Terms that I see everywhere today are influencer and thought leader. I do not purport to be one, but in reflecting on my long industry career, I certainly benefited from many of them. I thought it appropriate to share some of them and the counsel and wisdom that they shared with me. Mostly it was through personal contact or reading their books or articles. Some were leaders that I met as customers, such as at Raytheon, Gillette, General Electric, International Paper and others.

I will be forever grateful for their wisdom.

A memorable teaching moment came when I met the former CEO of Crane Co., Eric C. Fast. I stopped by to visit him at the company’s corporate headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. My company represented many of its great valve and pump products. 

He asked a lot of questions about the distribution function and how he could help. A big poster beside his desk said, “Make It Ugly!” I asked him what the significance of the poster was. He responded that when he first assumed the CEO position and had his key people in for a meeting, they seemed to be telling him what they thought he wanted to hear. 

So, he implemented the make-it-ugly rule. He told his team that he needed them to tell him, in the ugliest possible way, what needed to be changed in order for the company to get better. He said that the response was positive and everything immediately changed. Their candid input made all the difference; things that needed to be fixed were immediately addressed. 

Eric stated that at Crane, telling it straight never gets old! Upon his retirement, he sent me the poster, which I proudly still hang in my office. Sadly, he passed away in 2023.

Keep it obvious

One of the first business books I read was on my boss’s reading shelf: “Obvious Adams: The Story of a Successful Businessman,” authored by Robert Updegraff. I surmised that if the boss read it and kept it, there must be some valuable lessons in it. At only 70 pages, I breezed through this little book. If you work in business, especially marketing, I highly recommend it for you as well.

Too often we make things much harder than necessary. We try to get “too cute” when we only need to identify what’s essential, articulate it as clearly as possible and then execute in the most straightforward way possible. 

“Why don’t more businessmen do the obvious?” Adams was asked. He responded: “Thinking is the hardest work many people ever have to do, and they don’t like to do any more of it than they can help. The best answers are usually the most obvious ones.” 

Customers come first

Another management guru whose advice was so influential and so common sense was Peter Drucker. In turbulent times, his insights were so spot on. Some of my favorite Drucker quotes are:

“The true business of every company is to make and keep customers. No customers, no company!” 

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.”

“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” 

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” 

“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”

Let the data lead

My all-time favorite book is, “The Essential Deming: Leadership Principles from the Father of Quality,” by W. Edwards Deming. My favorite quotes from this management and quality control leader are: 

“In God we trust; all others must bring data.”

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.”

“Two basic rules of life are: 1) Change is inevitable. 2) Everybody resists change.”

“Innovation comes from people who take joy in their work.”

“A bad system will beat a good person every time.”

“A dissatisfied customer does not complain; he just switches.”

“Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.”

“Good quality and the right uniformity have no meaning except with reference to the customer’s demands.”

Make the message matter

One of my friends is the pastor of a local church. We were sharing stories and talking about the challenges of managing people and crafting effective messages. He stated that every week he must write a new sermon for his congregation. He jokingly said that even with God on his side and loyal church attendance, he questions why it can be difficult to tell whether they are truly getting it. Even though we essentially have the Ten Commandments as a reference, every seven days they need a refresher course. 

I admire him for his passion to make a positive difference in someone’s daily life. He stands outside after the services and thanks them for coming, reminding them that they make his day, and he always asks what he could have done to make it better for them. 

Another lesson came from a manufacturer customer. I was accompanying our salesperson who called on this paper mill. I thought it was going to be phase one of the contract renewal process. Turns out they were presenting an appreciation award to him. The purchasing agent pulled me aside and said that he decided not to put the contract out for bid and would be renewing with us again. 

I asked why; he responded that feedback from everyone — the security guard, the receptionist, the stockroom manager, the buyer, the plant engineer and the maintenance crew — was that our company did a great job and that our sales rep was not only knowledgeable about their process and the products, but his enthusiasm was the overriding factor. He loved his company, loved his customers, and he made their day with his joyful attitude. 

The purchasing agent’s last comment was, “You can’t fake enthusiasm!”

Another friend owns a restaurant. She said the biggest challenge is managing expectations and realizing that the experience varies with the customer. She creates the menu, raising the bar with her staff and ensuring that their communication entailed asking clarifying questions on ostensibly simple words such as rare, well done, spicy, etc., making sure they truly understood the customers’ definition and translating it for the chef. 

The menu is the promise, but the meal is the deal!

Excellence is an everyday choice

My most reliable sources of education and innovation were the networking opportunities afforded by industry associations, such as the American Supply Association, Affiliated Distributors, Distribution Strategy Group and the PVF Roundtable. All the best independent distributors in one place, sharing their concerns and successes. 

We all came with questions and answers and left with a powerful network of trusted friends that we could call and bounce ideas and experiences with all year round. Recently, I had an insightful conversation with a network friend about how they were employing artificial intelligence (AI) at his company. His last piece of advice was, “Don’t forget that the I in AI is you!”

While some people say, “I’m going to work,” I always preferred to say, “I’m going to have fun making a difference every day.” Surround yourself with the best people, make excellence an all-the-time thing. Hospitals need the best doctors, orchestras need the best musicians, and manufacturers, reps and distributors need the absolute best, too! 

My last quote came when I was making a call on a customer with our company owner, John Pope. The customer knew me but had never met John. So, he asked John what his job was at F W Webb Co. John casually responded, “I am the owner, but you are the boss!” Another lesson learned!