James T. Horn has been able to command influence at The Tri-M Group LLC not just because he’s the boss but because he knows what makes his people tick. He has earned the respect of his 366 employees by seeing firsthand the challenges they face. That knowledge of the company’s operations not only improves his workers’ view of him, it helps him make more informed decisions, leading the company to 2006 revenue of $54 million and a projection of more than $65 million in 2007. Smart Business spoke with Horn, president and CEO of The Tri-M Group, about the importance of getting in the game and earning the respect of your employees.
Get involved. The CEO or president should clearly understand from a 10,000-foot view what’s going on inside the business, but not to the point where it seems that he or she is micro-managing. That could be more damaging than anything else. It gives the appearance that you don’t have trust in others. But clearly you should know what’s going on in your business.
Two, you need to get actively involved in the game. Don’t watch from the sidelines.
Lead by example. Get out there where the action is, that’s what a lot of people want to see. When I go out to the field and talk to our employees, they like that I’m out there and I see what they’re doing and can see what they’re accomplishing, and [they can] ask me questions. It’s important.
Three, a CEO should be involved enough to know what’s on the mind of employees. If we sit back too much, barriers start to go up. A lot of employees won’t tell you what those barriers are.
But if you’re involved in the operation and you’re out there, they’re not afraid to talk to you, they’ll let you know what those barriers are, and it’s our job as leaders to remove those barriers so they can do the best job they possibly can.
As CEO, you should be involved to a point where people see you are ap-proachable and accessible. If you sat up in a walnut office on Mahogany Row and never got out to see the people, you tend to distance yourself from the people who make it happen. You’ve got to create an environment that fosters motivation and excitement, starting at the top. That stimulates a high level of productivity and effective decision-making. When people are working in that environment, they become creative.
Don’t expect respect just because you’re the boss. You earn respect by giving respect. Just because I have a title of Jim Horn, president and CEO, it doesn’t mean I have ‘respect me’ written across my forehead.
You earn that by having respect for others and by showing that you care about people and you care about the direction you’re going. You also have to show that you’re passionate about where you’re going. People will develop that respect for you, but it takes time.
That’s the one thing that worries me about bringing outsiders into this company. Bringing outsiders into leadership positions is very difficult.
