Why Radical Humility is Key to Success

0:03Hello and welcome to another episode of the duct tape marketing podcast. This is John chance My guest today is Jeffrey Hazlett. He's a primetime television host of C-Suite with Jeffrey Hazlett and executive perspectives on C-Suite TV and business podcast host of all business with Jeffrey Hazlett on C-Suite radio. He is a global business celebrity speaker, bestselling author, and chairman and CEO of C-Suite Network, home of the world's most trusted network of C-Suite leaders. He's the author of four bestselling business books, and we're going to talk about his latest, The Hero Factor, How Great Leaders Transform Organizations and Create Winning Cultures.

0:43So Jeffrey, welcome to the show. Hey, thank you so much for having me, John. I really appreciate it. You know, this is my own personal question. So before we get into the book, I'm curious where, where do you, with all the time you spend with C-suite leaders, where do you fall on the, into the kind of growing fractional C-suite industry? I think it's a great thing to have. You got a heart problem, go to a cardiologist. You got to, you know, a muffler problem, go to a muffler specialist, not some general practitioner. So in this case, you know, one of the things we're seeing is that, you know, a lot of these experts can go and do lots of different things.

1:18They do this for whether it's a box of soap, a cure for disease, political candidate, you know, it's all in the packaging. And so if you're a chief marketing officer, you can pretty much, you know, sell anything, do anything. And I think it's the same for CFOs, CIOs, CMOs, you know, you can pretty much handle it. So I think it's actually a good thing for a lot of businesses because you actually get some expertise of people that you normally couldn't afford. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It comes with the executive level, but you don't really maybe need to have a CFO sitting in the corner all day, right? You know, a guy like me, you know, is going to cost you a couple mil, you know, in terms of cost for full time if I wanted to do that full time.

1:56Right, right. You know, plus stock benefits and everything else that you get. And that's not to say, geez, you know, are you bragging or whatever? I'm just trying to give you the full range of that's indeed exactly what it costs at that level. But if you want to get that at a fraction of the cost for this time so I can help be the most strategic person in the room, that's a great way to do it. Let's dive into the book and let's begin with the beginning. What is the hero factor? It goes back to the time in which a guy named Rob Ryan started the hero group. Back in 1996, he sold his company for roughly$24.6 billion, give or take.

2:39And when he sold that, he set aside a percentage of the company for every employee making the single largest number of millionaires ever created in one day. It's never been surpassed. Even with the sale of LinkedIn to Microsoft for$26 billion, it still didn't create as many millionaires as he did. And he didn't have to. It wasn't in writing or anything. He and his wife, Terry, chief legal officer at the time, just decided they were going to give back and said the people that helped us do what we did. So they gave everybody a set number of percentage of the company and made everybody these millionaires.

3:11And they would run up to him, John, and say, hey, you're Mr. Ryan. You don't know me, but I'm the night watchman. I can send my kids to college. You're my hero. Or I'm the security guard or excuse me, the janitor. And my wife's mother is dying of cancer. But now she can live because she can get the operation. So you're our hero. And they didn't think much of being about being a hero. They were just trying to do the right thing. And what they did was they put people above profits. And that's really what hero leaders do. And we see that today where hero leaders, you know, leaders of company put values at the top of their list, you know, of all the things to do rather than bottom line operational, rather than just being, you know, you know, in terms of single minded focus around a theme or organization or a cause.

3:58But to really, truly look at the people and all that they're representing in the company and serve those people, you know, what they do is they gross more money. They net more money than the competition. They have employees who are happier. They have employees who are more engaged, customers that are happy and pleased and meeting conditions of satisfaction and vendors who want to do business with them. It just goes on. And so that's really, truly what I hear early is all about. Yeah. So you're not the first person to suggest this idea of strong values, you know, manifest in an organization. Right.

4:30But for a lot of people, it's sort of just an academic exercise. You know, how do you instill these values so they're not just nice to have? They really exist and we enforce them. And it's part of the culture. Well, that sets companies apart because they're not everybody's going to have that. And those that do lead better in terms of on page 12 of the book, I actually have a grid around those values and what sets people up. Are you a wannabe? Are you a do-gooder? You know, are you a bottom line or are you an asset company? I mean, there's lots of different ways you can set that on the grid. And it's just really, truly, what is it you want to drive in terms of your business?

5:08And if you wait, there's nothing wrong with an operational excellence of company, you know, that's based on bottom line principles, you know, bottom line things like Walmarts and the GEs of the world because they do great products, great things. They're just not interested in values. I mean, and they might say, oh, no, we give to the community. We do that. You do that because it meets your objectives and checks it off your box. You're not doing it because it's the primary thing you do. And that's the difference between hero companies. They want to be great companies. They don't want to be assholes, you know, and they sign in our group, they sign a pledge that says they're going to operate with certain principles.

5:45And I, to me, I'd like to see more companies do that. I'd like to see more people operate with greater values. You know, I'd love to see countries do that as well, because we're going through some real turmoil right now. So that's the difference. Not everybody can do it. Would you say there are a prescribed set of values then rather than you just have to find your core values and live them? I mean, certainly depending on your upbringing, all right, and your socialization. You should steal, right? Yeah, I mean, for some, that's a value for them. I mean, it's just a bad value, but there are some companies, some people, some groups, they actually do that, and that's what they believe in.

6:24I mean, there are certain groups we all know that's what they do. So, you know, it really depends on what drives your own moral compass, right, in terms of how you want to be and, you know, or your own personal conditions of satisfaction. You know, we all have to have those. I talk about this all the time. You know, I have my set of personal conditions of satisfaction. What are yours? And even with your family or with your employees or with your customers, you have to develop what those are. All right. So let's say I'm, you know, internally everybody says, yeah, we're going to be a hero company.

6:55How do you communicate that out to the world without sounding goofy at times? I mean, maybe in some cases it makes total sense, right, to say we're a hero company and people get that. But in some cases, maybe it doesn't make so much sense. I don't think people who are hero companies say I'm a hero company. I don't think that's the case, right? I don't think anybody wakes up and says this morning I'm going to be a hero. You know, there are people that wake up and live great values and great ways of living your life and being great business people, being a great father, grandfather, you know, and so forth, grandmother for those women out there.

7:29And I think that's what you have to do. You have to do that. And as a result, you're a hero company. As a result, you're a hero leader. And I talk about that in the book because there's nobody that I know that's a hero leader says, I want to be a hero. There's not. They just want to run great companies with great people doing great things. And, you know, and I think that's the most important thing is to really sit forth and say, this is what I want to be. And then what I want us to do and the scale that we want to have and the impact that we want to have. And I don't think we spend enough time thinking of that.

8:04Right. You know, you know, on the bottom of my Web site, it says New York, L.A., San Francisco and Sioux Falls, South Dakota, which is where I'm from. I'm sitting in Sioux Falls right now, but I have offices around the country and operate all over the world. And yet I say Sioux Falls, everybody says, why? And then right behind that, it says, because we can. And I do that because it's an homage to my hometown of Sioux Falls. But we can do all these things in our business. Why? Because we can. You can choose these things. And it might cost you more. It might be more time consuming. It might be harder.

8:40Yeah, but you can do those things. You've got to choose to make those a priority. And that's really, truly what it's about. So a little bit of what I was getting at there is, I mean, you've clearly defined something that's a competitive advantage that's going to help you in the market, that's going to help you attract talent. So how do you effectively communicate that in a way that that draws people to that same mission? Publish your values. I mean, that's one of the things you can do is right up front, tell people this is what we stand for and who we're going to be. And we all know those hero companies in our community because, you know, they pay for the Little League.

9:14They sponsor the symphony. They do the things that because they can and they should and they choose to do that. So so one of those would be able to publish those and say this is the values that we live by. And I see some great companies that do that. And by the way, you don't have to agree with them either. You know, you can disagree with them. I mean, let's take, you know, Truett, my mind escapes me a second. I'll remember in a second, but he's the Kathy Truitt, that the head of Chick-fil-A has certain values that they believe in. They're up front about those values. They don't open on Sunday because he believes that's the day of the Sabbath and we should rest.

9:52He also doesn't believe in same sex marriage. That's one of his values. It's out there. And you can believe you agree with them, disagree with them. But those are the values. He puts them out there. And he also makes a really good chicken sandwich. Right. With a pickle. I mean, you know, no sauce and it's been very successful. And as a result, by publishing that, pushing that, he attracts a certain group and doing a certain thing his way. That's it. You agree with that on the other end. You've got Howard Schultz, you know, from Starbucks, who is, by the way, completely opposite on the political spectrum of Mr.

10:28Truitt. But yet they operate in a certain way, certain form. And you could agree or disagree with that. And yet they're very successful. So the key is to be able to really live the values. And that's important. Because you think back when I use it as an example in the book where two black men walked into a Philadelphia Starbucks. And the manager said, if you're not going to buy something, get out. We all know, you know this, John, and you've gone to Starbucks. And we've all gone to four bucks or five bucks, whatever you want to call it. And you walk in there and you can sit there all day and work in there and never buy a thing.

11:01That's right. Because it's really a place for community. And it just happens to sell coffee and all this other stuff. And yet here was two black men sitting in this inner city Philly waiting for a business partner to come by or somebody they were pitching or something along those lines. And they were going to get coffee. They admitted that they were going to get coffee, but the police came, kicked them out the whole bit. It was a very big, controversial kind of thing. And Howard Schultz shut the company down for a day and said, we're going to go back and relive our values. We're going to teach people again.

11:31This is what we are. We're a place of community. you don't have to buy anything to come in here because that's what's made us successful because we're a meeting place for people to come together. And as a result, we sell coffee. And, you know, so I think those are really great things. So living the values, if you live those values, then people will see that's what you do. You know, it's a slower way to get customers sometimes, but nonetheless, you get customers for life. Hey, have you ever tried to hire freelancers and found that the quality of work was lacking, or you got all the outsourcing excuses as to why the work didn't get done on time?

12:04Well, Desk Team 360 has revolutionized the outsourcing game with their insourcing program that eliminates all those frustrations and excuses. You get unlimited graphic designs, website funnels, CRM, email automation, integrations, automations, really anything that requires you to log into software. Imagine all the time and frustrations you can save from trying to get your tech work done properly. We use Desk Team 360 every day in our business, And so I've negotiated you a 10 % deal. That's right. Just go to DeskTeam360.info, book a discovery call, and you'll receive the special duct tape marketing 10 % off because, hey, your pal John always takes care of you.

12:48So that's it. Go to DeskTeam360.info and book your call today. But I think it's a great point too, though, because we've probably all seen companies that say this is what we stand for, but then their actions sometimes suggest otherwise. I'll use your Chick-fil-A example. A lot of airports are not very happy with them not being open on Sunday. In fact, in some cases have said you have to be, and they said we're willing to not be here. I mean, that sends a pretty strong message, doesn't it? And I've got to stand up for him. I mean, listen, I don't appreciate his views on same-sex marriage. It's not my belief.

13:23I don't like that. I've got a cousin who happens to be gay, And I don't particularly care that they wouldn't recognize my cousin's partner. I don't like that. But they still got a good chicken sandwich. And I know my cousin still goes there and eats as well. So you just, by the way, in this country, you're entitled to your opinions. You're entitled to your beliefs. Even though I might not agree with them, it doesn't mean I can't eat your chicken sandwich. All right. So it just means on those things we choose to disagree, but we'll still be civil. And it's okay to have that. By the way, politicians should learn that right now.

13:57There's actually a case to be made for a little polarization in your marketing, if you're going to stick to it, because the people you're talking about are probably extra loyal to a company that maybe shares their values. Let's talk about, we've been talking about physical spaces. Let's talk a little bit about how this plays out in the digital world that we live in now, where increasingly we're not interacting with individuals and companies. Is there something to be learned in terms of new techniques of communicating the hero factor in this increasingly digital world? I think if you're still living it and breathing it, if you're online or offline, you still have your own values of what they are, and you still should put those through, and they should come through digitally as well.

14:40That doesn't mean just because you're not there and face-to-face or you're not communicating that by broadcast or by advertising, certainly a brand is nothing but a promise delivered. If you're delivering that promise online, you're still delivering those same core beliefs and values that you believe in terms of being a hero club. How would you suggest this? You know, there are a lot of people that that they don't necessarily treat their employees different than customers, but they view them, you know, different, obviously, than customers. But I'm guessing that the hero factor doesn't care. In fact, maybe starts with being a hero to your employees first.

15:18You try to be. You know, it's hard for us because as business people, we're always put customers first. We were we've been taught that since, you know, back in the 70s and 80s when those books were there. You know, you know, who was it that came out first? Tom Peters. Customers always write if customers ever wrong reread rule number one. You know, you know, we've grown up with that and know that to be true. But to serve the people that you're going to serve, you have to make sure that those serving are treated at the same level. And we sometimes cut a little corners with that. We have to go back and remind ourselves, I need to treat you in the same way I treat them because you're an extension of me.

16:01And so most hero leaders do put their employees first. So in the organizations you've worked with, where have you seen the challenges and maybe even the misconceptions of people trying to put this into action? Well, the biggest problem is that like 53 % of the company don't even know what the values are. So, you know, in all companies, I think operate with some level of value or value system. But if your own if a majority of your own employees don't even know what the value system is, you've already behind the eight ball before you begin. So you got to really start there. And it's not easy. Trust me, it's not easy, especially with new employees, new ways of doing things.

16:41The post-COVID world where everything's been speeded up, you know, days became weeks, became months, became years, you know. So it's been very difficult to do that. And we're not having the interaction, that human interaction like we have. But there are ways to get around some of that by making every meeting on, you know, on Zoom or video and connecting as much as possible. So there's better ways of being able to do it. But that's where it's really become more difficult for us to be able to do that. But you just have to try harder. All right. So let's say you're the new CEO. You've been brought in to turn the ship around.

17:13And one of the things you realize is culture is pretty, you know, pretty not good. And you want to bring this hero concept in. How do you start? You get together with the team that's going to implement it. You say, we have to come up with some great values. We have to say, what is it we're going to stand for as a company? If we know that a brand is a promise delivered, first of all, what's our promise? You know, what problem are we solving and how is that different from everybody else? Now, in that, how are we going to do that? How are we going to operate together and how are we going to operate with our customers?

17:48How are we going to operate with our vendors, you know, and how are we going to operate with, you know, those around us in the community and everything else that, you know, that make up our city, our towns, our states or whatever. And so that's where you start is that fundamental conversation. You get agreement around that and then start living to that agreement, you know, which is not an easy thing to do. But once you start doing that, then it starts to happen. And then I think you also have to address, John, the move. What's going to be our move? How are we going to do it? You know, one thing to operate with values.

18:19But are we going to go at it by dragging ourselves across the line or are we going to run into it? You know, and that's really where you have to have some really hard and very transparent discussions. And then with leaders, you have to operate with, you know, what I call healthy tension. You know, you have to have some tension and confront things when you see things and allow your employees to confront you as well when you're not operating inside of those values. Yeah, probably the biggest, you know, rule breaker, right? Is the person that, you know, because sometimes it's tough. You know, it's not easy being the CEO.

18:56It's not easy being one of the C-suite leaders. You know, we like to think that we're the smartest people in the room. We're not. Our job is to be the most strategic people in the room. And, you know, and our work at the C-suite network that we do is to help people become that most strategic person, you know, that we're serving in that room. I probably should ask this in the beginning, but I'll kind of wrap us up here. What role does humility play in this leader's new life? I think you have to have a servant mentality to be a hero leader without question. You have to want to serve others, whether that's cleaning the toilets or, you know, or at the sometimes, you know, standing in front of the thousands or millions on television talking about what your company is and what you're doing and how you're trying to serve your community.

19:40But the core is you've got to get, you know, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself to quote a great movie quote, you know, and it's important for us to look inside and make sure that you've got everything. set up and lined up. And sometimes that takes some coaching. It takes obviously some ongoing education, some motivation, some inspiration. And it's important for you as a leader to get that. Jeffrey, I appreciate you taking a moment to stop by the Duct Tape Marketing Podcast. Is there anywhere you'd invite people to connect with you and then obviously pick up a copy of The Hero Factor?

20:11Thank you so much. I appreciate that. You can go to hazlett.com, H-A-Y-Z-L-E-T-T.com or the c-suite network.com. You can find us there. We'll be there for all your, all anything and everything you might need. Awesome. Again, I appreciate you taking a moment and hopefully we'll run into you one of these days out there on the road.