Pam Sessions has been an
entrepreneur and enjoyed working from an early age.
As a 7-year-old, she hosted
mini carnivals, and by age 12,
she was ordering candy as if
she had a real store. She says
she loved working and felt she
was wired to do so because she
enjoyed making people happy
and providing them with something that they wanted and for
which they were willing to pay.
That love for work and an
entrepreneurial flare stayed with
her as she and her husband,
Don Donnelly, founded home-building company Hedgewood
Properties in 1985. In 2006,
the 70-employee company
posted revenue of more than
$100 million, and Sessions’
leadership as co-owner and
president is being tested as the
company faces the steep
housing recession.
Smart Business spoke with
Sessions about how to alleviate
uncertainty when your company
is facing tough economic times.
Communicate. What people fear
the most is uncertainly. There’s
such an important need to keep
strong and consistent interaction and communication, so you
don’t have uncertainty lead to
rumors, lead to fear, lead to who
knows what from there.
It’s humbling, and it’s important to be completely honest.
Although we can’t give them
certainty as to what the market
will do, we can let them know
the strategies, the effects and
the impact, and not just talk at
them but include them and get
their feedback and opinions.
At the heart of how everyone
listens is, ‘How does this affect
me?’ Be sure that you’re speaking to them and you’re able to
walk in their shoes and understand what their concerns are,
what their uncertainties are and
be confident. It’s so critical to be
confident, to be courageous.
If you have self-confidence,
you can instill it in others. It’s
building partnerships and maximizing the energy. In times of
uncertainty, leadership is even
more important, so it’s not having all the answers and needing
their input to make good decisions but still exhibiting confidence.
Hire great people. It’s times like
these that highlight the quality
and spirit of our people. You
see clearly what your culture is
about and the character of your
company. It’s all about your
people. It sounds trite, but it
absolutely is the difference.
We look for more than just the
job skills. It’s important to hire
people with positive attitudes
and creative thinkers.
We have a testing process that
is behavior-driven for compatibility of that job and to help us
understand how to bring out the
best in that employee. We like to meet people’s family, if possible,
because a job isn’t just a one-person factor — it affects the
whole family.
Then it’s just a matter of asking
the questions that matter to you
most and getting people to talk to
you. … Ask open-ended questions
that enable people to open up.
When you hire people that
share your philosophy, passions
and principles, you are working
within a trusting environment,
and when you are in a respectful environment, all ships rise.
Everyone learns that respect for
each other is part of the culture.
It definitely can provide a more
trusting atmosphere.
Be in it for the long term. Make
the commitment to a long
vision. The decisions that are
made short term are not always the most impactful.
Think about where you want
to get and all the smaller
impacts that are necessary to
get you there. You have to hone
down, refine and make as efficient as possible everything that
you are today just to survive.
It’s important to not fall into
the trap of being myopic. You
have to stay in the broader
world and be aware of what’s
happening, changing trends,
changing demographics, population trends — everything that
influences tipping points and
social changes.
It’s not just about your business. Your business is interconnected with everything
else that’s going on in the
world, so it’s looking at that
for logistical reasons but also for inspirational reasons.
Having a long-term focus helps
you get through the day to day.
Solicit input. When you work in
a participatory style, you’re
working together, you’re communicating, and everyone has
an important role in the process.
Don’t call a meeting to discuss things. You’re just out
amongst your people all the
time. You’re talking, and it’s
casual and comfortable, so it’s
not intimidating because you’re
doing it all the time.
People still look to you, as the
leader, to be the decision-maker,
but they know their voice matters. They continue to give good
advice and good consult
because they know it does matter. They see that you’re taking
in their input and understanding that perspective, and your decisions are influenced by that.
Do what’s right. Make those sound
decisions to do what you believe
to be right all the time, even in
times of conflict, even times of
temptation. Take that high road,
do what is right and make good,
sound decisions in that spirit.
Just do right by people.
Leadership is over time — I
don’t think anyone is an instant
leader. Over time, it’s those little
pieces — one happy customer,
one great partnership, or one
loyal employee, all of those
things where you make decisions — and little rewards add
up to a successful business.
It’s that same commitment,
even when there’s apparently
nothing in it for you.
HOW TO REACH: Hedgewood Properties, (770) 889-3667 or www.hedgewood.com