015: Leading a company through a crisis, while leading through your own, with Jeff Harris.

In this Jam Session, I sit with Jeff Harris. Jeff is a successful C-Suite leader with a track record for turning around struggling companies. Jeff shares a story of how he leads a company based in New Zealand through a crisis from his home office in Colorado, all while dealing with his own personal health issues.

This episode was recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while working from home became the new normal during this time, Jeff had been remotely running a company from across the globe, well before the pandemic. His story is inspiring as you’ll hear about great leadership, persistence and resilience as well as tips for working and leading remotely.

Key Takeaways:

  • Be curious, ask questions, and listen
  • Never underestimate the power of 1:1s with any employee level
  • In a turnaround situation, your CFO is your right-hand person
  • Check your ego at the door
  • When making changes, it’s important to note that change can break people if it’s too much
  • Focus the team and obtain alignment on key metrics and KPIs
  • People do what people see (you doing)
  • Clarify expectations and over communicate
  • Be transparent. If your fish tank is dirty, then clean it

About the host, Rob Fonte

Rob Fonte is the founder and President of Sarto Leadership Group, whose reputation has been built on being a transformational leader and inspirational coach with a passion for developing others. His twenty-year career spans across multiple disciplines including leading award-winning sales teams. Rob is an academically trained Executive Coach certified by The University of Texas and the International Coach Federation.