Chasing Leaders to Grow

The Third Growth Option with Benno Duenkelsbuehler and Guests

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This episode evolved from a conversation I had with Tara Dikos, EVP at Transpac, in which she used the phrase “chasing leaders” - here, we talk about what that means, how to spot talent, learn from talent, and also to recruit and develop talent, especially in the world of consumer businesses that develop and sell products from factories to retailers.

6:48 - “I find retail fascinating…it’s so complex… because you have to understand product, you have to understand people, you have to understand employees and customers, and there is so much psychology that is part of merchandising and retailing.”

8:27 - “I’m curious if you remember how or when you decided or came across this concept of ‘chasing leaders’? - Yeah, well, I still chase leaders. I have a list of people that I want to continue to have intentional conversations with.”

9:20 - “We were raised that we were no better than - or less than for that matter - than anybody else. We can lead, we can follow, or we can (in Tara’s dad’s words) get the hell out of the way…and all three choices are good choices at certain times. You have to know when to choose which.”

10:24 - “My goals had to shift from short-term financial goals to long-term career goals. And in order to do that I had to chase leaders and not just a paycheck. I wanted to connect with the brightest minds in our industry.”

11:19 - “I’m incredibly proud of walking into the room alongside the smartest people.”

12:10 - “A theme you carried throughout a lot of your podcasts is genuine curiosity and passion.”

13:51 - “We hire people and are looking at it based on their attitude and willingness to learn…(not) necessarily the mantras or phrases, it’s their behavior.”

16:05 - “Because that’s how he (Gary Friedman) carried himself, he made more of his life than he would have without that attitude.”

20:01 - “Have regular meetings with your current staff…shake things up…if you got good people and they’re not in the right role, change the role. - We call them ‘what do you want to be when you grow up’ meetings.”

21:27 - “Get involved in industry associations. You and Michael (Nieves) talk about the Gift and Home Trade Association. I can’t recommend GHTA enough…both for leaders and aspiring leaders… it’s an incredible environment, to network and to engage, be present and mindful, meeting people that are expressing a desire to learn and grow.”

24:53 - “A lot of people that we hire are underdogs. I say that I myself was probably an underdog when I started here.”

25:22 - “If you move people around…don’t only look at the results they create and the skills they have, but look inside the people, at their dreams and desires.”

27:03 - “I would tell my younger self that it is okay to have boundaries…it’s okay to slow down sometimes.”