Jim Horn has been at that company. You know the company: the one that puts such a value on metrics that it ends up running good people – people like Horn – out to meet this quarter’s profits.
But to Horn, who today is the president and CEO of The Tri-M Group LLC, the true entrepreneurial drive is one that puts an emphasis on leaders who stay in touch with their people to grow new leaders and new sections of the business. Horn talked about that entrepreneurial drive and what it takes to really stay in touch with your company during a recent interview with Executive Leaders Radio. The conversation with Horn begins at 37:32 and runs through the end of the program. What Horn said during the interview was heavy with shades of his interview with Smart Business Philadelphia. At that time Horn talked about staying involved, highlighted by his thoughts on leading by example.
“The CEO or president should clearly understand from a 10,000-foot view what’s going on inside the business, but not to the point where it seems that he or she is micro-managing. That could be more damaging than anything else. It gives the appearance that you don’t have trust in others. But clearly you should know what’s going on in your business.
Two, you need to get actively involved in the game. Don’t watch from the sidelines.
Lead by example. Get out there where the action is, that’s what a lot of people want to see. When I go out to the field and talk to our employees, they like that I’m out there and I see what they’re doing and can see what they’re accomplishing, and [they can] ask me questions. It’s important.
Three, a CEO should be involved enough to know what’s on the mind of employees. If we sit back too much, barriers start to go up. A lot of employees won’t tell you what those barriers are.
But if you’re involved in the operation and you’re out there, they’re not afraid to talk to you, they’ll let you know what those barriers are, and it’s our job as leaders to remove those barriers so they can do the best job they possibly can.
As CEO, you should be involved to a point where people see you are approachable and accessible. If you sat up in a walnut office on Mahogany Row and never got out to see the people, you tend to distance yourself from the people who make it happen. You’ve got to create an environment that fosters motivation and excitement, starting at the top. That stimulates a high level of productivity and effective decision-making. When people are working in that environment, they become creative.”
Executive Leaders Radio and Smart Business are content partners. Executive Leaders Radio is dedicated to honoring individuals who have risen to leadership roles through hard work and dedication. Horn appeared on the same show as Lane Fisher, partner at Fisher Zucker, Craig Corelli, the president at Car-Tel Communications, and Frank McCaney, the founder, president and CEO of NitricBio.
