Smart Business Magazine, February 2016

10 Smart Business Columbus February 2016 TOM FEENEY President and CEO Safelite AutoGlass In his 28 years with Safelite Group Inc Tom has been instrumental in establishing Safelite AutoGlass as a nationally well known brand Since 2008 he has set the course for doubling Safelites business through two core principles People Powered and Customer Driven Tom is the recipient of the 2011 International Service Excellence CEO of the Year Award the 2013 Columbus CEO Customer Service Award and the 2014 Smart Business Smart 50 Award www safelite com 4 As and 1 V of leadership An ongoing journey of leadership development that starts with you This advice prompted me to outline a strategic framework Our People Powered Customer Driven strategy supported by a Nationally Powered Locally Driven approach has transformed our business and delivered outstanding results And the heart of it is an obsessive focus on great leaders Weve invested heavily in leadership development recognizing that managing and leading are very different In order to transform our business we needed to transform our leadership style collectively and individually and that included me What Ive taken from this journey are keys to earning trust as an inspiring leader the four As and one V of leadership Be approachable Make yourself available open your door to all not just those with significant titles And be a coach not a critic When they share issues or concerns dont make assumptions be curious and ask why Then help them to discover solutions Be authentic To be genuine its simple always tell the truth even when its hard Its the only way to establish trust Show compassion and be transparent with positive intent Most of all be sure your actions match your words Leaders cast a shadow of influence and people will model what they see you do more than what you say Be accountable Great leaders know being accountable means delivering results they do what they say they will do Demonstrate the difference between activity and accomplishment Be an asset to the organization Results earn credibility and credibility builds trust We also need to openly invest in ourselves and pursue ongoing self improvement By doing so we give others permission to invest in development thereby creating a better stronger team Be aspirational Leaders must have vision and the ability to communicate that vision in a way that inspires and empowers belief that it can be done The role of a leader isnt to direct action You dont have to be the smartest person in the room Great leaders paint a compelling picture of the future then hire engage and develop talented people who deliver results Be visible See and be seen Get out there and talk with your people customers and partners Be sure they know how much you appreciate what they do to make your company successful Balance your time between the team you lead and the team youre on recognizing when one takes priority Dont be distracted be present in the moment to make it time well spent These principles arent all the answers In fact great leaders use a variety of leadership styles for various situations to create a healthy high performing culture But for certain as people and the business continue to evolve leadership must evolve with it So whether youre a new leader or one transforming your leadership style like me I have one more word of advice BEGIN When I was first named Safelite AutoGlasss CEO someone shared a piece of advice that is also the name of a book by executive coach Marshall Goldsmith What Got You Here Wont Get You There That struck me deeply After nearly 20 years I knew many of the ins and outs of the business but hadnt spent much time reflecting on how I would lead the company to reach our full potential http linkd in 1r2BaxT Company http bit ly 1m4YqfQ www facebook com safelite @ safelite TOM FEENEY PEOPLE POWERED CUSTOMER DRIVEN