Reserve Funds
Find your own way of doing things.
“I never thought of myself as having a secret or using a technique,” says Bruce Bent of Reserve Funds, “but what I do most often is try and get the people I work with to see what I’m seeing, to see the vision I have for the company. Some people just get it right away; they think similarly to the way I think, they see the potential of the company the way I do, and they see the nature of the business world in general as I do.
“But most people have a perspective and vision that is a fraction of the whole, either because of their skillset and interests, or by virtue of having a very focused role in the grand scheme, contributing to a segment of the whole, like a welder halfway through an assembly line.
“When I convey my vision, I always try and start from the top down. I start with the big picture in plain English, but I don’t necessarily put it all in layman’s terms. I use a certain degree of technical language because it makes sense to educate people—it’s a good investment of time, and the primary by-product is that nobody feels as if I’m talking down to them.
“Of course I explain what things mean if eyes glaze over. I usually get through the big picture pretty quickly, because if it’s not quick, it means it’s not simple. And if it’s not simple, it means you’ve probably got a flaw in the plan.
“We’ve only got 115 employees, all in the same office, so it’s easy for me to learn as much as I want about individuals. How people do this with 10,000 employees I have no idea, and I never want to run a company like that anyway.
“When some commonsense employees become inspired by and attached to the vision, they constantly question the route to the goals, which is great for someone like me. I never feel like I have everything nailed down; I always feel like I’m screwing up, missing a piece, or at the very least, not executing in the best way possible.
“This makes me open to the mailroom clerk who says, ‘At the last meeting, you said our retail clients were our most profitable clients and we wanted to grow that part of the business, so why don’t we advertise in the New York Post?’ He’s right; lots of our clients and prospects read the New York Post, so why don’t we advertise there?
“Maybe we should, and maybe we shouldn’t. The thing is, he brought up a great question, and I’ll find the answer to it if I don’t know it already. Then whether I give that guy the answer right there in front of everyone else, or I send it to him in an e-mail a month later, everybody wins. The answer helps me refine the goal. It shows him that I care about his ideas, and that he is valued beyond sorting the mail. And it tells everyone else in the room the same thing, creating a little more mutual respect.
“I always feel like I owe it to the people who are working toward the vision to make sure most everyone else is too. If we find people who are not with us, we try and make an adjustment. And if we fail, they go. To protect the company is to make sure the people who do a great job are treated with respect. One important way to do that is make sure their coworkers support them. If they are making the effort but hit obstacles, you must remove the obstacles, to continue their feeling of accomplishment, to continue their experience of forward motion and success. Be it people or things, you have to continually clear the path for productive people to deliver.
“The most powerful thing you can do is be real. People will respect it and respond to it. Sincerity and honesty will illuminate your opportunities and your obstacles. I believe this is a spiritual phenomenon. It will not automatically bring success, but it will reveal the truth of the path before you. Then, if you make good judgments about how to handle what you see, you will most likely succeed. Do this in your own way; be comfortable with your own style. If you sacrifice your own personal approach to things, even your personal style, you sacrifice some of your power and your integrity.
“Recently I sat down before an arbitrator and an army of highpriced attorneys on both sides to resolve a dispute with an organization ten times our size. I was told to be prepared for a battle that would last at least all day, if not a few days. I made the first opening statement after the arbiter said his piece, and we were done in two hours. I asked why things were moving so quickly and why they seemed so pleased. They told me that the honesty of my opening statement eliminated the majority of the confrontation and the time that went along with it.
“I didn’t say, ‘Hey, you can have what you want, do what you wish with me, I’m weak.’ I didn’t say, ‘If we’re not out of here in the next fifteen minutes, I’m going to spend the rest of my life pursuing you and your families.’ I said, ‘Here’s how I see it, here’s what’s important to me, here’s what will work, and here’s what will just piss me off.’ I gave everyone a clear road map to success, achieved my goals in the process, and we all got back to work before lunch.
“Find your own way of doing things, don’t imitate others, and find what works for you. Making things happen and leading others is totally personal. I know people that can walk into a room full of strangers, and just by their presence and the sound of their voice, get people to do what they want. I can’t do it that way. I need to get people to click with the vision and when they do, they become almost self-motivated.”