One of the best ways a leader can execute a strategy and supercharge a company’s growth is to lead by example. This simple strategy earns you the respect and trust of your team. When I joined NCH in 2009 as the CEO of Asia, I knew that I would be managing 450 sales people. I was transitioning from owning an advertising agency to running a specialty chemical company and I wanted to earn the trust of the team. I learned the sales process, went out in the field and opened up 100 new accounts in 30 days. This gave me tremendous credibility when working with the sales teams in Asia. Each manager that I hired regardless of their title, had to learn our process and go out in the field. As a management team we knew what the sales people went through every day and were able to develop a strategy for success that the team believed in because we were able to go out and do it.
I have had the pleasure of working with some amazing teams in APAC and the US and they have 3 things in common. They all work really hard, have great attitudes and lead by example.