Be careful expressing opinions. I’m very open to listening to suggestions and other people’s
ideas. Most everything is consensus around here unless I
don’t like that direction or it
seems to be moving off in a
direction that doesn’t seem consistent with who we are and
what we try to do.
That stops that. I don’t have to
be that pushy because I don’t do
it that often.
But that backfires against you
sometimes when you say, ‘Oh
that’s stupid, or I hate that,’ and
then they don’t do it, and you’re
going, ‘I was just commenting. I
didn’t mean don’t do it,’ so you
have to really be careful. I’ve
had to watch myself because
sometimes they listen more
than I thought they listened.
They won’t even approach an
area if they caught me in a bad
mood about it.
But then people who know
me well say, ‘Did you really
mean this or that?’ I go, ‘No, I
was just shooting off my opinion, but it wasn’t an educated
business decision. It was just
my personal opinion.’
Listen. You’re talking to people,
and your mind’s thinking, ‘I need
to do this and this.’ Sometimes, I
realize I’m not listening. Tell
yourself to listen.
Treat them with respect. Look
them in the eye, listen and be
open to what they have to say.
You have to consciously make
your own mind stop.
Stop thinking about your own
agenda, and stop thinking about
what you need to do next. That’s
why I say look them in the eye
because it slows you down and
makes you focus on them.
Make people comfortable. Try to
get people to relax and just be
together. Get them out of the
office, out of the cubicle or out
of the hierarchical environment
that they’re in.
We started doing one of our
meetings away in one of our districts. We try to get out of the
corporate office environment
where people can relax a little.
One time the meeting was in
Seattle, and we were on one of
those amphibious duck car
boats.
We do bowling parties or
whirly ball — just things where
we’re all out being silly and
having fun, and I’m not the
boss — I’m just another person
drinking a beer.
When I go visit our locations,
I take everyone out to dinner
and feed them, and let them
drink whatever they want.
That’s the best way to communicate and make people feel
comfortable and let me know
good things and bad things
and everything going on in the
company.
Most of the time, I don’t think
the actual meeting is that
important. I think it is the connecting and getting to know
each other so you can trust and
work with each other.
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