “Hey”, “How are ya?”, “How’s it goin’?”, or “What’s up?” It’s either “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, or “Good evening.”

Wow, that’s impressive!

Of course, every other hotel in the world – from Marriott to Hyatt; from Super 8 to Motel 6 (yes, where Tom Bodett will “leave the light on for you”) – could do that as well, without costing them an extra penny in expenses aside from the initial teaching? They could bring themselves just a notch closer to the Ritz Carlton and an all-star impression by making that one…single…adjustment.

They could…but they won’t. Why not? As the great Jim Rohn used to say, “I don’t know, they just won’t.”

We can, individually, do the same as the Ritz Carlton, and with great results. As you know, how we greet strangers, neighbors, prospects, customers and anyone else is the first impression they will have of us. And we all know the saying regarding first impressions.

Want to make a great impression? Then do away with all of the typical greeting “non-questions.” You know – those questions to which you neither expect, nor want, an answer.

“How ya’ doin’? is always the worst one to me. Why? Because I was the worst when it came to saying that. What’s better is “Good morning”, “Good afternoon”, or “Good evening.”

Or, do you know what else works just as well? A big, friendly smile that just radiates how happy you are to see them, and the word, “Hi!”

Yes, you can do the same as the Ritz Carlton.

And…I bet you will.

Would love to know, what do you think? Does a greeting really make that big of a difference? Now, what about after someone thanks you.

In the next article, we’ll look at another replacement phrase that will separate you from the rest and make you an even more effective communicator.

Many people have a challenge with taking advice and direction. Yet, in the real world, if they’re not doing the right things, or they’re not doing things right, they need to be helped, told, guided, persuaded, etc. and you might be the one who needs to do it.

The key is to do this not only without offending them, but having them be totally non-resistant to your suggestion, and even embracing it. You can do this very effectively with, what I call, “Qualifiers.” Simple to use, they work like a charm.

Tom from Texas wrote (excerpted), “Bob, how would you suggest giving advice to someone without their getting their “ego in a sling?”

Tom, you are right on with that question, my friend. The fact is, people generally don’t like to be told “what to do” in the first place, and definitely don’t enjoy being told “how to do something better” in the second place. This doesn’t include everyone, of course; but certainly enough people that it behooves us to know how to work with such a person.

There are two solutions that I find work very well. One is the “Third-Party Explanation” which we’ve discussed previously. Here, let’s look at the “Qualifier.”

A Qualifier is a short phrase that makes your advice more acceptable and easier to embrace. Simply use these qualifiers before the actual advice. A few examples – with the Qualifier underlined and in italics – might be:

“Steve, I might be wrong about this; why don’t we try putting the widget here.”

“Shirley, this is just a thought; I’m wondering if perhaps the whichamahoozee would be more cost-effective if we …”

And this one will practically always make the person more receptive:

“Joe, you know more about this than I do; I’m wondering though if . . . ”

Many master persuaders become adept at using qualifiers whenever and to whomever they offer advice. Let’s face it; sometimes the pill is simply easier to swallow if it’s mixed
into the applesauce.

Are there any “Qualifiers” you’ve used that have worked particularly well for you and the other person that you would like to share with us?