Balance art and science
In every business, there is a delicate balance behind its makeup and success.
“The reality of great leadership is it’s a combination of science and art, and knowing when to leverage the science of business with the art of leadership is the real X factor for any leader,” Wilson says.
First, tackle the easy part.
“You start with the science,” he says. “There’s plenty of data on almost any business anywhere. If you don’t have it, Google it. The outside world may be more aware of some of the issues than the inside corporation.”
Wilson enjoys spending time quietly studying different types of reports — consumer, sales, profit analysis — to get a baseline of information, but you also need the art, which is where people come in.
“Go to the point of contact and observe,” he says. “Get out there. Sometimes the data will suggest a situation that, when you observe it, it may take a different texture. Then listen to the people closest to the situation. Then investigate what they’re saying, have great discussion and make great decisions from that.”
You need to ask myriad questions when you’re interacting with your people.
“The very first thing I’m looking for is how are they doing,” he says. “How is this individual doing? How is their professional career progressing? Are they getting the kinds of resources they need to succeed? How is their personal situation? If they’re living overseas, is there any issue we need to be aware of? How is their family?”
Beyond just asking questions, you also need to actually listen to their responses.
“First and foremost, don’t listen in order to provide a rebuttal,” Wilson says. “… If you’re listening to learn, that leads to great questioning because you’re hearing something that will spark a few more questions for greater precision.”
As you listen, make sure you’re thinking like a business owner, even if you’re not. For example, instead of thinking of his business as part of The Coca-Cola Co., Wilson imagines that if his division was just simply Wilson Inc., how would he want things done? Personalizing it helps him make better decisions for Coca-Cola.
“If you think and act like an owner of the business, then you’re going to have a longer-term perspective, you’re going to be concerned about share owners, about the employee base, about quality, about consumer relevance …” Wilson says. “It’s amazing what great solutions can come from that way of thinking.”
Lastly, you need to make your own observations, as well. Wilson likes to observe the customers in the restaurants to see what’s happening.
“The danger in business today is to take an inside-out approach,” he says. “The winning strategies are much more outside-in. Figure out what the demand or need is for your product or service and then back in to the kind of strategy that will succeed in the market.”
By doing all of these things, you’ll be able to better balance the art of leadership with the science of the hard numbers and data.
“If you look at it from that perspective, you become more of a listening leader, and then when you’re ready to make a decision, you have the science of the information, but you also have the art of the people on the front line that can help you understand any situation better than just the data.”
