Honoring an Innovative and Forward-thinking CEO

Pam Harper (00:00): How can doing well by doing good drive exceptional business results? Join us for our quick take on this issue: episode 228 of Growth Igniters Radio with Pam Harper and Scott Harper.

Chris Curran (00:20): This episode is brought to you by Business Advancement Incorporated -- enabling successful leaders and companies to accelerate to their next level of success on the web at businessadvance.com. And now, here's Pam and Scott.

Pam Harper (00:37): Welcome everyone. I'm Pam Harper, founding partner and CEO of Business Advancement Incorporated, and right here with me is my business partner and husband, Scott Harper.

Scott Harper (00:49): Hi everybody. It's great to join you again. And as always, our purpose here is to spark new insights, inspiration, and immediately useful ideas that can help visionary leaders accelerate themselves -- and their companies -- to their next level of game changing innovation, transformation and growth.

Scott Harper (01:08): Now, Pam, our regular listeners, know that we're big believers in doing well by doing good.

Pam Harper (01:15): Yes. And it's a step in a positive direction that this leadership value is getting acknowledgement from the Chief Executive community. This year they named Marc Benioff, founder, chair, and co-CEO of Salesforce to be Chief Executive's 2022 CEO of the Year for this very value of doing well by doing good, driving exceptional business results.

Scott Harper (01:41): It's quite an accomplishment.

Pam Harper (01:43): It is. And what was especially striking to me is that it was his innovative and forward thinking approach to leadership that this year's selection committee considered especially important. In particular, having to do with connecting employees and other stakeholders from both business and non-profit sectors to create a thriving ecosystem. In fact, Salesforce is cited as one of the most influential technology firms in the world, with a long-term revenue trajectory that shows no signs of slowing.

Scott Harper (02:18): That's right. They were one of the first companies to launch software as a service on the cloud. And over the years, they've gone on to prosper not just financially, but to champion a wide range of social environmental causes that have increased value in the entire world.

Pam Harper (02:35): Aside from the Chief Executive Award, there's another reason why we're honoring Marc Benioff. He exemplifies what we call growth igniter's leadership, expansive thinking, curiosity and cultural intelligence is foundational for game changing growth in a constantly changing world.

Scott Harper (02:54): Yes, that's absolutely right. So let's talk a little bit more about some of the things that we can take from this exemplar.

Pam Harper (03:03): First we need to live into values. Now, Benioff mentions that at Salesforce, their core values are what informs all of their strategic decisions as well as operational decisions within their organization and across their ecosystem. Of course, core values will be unique for every organization, but for values to go beyond words on a page or on the wall and become truly alive, it's important to start by looking at what's working well and where there are gaps.

Scott Harper (03:35): Good point. One way to get at what your company really values is to look at your formal aspirational values, what's written down, and presented to the world, and compare that to how they're reflected in the informal culture that really drives what actually happens. It's also important to see how you align with other stakeholders in your ecosystem.

Pam Harper (04:00): I think this is a really important point, Scott, because if we're talking about having our own particular values, in order to bring full potential to these relationships, we need to understand how our values are aligned with others. For instance, we found from our own study on alliances that the success of external relationships hinges on the extent of trust and mutuality between partners, and it's deeply influenced by values.

Scott Harper (04:35): Absolutely. And a link to that study report is in our show notes on Growth Ignites Radio.com, episode 228. And here's the second thing we can take from Marc Benioff's example. He mentions that he places a lot of value on continuous learning

Pam Harper (04:53): Yes, he does.

Scott Harper (04:55): For instance, embracing the tough times such as the Covid 19 pandemic by practicing meditation and adopting a beginner's mindset. He also encouraged hundreds of executives to learn this as well, to help them get past the stress, anxiety, and fear of those times. And keeping up with these practices helps them gain clarity about what they need to achieve in the present as well as in the future. Of course, this is just one small example. Okay, Pam, what's a third thing that leaders can take from the example of Marc Benioff?

Pam Harper (05:29): Recognize that leadership at different stages of the growth journey needs to evolve over time. Benioff spoke about his own growth and his philosophy of staying flexible about the different leadership and management skills and styles that are necessary as your company evolves and grows over time.

Scott Harper (05:50): Right. A company can be successful, but success has to transform as everything transforms.

Pam Harper (05:57): And we agree. it's easy to get trapped into seeing your company in one dimension without realizing how much a combination of big and small changes accumulates over time. Regular conversations with internal and external stakeholders, can help you gain those needed perspectives so you can stay in pace with both the challenges and opportunities that inevitably come up as the world keeps changing.

Scott Harper (06:26): That's right, Pam. Now, we have to keep in mind that the outstanding leadership that Marc Benioff exemplifies is unique to him and his company and his ecosystem. It's not a set of best practices. However, we can take inspiration from him and other leaders like him. We'll be talking more about these principles in upcoming episodes. Now as we wrap up, Pam, any final thoughts?

Pam Harper (06:53): It is possible to do well by doing good and achieve exceptional business results. The challenge is to do it in a way that's right for you, your team, your employees, and the stakeholders that are part of your ecosystem. It starts with self-reflection and new conversations that can create new understanding and connections.

Scott Harper (07:20): That's good, Pam. And that's our quick take for today. Thanks to you out there for listening to Growth Igniters Radio with Pam Harper and Scott Harper. If you're enjoying our podcast, spread the good word, Open Growth Igniters Radio on whatever podcast app you use and write a review. Feel free to share. To find out more about our strategic growth advisory services at Business Advancement Incorporated, learn about Pam's keynote speech, and access our full podcast archive, go to businessadvance.com.

Pam Harper (07:52): Until next time, this is Pam Harper...

Scott Harper (07:54): And Scott Harper...

Pam Harper (07:55): ...Wishing you continued success and leaving you with this question to discuss with your team:

Pam Harper (08:00): How can we move beyond inspiration and create our own way of doing well by doing good

Chris Curran (08:18): Growth Igniters and Growth Igniters Radio with Pam Harper and Scott Harper are registered service marks of Business Advancement Incorporated. All Growth Igniters Radio episodes are copyrighted Productions of Business Advancement Incorporated, intended for the private use of our audience, except as otherwise provided by copyright law. All other uses, including copying, editing, redistribution, and publication without prior written consent of Business Advancement Incorporated are prohibited. All rights reserved.