Eric Jacobson On Management And Leadership

Thanks to Holly Lebowitz Rossi for quoting me in her recent,  7 Core Value Statements That Inspire , article for Fortune . Her article features: Twitter Build-A-Bear Workshop Whole Foods Market L.L. Bean Zappos.com Wegmans Food Markets Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Fortunately, most of my career I’ve worked in effective corporate cultures. If I put together the best of each, here is what made those environments effective: • Leaders led by example on a consistent basis and were willing to roll up their sleeves, particularly during tight deadlines or challenging times. • Employees clearly understood how what they did made a difference and how their contributions made the organization either more profitable or more effective. • The workforce included a blend of long-term employees with a rich company, product/service and customer history, employees who had been at the company for five to seven years, and then new hires with a fresh perspective and keen sense of new technologies and techniques. That blend worked best when the mix included virtually all A-players. • Top managers had a clear, realistic and strategic vision for how the company would grow and compete in the marketplace. • Employees were challenged and rewarded thr...

Yesterday, Southwest Airlines celebrated its 41st anniversary. If you have been following my blog for the past year you know I’m a big fan of Southwest. I admire their company culture and applaud their customer service . Chairman, President and CEO, Gary Kelly, shares some insights into the airline' culture in the June issue of the airline’s in-flight magazine. Called unique and quirky, Kelly explains that there are three criteria that make up what it calls “Living the Southwest Way .” He says that employees are asked to display them each and every day : A Warrior Spirit A Servant’s Heart A Fun-LUVing Attitude The airline says that employees embrace Southwest as a “cause,” not a job. And, that “cause” is serving its customers. “We are a Customer Service company; we just happen to fly airplanes,” says Kelly. Happy Anniversary SWA . You set a great example.  Here are some of the other many lessons Southwest’s rich history has taught us about leadership and customer se...

John Baldoni offers these tips in his book, Lead With Purpose , for how to define an organization's purpose. He suggests that you must ask three questions : What is our vision -- that is, what do we want to become? What is our mission -- that is, what do we do now? What are our values -- that is what are the behaviors we expect of ourselves?

Are you a leader who is struggling with how to write your company's core values? You can learn from Recreational Equipment Incorporated , better known as REI -- an outdoor gear and apparel co-op.  As described in Amy Lyman's new book, The Trustworthy Leader , REI concisely articulates its core values in this series of statements: Authenticity -- We are true to the outdoors. Quality -- We provide trustworthy products and services Service -- We serve others with expertise and enthusiasm. Respect -- We listen and learn form each other. Integrity -- We live by a code of rock-solid ethics, honesty, and decency. Balance -- We encourage each other to enjoy all aspects of life. "The words contained in the values are not much different from those found in the value statements of any organization. So what makes it different at REI?  The people at REI actively seek to live out their values ," explains Lyman.

You can't lead if your employees, team or followers don't trust you.  Building trust takes energy, effort and constant attention to how you act.  To help build trust, follow these 16 tips , recommended by author Susan H. Shearouse: Be honest Keep commitments and keep your word Avoid surprises Be consistent with your mood Be your best Demonstrate respect Listen Communicate Speak with a positive intent Admit mistakes Be willing to hear feedback Maintain confidences Get to know others Practice empathy Seek input from others Say "thank you"

Stay at any Marriott hotel and look in the nightstand drawer in your guest room and you’ll find a Marriott booklet that highlights its milestones and recaps the Marriott story. In the booklet, you’ll also find the following 12 ways that Marriott practices good leadership and customer service : 1.  Continually challenge your team to do better. 2.  Take good care of your employees, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. 3.  Celebrate your people’s success, not your own. 4.  Know what you’re good at and mine those competencies for all you’re worth. 5.  Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action. 6.  Communicate. Listen to your customers, associates and competitors. 7.  See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk around, make yourself visible and accessible. 8.  Success is in the details. 9.  It’s more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience. ...

Walk into any Whole Foods grocery store and you'll see that company's core values proudly presented on a large sign. Business leaders can learn a lot from the chain's core values: 1. Its values are what are truly important to Whole Foods. 2. The values remain constant and don't change from time to time, situation to situation or person to person. 3. The values clearly set the company's culture. As Whole Foods explains, their core values are the "soul" of its company. 4. The values address the company's product, customers, vendors, and the communities in which it operates. Note, too, how for each of the company's six core values, it further explains what that core value statement means. Without these additional explanations, the values could be no more than just words on paper. As you craft your company's core values, carefully study the approach and language used for Whole Food's, found here .