Leaders need to lead by example. For Reed Melnick, that means representing everything he wants his employees to convey on a daily basis.
The president and CEO of Nevill Imaging Solutions sets the pace for the company — a 125-employee provider of copiers and other business machines — with a strong personal focus on communication, teamwork and holding others accountable to do the same.
“When I say I lead by example, I mean that I blend in with everyone in the corporation,” he says. “Whether I have to go into the warehouse and help them lift up a machine or deliver some toner out to a customer or interface with a first-level employee, such as a warehouse person or a delivery driver, I try to make them feel like we’re all a team.”
It’s an approach that has helped Melnick continue to spur Nevill’s growth. The company generated $16 million in 2008 revenue.
Smart Business spoke with Melnick about how you can set a positive example at your own business.
Get real with employees. A leader has to command, first, the authority and the direction that the company goes. But they also can’t be so pompous that they are not on a one-to-one, real basis with the employees. It is important for everyone to feel comfortable in talking to the leader of the company. Everyone has to feel a level of comfort, know that they won’t get chastised for making suggestions to myself or to the leadership of this organization. Every contribution needs to be looked upon in a positive way.
You can’t make people do anything that they don’t want to do. People have to want to do things for the organization and feel like the organization is giving back and that they care. Otherwise you can’t succeed. In our organization, we give them the goals, the things they need to achieve, but really, they go beyond the call of duty to make those things happen because they really have the desire to want to.
You need to understand that relationships are a two-way street. Your employees give to you, both from a business standpoint and an emotional standpoint, and you give them back to them in the same way. Everyone in the company knows there is nothing I wouldn’t do for them. Through the years of owning and leading the company, I’ve always talked about watching the financial success and professional growth of each employee. I’ve always liked watching them grow from their first crummy apartment to the homes that they live in now. It’s rewarding for me because we’ve all worked together to achieve the success we’ve had.
Walk through your open door. If you physically say that you have an open-door policy, that your office door is open and anyone can walk in, you never get any work done. But if you get out of the office and work with people, you communicate actively, and I think you become a better leader.
When I was growing up, I had a friend who was smaller than I was. He had gotten into a fight and needed some help, which I gave him. And through help, I found I had developed a true friend for life. What I always say is that if you have a sales group and you want to get your sales group to do more, if you are out there helping them close those deals, showing them that success can be had with everyone fighting the battles out there — whether it be against the competition, winning clients or finding new solutions — then they really feel committed to the organization. They’re happy, and they know that whatever battle they’re in, they’re going to be part of a team and we’re going to work together to make things happen.