Build leaders
If you’re going to lead, particularly in a down economy, you can’t do it alone. You need a wide array of ideas and perspectives on the challenges you face each day. Brandon highly values a leader’s ability to build a great leadership team and counts it as his primary leadership attribute.
Brandon prides himself on identifying and grooming new leaders at Domino’s, and then putting those leaders in positions where they can help steer the company with their talent, creativity and skills.
“It’s not that they help me lead; it’s that we all lead,” he says. “It’s a big ship. We have
at any given time up to 175,000 people working across nearly 9,000 stores. To think that any one person can be the leader is crazy. What I do better than anything else is surround myself with good leaders, people with whom I have trust and alignment, and then provide them with the resources and direction they need to go out and lead their respective divisions and areas of the business.
“It’s a team sport. You have to be good at selecting, retaining and appropriately incentivizing terrific talent.”
Whenever possible, you should try to develop leaders within your ranks. But there are times when it might be more advantageous to bring in a new executive or manager with an outside perspective. Ultimately, you need a balance of both internal and external influences to construct a well-rounded leadership team.
“Long-standing members of your company have probably helped you build your culture, and that is always a great advantage if you have a number of candidates who are capable of moving into open positions,” Brandon says. “But I also believe that from time to time, you do need to bring in new perspectives and new talent, people who come from a different place and bring a fresh set of eyes into the organization. People like that bring fresh ideas and are willing to challenge what is happening.”
Brandon says creating that balance is more of an art than a science. You have to know what type of leader is needed in each position.
“There are certain positions in an organization that lend themselves better to bringing in someone from the outside,” he says. “Internal candidates are better suited for a position where you need a deep knowledge of the culture and operating aspects of the business. Sometimes employees will react better to an internally promoted leader who has built credibility in the organization. So it is more judgment on your part than anything formula based.”
