SETTING THE TONE

When you are the leader, setting the tone is one of the biggest aspects of the job.

This past Thursday, our expeditor and shipping supervisor Jacob and I spent the day beautifying our facility’s landscaping.

On a beautiful day, it was great to be outside and work with some of our talented guys—special shout-out to Jacob, Mike S., Jouany, Mike C., and Wilfredo!

One thing that Jacob brought up during the day that resonated with me was this idea of setting the tone.

As a leader, it would have been very easy for him to delegate.

Most of the time, delegating probably would have been the best thing to do. Jacob isn’t getting paid to trim hedges and pick up trash, after all.

But the best leaders know the importance of getting your hands dirty and working side by side with your team.

This also sends a message.

For many years, a minor task like landscaping hasn’t gotten much attention at HFW Industries, Inc., usually being handed off to the sweeper or summer help to quickly tidy up.

Jacob spending the day out in the yard challenges that status quo.

A supervisor going outside and landscaping implicitly assigns an importance to that task that otherwise may not have been there. Jacob getting dirty right alongside his guys helps give purpose to what has traditionally been a “lowly” chore.

As a leader, setting the tone is crucially important. This was a lesson that was unexpectedly reinforced to me while spreading mulch and planting shrubs.

PS: Jacob is far from the only supervisor to do this, which is part of what makes HFW special. We are lucky to have great supervisors in Jacob, Eliezer, Mike, Fred and Kevin.