Judith M. von Seldeneck credits her
attendance at her children’s school
meetings with teaching her to be a better business leader.
At the meetings at Hyde School in Maine,
everyone was encouraged to talk about
what was on his or her mind.
“When I would come back from some of
those meetings, and we would have a meeting in the office, I would say, ‘We are going
to have a Hyde meeting. We are
going to go around the table, and
everybody’s is going to share what’s
on your mind,’” says von Seldeneck,
founder, chairman and CEO of
Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson
LLC, a 60-employee, $15 million
generalist retained search firm.
In addition to encouraging open
communication, von Seldeneck —
who served 10 years as executive
assistant to former Vice President
Walter Mondale — is a strong
believer in diversity in the work-place, and emphasizes that factor
when placing job candidates with
client companies.
Smart Business spoke with von
Seldeneck about how doing the
little things can go a long way and
why she sometimes asks employees to show her some love.
Q: What are the keys to being a
good leader?
The example that you set in
terms of how hard you work,
your integrity and the way you
treat people. You have to be able to earn
respect, and the best way to do that is
through example.
People see you are putting in the same
kind of hours they are, and you are willing
to roll up your sleeves and get your own
coffee, pick up the phone, make your own
calls. Just because you are the CEO, you
are not above doing some of the things
everybody else does.
Q: How does getting your own coffee help
the culture?
People here know I am not above doing
anything. There are plenty of times when I
say to them, ‘Show me your love.’ They know that means, ‘I am busy, and would
you please get me a cup of coffee?’
It’s not that I’m above it, but I am
swamped, and they know it and will do it.
The rest of the time, I will get it myself.
If we have a lunch in the office, I will pick
up some of the plates afterward, and they
tell me not to do that. But I’m a Southern
girl and was brought up to where you clear
the table. So, I just think it sets a tone.
Q: How do you handle problems?
I’m the kind of person that doesn’t keep
things inside of me. People know how I feel
about things, and I don’t stew about things
for long. If something is bothering me, I
deal with it.
It’s benefited me emotionally because I am
not all weighted down with this stuff.
Sometimes, it doesn’t serve me well
because sometimes, I should keep my
mouth shut instead of saying what I think.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned how to say
it better. It allows me to get it off my chest
and communicate it in a way that doesn’t get
me in as much trouble as it did in my youth.
Q: How do you teach your management
team what to look for in potential
employees?
The best way to teach people is experience. My style is my style. But to be
part of the interviews and meetings that
I’m involved in, then they can see my
style and see what works for me.
Out of that, there’s something that
they can adapt to that is going to work
for them. Because I really do
think experience is the best
teacher. You can give people
manuals and stand up, lecture
and bring in trainers, but at the
end of the day, you just have to
really experience it.
Q: What are the downfalls to an
open culture?
You can create expectations that
are beyond what is reasonable to
achieve because of your enthusiasm, and you are just talking off the
top of your head. It creates an
expectation that once you put it out
there, then you have to deliver, and
that can make things more problematic. If you don’t, then you’ve lost
credibility, and you really are damaging the culture. You just have to be
careful of that.
Or you may say things or do things
that aren’t really the smartest thing
to do right now.
Q: What do you do if you speak too
soon?
I just explain to them why it didn’t
work out. There’s this firm we are trying
to acquire, and I’m sure we are going to
get them. It’s looking great, and I can’t
wait to celebrate, and then things start to
fall apart, and it’s not going to happen. I
really go into the detail why it didn’t
work out and what the reasons were, so
they understand.
I take the time to be open and share
that kind of information. I put an awful
lot out on the table.
HOW TO REACH: Diversified Search Ray & Berndtson LLC,
(215) 732-6666 or www.diversifiedsearch.com