I’ve had the privilege to sit down with many incredible leaders, including the CEOs and high-level managers of dairy farms and dairy businesses. Each one is like a case study on success, an opportunity to listen in for the common threads of the characteristics, habits and mindsets of those who are leading operations that are both profitable and reputable.
So, what do these leaders have in common when it comes to developing both strong teams and strong balance sheets?
In a recent conversation with third-generation CEO of T.C. Jacoby & Company, Inc., Ted Jacoby III states so clearly what I’ve heard from many others as he highlighted these four keys to success as a CEO:
Step 1. Hire talented people.
“Don’t be afraid to hire the best people you possibly can,” Jacoby says.
That means hiring people whose aptitudes and skillsets surpass your own. Choose those who will make your business better.
Step 2. Communicate a clear picture of what success looks like for them.
As Jacoby describes, the clarity of that picture must be catered to the style of communication an employee best receives.
He said, “Some people are very detailed thinkers, and they have to build concepts in their own brain based on many details. Others are generalists … they don’t actually get into the weeds on the details.”
Step 3. Equip them with the skills and resources they need to achieve that success.
Whether it’s the right tools or the best training, employ the talent you bring to your team with what they need to make that picture of success a reality.
Step 4. GET OUT OF THEIR WAY.
“It sounds easy, but it’s not,” Jacoby said. If you’ve hired really good people, if you’ve trained them well, if they know what success looks like and if you provide them with all of the resources that they require to be successful, your most important job is to get out of their way.
These keys to success build upon each other within an organization:
- The power is in the PEOPLE.
- The ability to SUCCEED is rooted in the ability to LEAD.
- And great LEADERS have the ability to LET GO in order to empower others to utilize their talents and make decisions - even when that means making mistakes.
To hear more from Ted Jacoby III, listen to this Uplevel Dairy Podcast:
