Learning, Listening, & Leading in Uncertain Times

(Spoiler Alert: Business is always uncertain.)

Business leaders need support, camaraderie, and innovative solutions now more than ever. The enormity of our collective global crisis has highlighted issues like poor company culture, the consequences when internal diversity is lacking, and the challenges businesses face in attracting and retaining talent.

Yes, today feels different — but the reality is that business is always uncertain. Leaders always need to learn how to explore further afield and listen more intently. We must develop our skills so that we may develop others. I found one important way to make that happen, and I’d like to share it so you might take advantage sooner than I did.?

A Time to Learn

Consumer products, where I spent the bulk of my career, is one big learning opportunity. The sector changes rapidly and it’s a constant race to keep up. I was fortunate to get involved in specialty retail when the women’s apparel market was being redefined. It was amazing to spend time in Asia running the sourcing operation and forging partnerships. This phase of my career turned out to be a crash course in logistics, understanding cultures, and negotiating deals abroad.?

When I later joined the founding team for well-known hat store LIDS, I applied my hard-won expertise to help expand from five Boston-area kiosks with 10 workers to more than 500 stores with over 2,000 employees nationwide. But there was another crash course ready for me. Internet commerce was in its infancy and our team recognized its potential. I had to learn e-commerce from the ground up to help shape the “clicks and bricks” model that has since transformed retail.?

A Time to Listen

Following the success of LIDS, I was recruited to lead a company turnaround. Speedy action was required to raise money and rebuild, but I found myself in a precarious situation with an unrealistic board and a C-team that didn’t react well to unvarnished truths.

Fortunately, a friend of mine suggested Vistage. Recognizing that I had no internal strategic partner to rely on, I decided to give a peer advisory group a try. I became part of a small, select cadre of fellow executives who met every month. We each brought our questions and ideas and received honest feedback.?

In retrospect, I’d call this my lesson in listening. In the past, I’d done well learning on my own, but Vistage provided an open, supportive, confidential space in which I could really absorb other perspectives in a way that wasn’t available at my company or at the same depth at any point in my career.?

The input of my peers guided me as I restored the enterprise I headed and ultimately sold it as hoped. Vistage contributed to some big professional wins but it stretched me as a leader, too.?

A Time to Lead

Secure a successful exit and you’ll soon face a big question: What’s next? I knew I needed a new challenge — I’d worked in an established retail business, gone the start-up route, and completed a turnaround. I was looking for something, well, different but I wasn’t sure where to find it.?

That’s when Vistage called and everything came full circle. By becoming a Vistage Chair, I saw a chance to create an environment similar to the one in which I’d learned to listen and lead more effectively. And because I’ve seen firsthand how diverse the business world has NOT been, I’m especially enthusiastic about inviting executives from across the spectrum of age, gender, culture, background, and perspective. Anyone willing to show up 100%, be vulnerable, go deep, and talk their unique truth is welcome.?

A Time for You?

Does this sound like a group that can propel you forward? Are you ready to embrace uncertainty so you can grow professionally and personally? If so, a Vistage peer advisory may be for you.

One warning, we’re going to get “carefrontational” on occasion, challenging your preconceptions in a supportive manner. If you see such an experience not as criticism but rather as opportunity, I promise it will help you learn, listen, and lead like never before.

Simply contact me at [email protected] for a brief introduction to the Vistage concept and the group I’m now forming or schedule a time to chat.