Why Great Leaders Don't Cut Corners

Why Great Leaders Don’t Cut Corners

By Markus Bohi

?If you breathe and own or lead a business, you want to grow year over year. You want to drive profits and exceed benchmarks. There are a few ways to do it, but some will come back to bite you if you pick the wrong path.

In the early ’90s, when we started Four Star Distribution, the proud parent of brands such as C1RCA, Forum Snowboards, Jeenyus, Foursquare Outerwear, and Special Blend, we faced a choice. We could have either taken shortcuts to boost sales and profits quickly, or we could have stayed true to our values. It’s tempting when the option of high growth is vibrant. What entrepreneur doesn’t want high growth, quickly?

But that’s the trap. If you choose to cut corners, it’s as if you are inflating a balloon at hyper speed, unable to sense when it’s about to pop. Sure, it can work in the short term, but it will never be conducive to the longevity of your brand. Shortcuts are short term, and let’s face it, you’re here for the long haul.

Throughout our journey, we chose to stay true to our values. Sure, we didn’t grow as fast. It was harder in the short term, but it paid off in the long run.?We grew steadily with a solid foundation beneath our feet. That foundation made it hard for us to fall. Not only were our brands seen as genuine, but we were also valued more highly than companies who had taken the easier route. By staying true to our values, we were able to build a strong customer base that would continue to support us for years to come.

It was a legacy play. It was the long game. And it paid off higher dividends than what the shortcuts would have given us.

Many challenges we encountered along the way made us doubt if we were doing the right thing, but we trusted our belief that true success would come from staying true to who we were and what we believed in. Success goes far beyond profits. By creating a brand and a company foundation focused on values and principles, you’ll create a more fulfilling work experience for yourself and your team. This inherently leads to a more cohesive and productive workplace.

Great leadership stems from just that. It’s the first chain in the reaction of your team. When your team sees your decisions are rooted in values, ethics, and purpose, they follow suit. When they see leaders putting people and purpose over profits, their commitment to the cause grows. On the other hand, when decisions are rooted in profits and money only, the psychological connection to the company’s purpose dwindles in the eyes of employees.

When leaders put money and profits over their people, both employees internal to the company and customers external to the company, employees detach. Do this enough, and the bond your employees have with you and with your company will be compromised. This can come in the form of cutting corners in the quality of production and service or underpaying employees to save a few bucks.

I say this with one thing in mind — if you never think about profits, you won’t win. We need to be mindful of our margins without question, and we should actively look for ways to drive efficiency in the name of savings. So long as those decisions are purely rooted in purpose and ethics, all the pieces will fall where they should. Be intentional about keeping your decisions rooted in the mission of the company. Lead with the you and the company’s values at the forefront, and everything else will click into place even when you’re looking for ways to cut costs.