Leaders in REM: Max Rangel

For those who are new here, every week(ish) I'll share various topics that I think are important for the modern leader in Retail Ecommerce Management.

Every so often, I get the privilege to speak with inspirational leaders through my podcast Leaders in REM, and I’d love to start regularly sharing some of my favorite lessons learned from these conversations.

Max Rangel's career started out in a very interesting way. With a degree in biomedical engineering under his belt, Max started off his career at P&G, where he was assigned to work at a coffee plant for Folgers coffee. From there, he continued to make waves in the industry and built an impressive portfolio of experience that ultimately led him to his current position as CEO and Global President of Spin Master.

Max's wisdom definitely struck me, and I'm excited to share with you my key takeaways from our chat:

1. Develop your intuition and imagination. It's incredible to have the information that we need always at our fingertips, but Max cautions against becoming overdependent on it. When you have access to an abundance of information, it can be difficult to imagine what something could be and it may even hinder your ability to take action and create. Max challenges us to resist the temptation to rely solely on what we already know, and acquire the boldness that comes from not knowing.
2. Embrace differences. Leading with the principle of 'as common as possible, as different only as needed' can leave many people off to the sides. When you listen intently to people, you will realize that you have to adapt as a leader. While common threads can make valuable connections in the organization, it's the differences that allow individual expressions to come through. As a leader, you don't want to marginalize that potential.
3. Know your organization's culture through its architects. If you're leading a large organization, it's nearly impossible to know every person within it. Instead, Max suggests to connect with those who set the cultural tone. These individuals have a significant impact on the beliefs and working styles of the entire organization. By starting with the leaders and going down as deeply as possible, you can gain a more comprehensive understanding of how the company operates.
4. Create opportunities for reverse mentoring. Offer someone younger and earlier in their career the opportunity to tell you about their experiences, good and bad. It will help you understand how younger generations interpret their world, especially crucial and rapidly evolving concepts such as diversity. Max notes that like any other mentorship relationship, you get as much as you put into it. You must actively listen to the people you seek this mentorship from and take action on the things that matter to them.

It's truly a pleasure to listen to Max's stories and insights. To hear more from him, be sure to check out the full interview on the Leaders in REM podcast, available on Spotify and Apple.