Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1464710
"Best Ideas & Key Philosophies" from 2020 Business Leaders of the Year 6. A pass is as good as a shot. My father drilled into me the importance of teamwork from an early age. The success of the team is what is important, not individual "glory". For me, this saying speaks to the need for humility, a key trait for managers. To be effective leaders, we cannot use the word "I" or "you". It has to be "we". We must put the needs of the business first, not our own personal needs. As we like to say at the Bakery, "the pies come first." 7. Make sure your words are sweet; you may have to eat them someday. My father emphasized the need for respectful communication. Once we say something, it is very difficult to take the words back. Harsh words can be destructive to a team. That doesn't mean that Chris wouldn't say something critical, he would just find a respectful way to say it. When we would have our occasional disagreements, he would sometimes say "you don't have to be disagreeable to disagree." And you know, he was right. 8. If someone helps us make money, then they should make money too. We believe in this Win-Win approach at Table Talk, both for employees and for business partners. Chris loved when we gave out our quarterly profitability bonuses to employees, because it meant we were making money too. Strong partnerships have been, and will continue to be, critical to the growth of our business, and we think that this mutually beneficial approach is how to build such partnerships. 9. If life hands you a lemon, make lemonade / Don't saw sawdust. These two proverbs come from my mother, the Chairman of the Board of our company and the oldest daughter of my grandfather. At a particularly tough time in my personal life, my mother sent me a letter with these two sayings, which helped lift my spirits. To me they meant that when plans don't work out the way we wanted, don't waste time bemoaning the fact that things didn't go our way, but rather get to work on figuring out another way around the problem. 10. Failure isn't falling down; failure is not getting back up again. This saying, which I saw on a subway wall in New York City and found it to be very inspirational, also addresses adversity, and more specifically failure. We all make mistakes; we all have failed at something. The important thing is how do we respond to this adversity, how do we fix the mistakes, how do we react to the failure. Persistence is key, that is, not letting setbacks knock us off course. We need to be strong in the face of adversity and not let it keep us down. We need to know that when we make a mistake or face a setback, it is time for us to get back up, dust ourselves off and start making lemonade. As you can see, proverbs are very important to me. There are even more, as I haven't had a chance to talk yet about the need for hard work and for passion. But this is enough for now. The lessons these sayings hold have been key factors for me in becoming a more effective leader of our company and our leadership team. Hopefully they will be helpful to you as well. Business Leader of the Year (Nonprofit) STEPHANIE PAGE, Executive director, Abby's House 1. Love is a powerful force for change when it motivates what we do as leaders. You can be a light in the world if you act from a place of love and hope. 2. Leadership is about serving others. We exist to help one another, and we can all be leaders and help individuals and communities around us. 3. When you need help, look up and out and pull in resources to find a way to get something done. This is how breakthroughs often happen. 4. Leaders are not perfect and are always learning. Be willing to recognize your mistakes and learn from them, but don't let your mistakes inhibit your willingness to lead. 5. We are all fragile human beings and never know what another person may be experiencing. While we are resilient and have the strength to persevere through pain and adversity, it is wise to be gentle with yourself and with others as often as you can. 6. We each have unlimited human potential. It is a gift to help people to realize what they are capable of and to help people to experience it. 7. Believe in what you do and give yourself wholeheartedly to it, and your passion will serve you in many ways. 8. Don't forget that life is full of mystery and wonder. Take time to revel in the mystery of the ocean, a sunset, or a blooming spring flower. It will put perspective on whatever difficulty or challenge you may be facing in the moment and will help you through it. 9. Collaboration is powerful. Great things happen because people work together. Engage people in a shared purpose and accomplish great things together. 10. Hard work matters, and rest does too. Business Leader of the Year (Innovative) PAUL SELLEW, CEO, Little Leaf Farms There are many smart people in our country and the world we live in. Innovation requires multiple factors to succeed in our highly competitive fee market system. The important things are as follows: 1. Being open minded and curious – The world is a big and interesting place and paying attention and observing is a requirement 2. A good idea – It all starts from there. The idea needs to address a need and improve over the status quo; better product, service, business model or technology. 3. Courage of your conviction – There are a lot of ideas out there but what separates the good ideas from the rest is often an individual that acts on it and turns it into something tangible and real 4. Leadership – In order for an idea to be turned into something tangible it always requires a team of people to work together towards a common purpose. This can be the most challenging but ultimately the most important part of the innovation process. Business Leader of the Year (Family) MIRIAM, GREGORY AND EDNA HYDER, Co-owners, Ed Hyder's Mediterranean Marketplace • Always do the right thing, even when it means losing money. Honesty is the best policy. • Don't take things personally. Be open to criticism and feedback from everyone. • Embrace change. It can be scary, but you must do it to keep your business alive and well. • Have an open line of communication with your staff. Make them feel comfortable coming to you with ideas. All of our best innovations have come from employees. It keeps people engaged and raises morale when someone sees one of their ideas on display. • Understand the importance of community, and how you help shape it. Give as much support to your community as you can, through donation of your product, time, or expertise. • Spend time with as many business owners as possible-even those who you consider competitors. You will learn a lot from each other, and there is always an opportunity to collaborate. • Get to know your customers, and encourage your staff to do so. It will set your business apart, and will add to the experience of shopping with you. • Lift other businesses owners up. Reach out to say hi, or let them know you think they are doing a great job on a product they just launched. Today, it is as easy as a follow, a mention, or a message on social media. • Don't forget the people who helped get you to where you are. While your business may have changed over the years, don't close the door on your oldest customers. • "You don't know what you don't know." When we walked into our first day of the Interise "Small Business MBA" program five years ago, the graduates of the previous class were asked to give us one piece of advice. This line was yelled out in unison. Meaning, there is so much knowledge and information out there that you have no idea exists. Seek out information. Ask