Empathy, not presumption, is key for leaders!

 

 

This is a quick essay from a leadership moment I had this week.  Leading in the context of the past few years has been challenging for me personally and for leaders across industries and organization size.  The dynamics of Covid with a large employee base (for us the majority of our organization works in the plant or on the farms every day), combined with massive supply chain disruptions, and wild inflation swings have created the most significant leadership challenge of my 35+ year career.  In this context, we have had numerous young leaders “step up” into big roles, with expanded responsibilities, to face the challenges across various departments.  It’s in this context that an exchange from earlier this week prompted this essay.

 

In a discussion with another senior member of our team, we were discussing the situation of a young exec who had stepped up into a larger role over the past few months.  My senior team partner expressed their worry about the young exec, concerned that they might have too much on their plate, and suggested that maybe we should “move something” to another young leader to help “balance the load.”  I listened and understood where they were coming from but suggested tht instead of just “moving some responsibilities to help out,” I thought we should have someone check in with them to see how they were doing…. Simply put, let’s ask before acting!

 

That suggestion turned out to be a good move because when the young exec was asked “how they were holding up with the new responsibilities?” they responded that they were energized by the new departments and all the new things to learn, and while they were working a ton, they knew they would get it “dialed in” soon and didn’t want to change a thing.   A well-meaning senior leader almost “trampled” the energy and performance of a growing your exec just because they “presumed” a bit too much about the situation without asking a singe question.

 

Its important to remember that this is tight balancing act and for leaders, especially in challenging moments, its critical to have an “empathetic” eye/ear directed towards the organization.

 

Empathy:  noun

1. the ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

 

This need to be tuned into the company and the team is hard and often is a shifting landscape, so leaders actually have to work hard to their “empathy” radar up and working at all times.  The key in my mind is to not let that empathetic “radar” so too far without actually asking much needed questions.

 

 

Presumption:  noun

1.  

an idea that is taken to be true, and often used as the basis for other ideas, although it is not known for certain.

 

 

Take a moment as leaders to reflect on this “balancing act” yourselves.  My encouragement is to keep you attention tuned into your organizations, but don’t let it go too far based soley on “your opinions!”  Ask some key questions through your process, and I am sure you will keep “presumption” out of your leadership toolbox.

 

 

 

Eyes Forward!

 

The past few weeks have been filled with challenges and setbacks from multiple angles.  Tough business issues, combined with senior executive changes and frustrated equity partners have led to a few weeks of mounting stress.  In the midst of that “whirlwind,” once again I received some heartfelt and “on-point” advice from my long-term business partner and good friend Cathy…advice that I think is applicable to so many of us in these broadly challenging days.

 

The setting was an early morning drive (and I mean VERY early) from Los Angeles to Bakersfield two weeks ago.  The stress of the mounting situation was digging into my sleep so on that morning, I was awake well before 4am and on the road before 4:30.  Heading north on the 405, I called to check-in with Cathy and shared the dynamics of everything that was going on… a helpful and sympathetic “ear” in a very tough moment.  After listening to my venting, she said “Bill, I have some advice for you today” … and boy was I listening… I needed something!  “She said, “remember as you head to Bakersfield today… Eyes Forward.!”  Those two words, “Eyes Forward,” were helpful that day and have stayed with me over the past few weeks.

 

While Cathy’s advice on that Thursday morning was applicable to the challenge of driving over the Grapevine on the 405, she was really talking about working to have a clear headset and focus on the challenges ahead, not being distracted by the distractions around us… nor the missteps of the past.  More that 10 years ago I posted an essay titled “over the hood-over the horizon” (you can find it at: https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2012/04/over-hood-over-horizon.html ) that touches on this idea of how to successfully navigate a challenging “road” in business or in life.  Cathy’s advice is a very good compliment to that idea, and in some way, they really make very good sense together.

 

As I reflect on this essay, I am pretty consumed by the challenges of the moment, both in my business life and across the world.  The past few years of living in a Covid plagued world, with accelerating political divisiveness, global military crises, escalating climate change issues, ( and I could go on…) have seemed daunting to the point of overwhelming.  The issues and challenges seem so omnipresent that charting a path forward appears out of reach.  It’s in this context that Cathy’s advice rings true… “Eyes Forward!”  If we take a moment, we need to remember that there have been daunting challenges across the centuries…  dramatic issues of plague, war, starvation, cultural crises, etc.  That historic perspective is not meant to be depressing and fatalistic.  It is intended to remind all of us that living and leading in the context of massive challenges is nothing new.  In those historic moments, just like today, Cathy’s advice is helpful and needed!

 

As you the reader take on the challenges in your world, whatever they are and from whatever direction they emanate, keep your focus on the road ahead and remember… “Eyes Forward.”  Companies, countries, and organizations of any size need leaders that help make sense of the chaos of challenges that face us and help chart a course FORWARD working to make the path of tomorrows a bit better and more productive than the days that are past.  I have often said that we have an infinite inability to affect yesterday, and an infinite ability to affect tomorrow ... and all the tomorrows in our future. 

Eyes Forward!!

 

You can never say thanks enough…

 

Over the years, how many times have you as a leader recognized key team members for exceptional work?  I am sure that your answer goes something like mine would….” as many times as I can.” Well, I have just been involved in a major project at work, our acquisition of the Evolution Fresh juice business from Starbucks (press release below) and I am learning once again that leaders can never say thank you enough for the truly heroic work of their teams.

 

Across my career I have now been involved in a number of M&A events, but this is the first one that I personally lead.  I knew it was going to be a major piece of work coordinating the “carveout” of this business unit out of the Starbucks corporate structure, but I had NO IDEA just how much work it would actually take for the Bolthouse Farms team and the Evolution Fresh team (and the Starbucks corporate team, equity partners and so many others) to bring the process to a successful close (that happened on 8/1/22!!!) and to ensure the uninterrupted continued operations of a very successful business at Evolution Fresh.  The work has been incredible, and the what’s most notable is that the work of the teams ALL ACROSS THE BOARD has been exceptional and inspiring. 

 

 I can tell stories of team members working through multiple nights to get major IT roadblocks handled…. or others in HR who worked shift after shift to ensure that the frontline team members could do their jobs and get back to work just minutes after closing, or finance team members who checked every single payroll record to make sure we could have  a successful payroll run after week one, or legal team members who oversaw EVERY detail of the required work and are still overseeing the details of TSA agreements and requirements, or operations team members who reorganized the production planning schedule to ensure high customer service levels in the midst of the ownership transition… and the list could literally go on for pages!  As the leader of this initiative, I am blown away and truly humbled by the quality of the work and the success of the outcome all across the board and as I commented above, I can never say thank you enough!

 

Now a moment of perspective… as a 60 yr old with over 37 years in business, I have the awareness that I am in the closing chapters of my professional career (duh!) and don’t have too many more events/projects/deals like this left.  It is in this context that I am even more appreciative of the incredible work of the teams across the companies.  I have found inspiration and energy from the exceptional work of so many and at this place in my career, that’s pretty incredible!

 

All I have left to say….. is thank you!

“Hopeful Optimism” is a fundamental requirement for Leaders… now more than ever.

 

As I mentioned in a recent essay, the headlines of global warfare, mass killings, economic downturns and renewed attacks on our democratic institutions have been exceedingly difficult to navigate as an individual, none-the-less as an organizational leader.  In addition to these more macro (and more significant) issues, our business has been faced by inflationary cost pressures and recessionary headwinds like so many other enterprises large or small.  While we are still a wonderful business, in a strong growth mode filled with many untapped opportunities and an exciting acquisition on the horizon, these past few months have brought serious challenges and have required us to rethink our priorities and business plans for our upcoming fiscal year that kicks off August 1^st.

 

It’s in this context that I wanted to share a few thoughts about how important it is for leaders to not only understand the challenges we are facing and work with the team to “steer” a successful path amidst those challenges…. It is vital we do so in the context of “hope” and “optimism” even when the challenges seem daunting.  Recently on a flight west, I “went looking for hope,” and read some essays and quotes from various world leaders across history that were able to find and sustain “hopeful optimism” in exceedingly challenging contexts.  One famous quote is from Nelson Mandela speaking of his 27+ years incarcerated on Robbin Island, a hard labor prison in South Africa run by the Apartheid government at that time,  

 

 

“I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”

 

 

Completely humbled and inspired by Mandela’s comments and “spirit,” I assessed our situation and came away a bit more hopeful indeed.  

 

While the business has its challenges, they are actually fairly visible and on the whole things we can work to control (expense management and wholesale pricing actions in the light of strong inflation pressures).  Equally they are challenges not faced solely by us, but are pressures being felt by our competitors in equal OR WORSE fashion!  Things might be tough, but we might be gaining advantages on the competitive landscape!

 

As I think about our organization broadly, and our leadership team specifically I am very encouraged.  While this group is broadly young (many have never faced a tough recession and high inflation at the same moment), it is so strong and a very “ingenious” bunch of problem-solvers.  Their energy and enthusiasm are strong but will be tested in the challenging days ahead; a team that I feel lucky to have a chance to lead in this specific moment!

 

Now I don’t want to suggest that our challenges today IN ANY WAY compare with Mandela’s plight on Robbin Island…. BUT …. If he was able to find a path of “hopeful optimism” in the midst of that nightmare, how can we as leaders today not find that spark in our landscape??  Our organizations and teams need us now more than ever…. to be candid and clear-eyed on the challenges ahead but also energized and forward-looking ( “keeping one's head pointed toward the sun, one's feet moving forward”)  on the opportunities and possibilities that lie ahead… they need us to be “hopeful optimists” now more than ever!

postscript: Nine years ago, I wrote an essay about Nelson Mandela that is also very appropriate to the challenges of today.... take a look if you have a second:https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-hero-inspiration-and-optimist.html

A “Hymn” for us all…

 

 

Like so many others, the terror and tragedy of the recent mass shootings have brought me to my knees both figuratively and physically.  The horror of Buffalo, Uvalde, Tulsa and even yesterday’s shooting in a concrete plant in Maryland continues the nightmare AND truth that we live in a uniquely violent gun filled country.  The data and TRUTH of that last statement is undeniable and not a partisan view of fact/news vs “alt facts/news.”  The following table is from a recent United Nations study that clearly shows our unique and, in my opinion, “nightmarish” place in the world.      

 

An underlying truth that this table doesn’t highlight is that an incredible number of these “gun violence deaths per 100,000” are deaths of children.  The fact that our county is not only this violent but also this “unsafe” for our children is not acceptable and cannot be the legacy that we (our generation of American adults) leave to the generations to follow.

It is in this context, in a dark and discouraged moment last week, that I was inspired by the poet Amanda Gorman.  She was interviewed on NPR regarding her perspective and response to the recent gun violence and she described herself as “optimistic and stubborn” on this topic, which she collapsed into the single descriptor that she was “obstinate” regarding the current trends.  That adjective hit home for me…. I want to be MORE “obstinate” regarding gun violence…I want to be MORE “obstinate” about supporting advances in gun regulation and controls … I want to be MORE “obstinate” about ways to make our society safer for our kids as school, at home and in our communities…. And the list goes on!  She continued on to read her recent poem “Hymn for the Hurting” which I have added below, and it inspired me deeply.  The stanza towards the end hit home to me and her admonition that we all  “May we not just grieve, but give: May we not just ache , but act;”  is so profound…. in the midst of OUR nightmare of American Gun Violence, we all need to find ways to “give” and “act” for the sake of our children and our communities.  I hope you find her words as poignant and powerful as I have!

Hymn for the Hurting

by Amanda Gorman

Everything hurts,
Our hearts shadowed and strange,
Minds made muddied and mute.
We carry tragedy, terrifying and true.
And yet none of it is new;
We knew it as home,
As horror,
As heritage.
Even our children
Cannot be children,
Cannot be.

Everything hurts.
It’s a hard time to be alive,
And even harder to stay that way.
We’re burdened to live out these days,
While at the same time, blessed to outlive them.

This alarm is how we know
We must be altered —
That we must differ or die,
That we must triumph or try.
Thus while hate cannot be terminated,
It can be transformed
Into a love that lets us live.

May we not just grieve, but give:
May we not just ache, but act;
May our signed right to bear arms
Never blind our sight from shared harm;
May we choose our children over chaos.
May another innocent never be lost.

Amanda Gorman is a poet and the author of “The Hill We Climb,” “Call Us What We Carry” and “Change Sings.”

 

It’s been a tough few months…. “no malignancy”!

 

Over the years of writing this blog, (and that has now spanned more than 13 years!!!) I have tried to focus on lessons of leadership and life as my core themes.  A few times I have strayed into political issues of the day ( see https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-message-at-troubled-moment-in-our.html posted on 1/7/21) or on family issues that we were experiencing at the moment ( https://fylegacy.blogspot.com/2013/06/jump-shoal-of-life.html, posted in 2014).  Today I want to break that mold and take a moment to share a medical issue that I have been dealing with over the past few months and a few thoughts/reflections that have come from that journey.

 

Earlier this year in January I had to have a minor sinus operation to remove some scar tissue that was affecting my breathing.  While that procedure was very successful, during that time I had several doctor appointments through the process and one of the “scans” identified a large growth on my thyroid… it was found completely by accident!  After diving in with a specialist, and doing more scans and biopsies, it was determined that the growth/tumor was most likely cancerous and needed to come out immediately.  Last Friday that surgery was successfully completed and as I recovered this past week, I waited for the pathology report with the results regarding the nature of the growth.  While I have many strengths, “waiting” is not one of them and as the week wore on my patience/nerves/demeanor etc. was stretched and frayed….. not a pleasant week for Jennie and others that were trying hard to take care of me and for that I apologize deeply!

 

Well yesterday was my follow-up appt with the surgeon, and he burst into the exam room and yelled out “YOU ARE BENIGN!!”  I jumped up, gave him a high five, gave Jennie a big hug and let out a “whoop” of joy and relief…..  an outcome that was far better than expected on every front!  I won’t go into the medical details, but the picture above is from my pathology report, and it couldn’t have come out any better… “no malignancy is identified” are words to live by and for!!

 

I share this story not to explain why my postings have been a bit sparse this winter/spring, but to share that we are all frail creatures, and we all have, have had, or will have physical challenges in our lives.  The one message I want to share in this experience is how supported/cared-for/and candidly loved I have felt though this by so many people… none more than my sweet wife Jennie!  I took a lot of strength and comfort from all the support from so many that I have received through my journey these past few months and this experience has reminded me to be ready to give that same support in return.  

 

I will close with a faithful musical reminder of this admonition… written beautifully by Lennon & Mccartney:

 

And in the end
The love you take
Is equal to the love
You make

Don't fight your life..." The wisdom of Swint"

 This may sound like quite an unusual title, but recently I have faced some challenges that have brought this idea, and these themes into sharp focus.  As most of you know, I have had a business career that has spanned 35+ years and across those decades ( now that's hard to fathom!) I have often travelled fro my work.  In this most recent chapter, as President of Bolthouse Farms, I literally commute regularly ( often weekly) from Atlanta Ga. to Bakersfield Ca. for my work.... not a very typical commute to say the least!  In this reality, I often have to take various routes across multiple airlines as part of my travel itinerary and at times the challenges of modern travel rear their "ugly" head.

Over the past few weeks, I have been on a tough streak, with multiple delayed flights, mechanical/crew issues, and major traffic delays that have caused significant challenges and frustrations.  Just this past week, after an extended drive due to a major accident on the Grapevine ( the mountain pass where "The 5" connects LA to Bakersfield) I arrived to a hotel near LAX to crash for an early direct flight home to Atlanta the next morning.  Arriving nice and early, successfully advancing my position, I got to the gate to be met by a 3 hour delay that culminated in a cancelled flight due to mechanical issues.  It had been a long few weeks at work and this felt like a kind of a breaking point.  The tension in the gate area was high, my patience was short, and for some reason in the midst of the tension I remembered back to a work associate at Coke named "Swint."

I have no idea why Swint came to mind last Friday morning at LAX, but indeed he did!  We worked together at Coke in Baltimore back in the late 90's, and Swint and his family lived near Annapolis Maryland.  I remember that Swint owned a boat and invited a few of us for a weekend get together that included a boat cruise/ride.  It was a very pleasant trip, a beautiful spot and I remember asking Swint if he was a long time boat owner.  He shared that this was the first boat he had ever owned and he had bought it when Coke transferred him and his family to the area from Atlanta.  I must have had a curious look on my face when he said this because he went on to share that he always tried to adopt the interests of the area where he was living, and since he was living by the water, he bought a boat.  If he had been transferred to Denver, they would have taken up skiing, and if they had been sent to LA they probably would have tried their hand at surfing!  In those days people were transferred regularly by Coke to various offices across the country ( and world!) and this idea of overtly "not fighting that life" and going with the "local flow" seemed to make a lot of sense!

For some reason, "the wisdom of Swint" hit me at LAX on Friday morning at a tension filled gate 26B.  I immediately got on the phone with my trusted associate Cathy, and started coming up with a big "plan B." Instead of staying at the airport for hours in the stress filled mess, we rebooked a flight for yesterday (Saturday) morning, and I went back to the LAX parking deck to get my car and drive 2 hours to take my sweet daughter Marie to lunch ... pictured to the right!  We had a couple of hours together, and caught up on her life this spring at UCSB and just enjoyed our time together....truly a tonic!  I found my way back to Atlanta yesterday, and while I need to get re-energized for my flight west tomorrow (ugh) I am keeping Swint in my mind and will continue to look for ways to "not fight my life"... and maybe even find a few more "lucky surprise lunches" with sweet Marie!!