Is It Your Way Or The Highway?

As distributors, company owners, teammates – as people – we’ve experienced a tremendous upheaval to how we work, live and play.

These changes have forced distributors to take a hard look at how they lead.

I surveyed over 230 distributors, and overwhelmingly, the majority agreed that the very nature of leadership is changing.

Not just that we need to lead differently now than we did before the pandemic – though 83% of distributors did agree with that, too. It’s that the type of leader required to run the backbone of this country has to be different.

It’s time to embrace the “Noble Calling” of leadership.

This leadership awakening, if you will, requires being called by a higher purpose to make an impact that goes beyond the bottom line. These leaders focus on investing and empowering their employees, supporting others so we can all fulfill our individual potential.

Yet, despite agreeing that we need change, there’s a discrepancy between that and putting it into action: 53% of survey respondents in our research believe most distributors are currently leading in an antiquated way, thinking short term, and not looking forward. Consider the contrast between (1) controlling, where management gets things done by legislating and policing activity and resorting to fear as a motivator, or (2) managing, where they get swept up in the day to day and maintaining processes and the status quo.

We found a 41-percentage point difference between where distributors think most leaders are now (managing) to where they think leaders should be five years from now (Noble Calling).

That’s a big difference. And getting there can feel like an epic journey.

The question is: What’s getting in the way?

ROADBLOCKS TO CHANGE
What’s holding distributors back from achieving this level of leadership? Here are a few obstacles.

1) Confluence of Change.
It can be hard to think of the future when unrelenting pressures require your constant attention, and these pressures aren’t going away any time soon. From supply chain issues and inflation to labor shortages, day-to-day management can strain leaders’ ability to step away, reflect and innovate.

As one distributor told us: “Distribution leadership is balancing managing the fires and leading through the change while wanting to make the leap toward Noble Calling, but [it’s hard to] separate from them enough to make those extraordinary changes that lead to breakthrough results.”

2) The Challenge of Change.
Change is simply not easy. When we’re asking ourselves to change how we lead, this challenge is significant. As one survey respondent in our research said: “Noble Calling is a heavy lift. Especially for people who have been successful as pragmatists.”

3) The Pull of Tradition and “The Way We’ve Always Done Things.”
I get it: There’s comfort in the familiar. Considering a change in the way you lead can seem daunting. The reason you got to where you are, in part, is due to your ability to lead, so why adjust? Why adapt and change? Well, if you want to play the long game and ensure your company is here not only for this generation, but the one after that – and the one after that – you’re going to have to break free from tradition.

4) Resource Availability.
One survey respondent said: “The ability to evolve how you lead is dependent upon available resources.” That’s true. The Noble Calling of leadership requires investing time, money, energy and talent. For many, these resources are not always available all at once, especially today, which can make the Noble Calling of leadership feel unattainable.

GOING FORWARD – WITH PURPOSE – IS POSSIBLE
With these obstacles in the way of success, how do distributors make it through to a new style of leading?

They have to. Distributors are at an inflection point. If they want to survive, they must chart a new course.

Focus on unlearning the old ways of leading that no longer serve you, your company or your people.

• Recognize that domineering, unilateral decision-making won’t fly any more.
• Don’t let profit hinder your relationships with employees. Remove the glasses that might have distorted your view and get to know your employees as people, beyond the roles they have for the company.
• Find creative ways to support people’s goals and dreams, their passions and skill sets. You don’t have to provide bonuses or bring ice cream trucks in to show your employees you care.
• Talk to them. Get to know their dreams and see how you and your company can make those dreams come true. Embrace the humanity revolution.

Porter Pipe, featured in We Supply America season one (https://wesupplyamerica.net/featured-films/#one) helps their employees set professional and personal goals. Each employee decides what they want to achieve inside and outside of the business. I was taken aback when I heard that of the 10 goals they are coached to set, just three were focused on what they wanted to achieve at Porter. The other seven were personal.

CH Briggs, a specialty building materials distributor based in Pennsylvania, embraces a similar philosophy: “What we’re building here is to create the kinds of jobs and growth where all of our coworkers can create the lives they want and to celebrate and help our customers build the kinds of lives they want for themselves, their families, their co-workers and their end-users,” CEO Julia Klein said.

As leaders, we must consider what our employees dream about and what they hope to achieve. In doing so, we help another person grow and develop, both personally and professionally.

And when leaders can do something as simple as that, they’re already on the right road.

One of our survey respondents said it far better than I could: “Leadership is all about the human element, the ability to connect, empathize, understand, and communicate.”

If that’s the case, then available resources aren’t a hindrance. The clashing demands of change become challenging but not insurmountable. The ways things have always been done starts to seem like a tired way of thinking rather than a position worth holding onto.

Being a noble leader is necessary because it puts people first. A distributor’s team is its power. Without the right people, supported in the right ways, distributors won’t reach their potential. How are you investing in your people to help them grow both personally and professionally?

Our employees power it all — the entire noble industry of distribution.

INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE

The November/December issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Kimball Midwest. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dirk Beveridge, Frank Hurtte, and Mike Marks, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.