Explain the reasons why. It’s something that I personally need to develop even more because I’ve learned that I will tend to be prescriptive. In other words, give people the answer to the question rather than walk us down through the thought process of how I arrived at the answer.
Giving people the answer isn’t the best way to do it. It’s quicker and maybe more efficient when you are busy, but it’s not the thing that really develops their own thought process. That’s one of the things that I’m working on trying to improve is my communication with people and walking them through not only what the answer is but how did I get there.
(I’m) working on being a better listener and also taking a little bit more time to have discussions with people. No matter how challenging things are, no matter how many things you have in your desk that need to get done, you have to take the time to be able to explain things to people if you want them to grow.
The way to do that is keeping your eye on the bigger prize. The bigger prize for me is that I am able to teach our people how we think as a family and how we do things. Eventually, it’s going to take some things off my desk.
Get buy-in. You have to be able to inspire people. Now, people have to believe in where you’re going and what you’re doing and your plans to get there. They also have to feel they can play a role in helping that to happen.
People see a certain amount of success, and people like to be involved in successful operations. I think that they see that there is an opportunity for success there. People admire the fact that people are really driven toward a goal. They admire that there is a strong focus. You have to set an example. People see the dedication of our family. Usually they will start to get calls or e-mails at 6 o’clock in the morning, and they’ll usually end around midnight. It’s not because we are trying to set some record for the most hours worked, but it’s just because something needs to be done and we aren’t satisfied until it is.
How to reach: Terlato Wine Group Ltd., (847) 444-5500 or www.twg.com
