A good boss is a business plus
For the AJC
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Frank Fenello became president of the finance and accounting division of MDI Group, an Atlanta professional services firm, three years ago. So far he’s increased the revenue from zero to about $7 million, according to Amy Gallagher, director of employee services for the division.
Both Gallagher and Brad Baer, the director of client services, have reported to Fenello for three years. They call him a great boss and “a true leader.”
Photos by Leita Cowart / Special
Amy Gallagher and Brad Baer report to Frank Fenello (center) at MDI Group in Atlanta and say his leadership style is a win for everyone.
Leita Cowart
Lori Davila, Executive Agent/Coach, author, columnist and resume writer at the Ravinia Club grounds.
“You get a very clear direction from this man and then he empowers you to be successful,” Baer said. “He motivates you, pushes you out of your comfort zone, and you know you’ll always learn something from Frank.”
Employees, consultants and clients appreciate Fenello’s hands-on style and his confidence. “He’s our number-one resource because of the relationships that he builds. When he makes a recommendation, you can trust that it’s for the right reason,” Gallagher said. He’s earned the respect of clients, consultants and employees by forging partnerships that are a win for everyone, Baer said.
His communication is straightforward and timely. Employees regularly get feedback delivered in a positive way.
“There’s never any belittling or calling employees out to embarrass them. His feedback comes in real time [not waiting for a formal review] and from a place that wants to help us be better,” Baer said. “We know that he cares about us as people.”
Fenello sets annual goals and checkpoints along the way to monitor progress, but everyone has a say in planning and operations. “He reminds us that it’s our business, not just his. I definitely work better under his management style,” Baer said.
Gallagher said that morale was exceptionally high in the division.
“Knowing that I have my boss’ support makes me more confident in my role to recruit the right talent for our clients’ projects,” she said. “He leads by example; and by sharing what he’s learning from the books he’s reading, he’s opened our eyes to professional development.”
In July, Atlanta magazine named MDI Group to its 40 Best Places to work in Atlanta list. Employees nominated companies that were judged on their ability to create environments where people feel invested in their jobs.
Satisfaction matters
“High employee engagement is a competitive advantage for companies,” said Suzie Price, managing principal of Priceless Professional Development.
In 2002, a Gallup research report based on studies of 7,939 units in 36 companies (“Business-Unit Level Relationship Between Employee Satisfaction, Employee Engagement, and Business Outcomes) concluded that employee satisfaction and engagement related to meaningful business outcomes that cut across industries.
“Companies with strong employee-engagement scores had a higher success rate, higher profitability [from $80,000 to $120,000 higher monthly revenue on average], less turnover, higher customer satisfaction and less contention all around,” Price said.
Good bosses play a significant role in whether employees are engaged in their work. “Some people are more naturally talented for leadership than others, but you can train people to be better bosses,” Price said.
Honing leadership skills
When working with clients on professional development, Price often asks groups about their best bosses and how they affected their performance.
“Across the board, people say that they worked longer, harder and with more zest and purpose for their best boss,” Price said. “Their best boss brought out the best in them. The boss was knowledgeable, but what they remember is how he or she made them feel. Their best bosses were tuned in to them, listened well, valued their input and provided for development and growth. Basically, it comes down to building trust.”
Based on Gallup and other research, Price encourages her clients to cultivate the following four Competitive Leadership Life Skills.
» Cultivate and share a positive belief in others: “This is the ability to sustain or build self-confidence in others,” Price said.
» Address problems quickly by focusing on behaviors and objective data: Be specific and factual when talking with others about their performance. Talk objectively about behaviors, not personalities. Don’t wait for a performance review to tell someone what he does well and where he needs improvement, Price said.
» Lead by inviting input and participation: “This is the ability to build rapport and commitment from your employees by inviting their participation and solutions,” Price said. “You are going to be able to row a lot faster to your destination if you can get people in the boat with you.”
» Listen aggressively: “A good listener seeks to understand before trying to make himself understood,” Price said. If you listen to their side before making a decision, they will know they were heard.
“Even if you take a different course, most people will follow if they trust that you have their best interest at heart.
“Bosses have all kinds of management styles. Some are aggressive and others very laid-back,” she said. “Regardless of personality, a boss will build trust and get more commitment from his team by honing these four skills.”
Playing to strengths
Lori Davila, an Atlanta career executive coach and author of “Perfect Phrases for Perfect Hiring” (McGraw Hill, 2004), notes that people often describe their best boss as someone with their own attributes. “People tend to gravitate toward people who remind them of themselves,” Davila said.
With so much diversity in the workplace, close matches aren’t likely to happen very often. “The truly outstanding boss is someone who recognizes the importance of learning his employees’ strengths and passions and creates an environment that allows them to excel at what they do best,” she said.
Davila gets excited when she sees companies that live and breathe an attitude of appreciating differences.
“That’s the kind of atmosphere where a highly creative employee can say of his very analytical boss, ‘My boss understands that we are different and cares about me so much that he allows me to express my creativity in the workplace,’ ” she added.
A good boss will start the dialogue of exploring differences with the intention of better understanding and motivating his employees.
“Great leaders are great communicators,” Davila said.
Employees also can take the initiative. “Be bold and brave. Invite the boss to coffee and open the lines of communication.
“You may find common interests,” she said.
Giving credit
“A good leader is someone who listens and thinks things through before jumping to conclusions or making a decision,” said Margot King, founder and CEO of OnSite Recruit, a resource solutions and talent development firm.
But a good boss also knows how to give credit to his team.
“Telling them when they did a good job builds motivation and confidence. Telling others about their success makes them swell with pride,” King said. “Bottom line: If you can make people proud of where they work and what they’ve accomplished, they’ll call you ‘fearless leader.’ “