“Ninety percent of employees in any organization work on the front lines. That’s where companies interact with customers, solve the most problems, establish norms, and cultivate culture,” explains Eric Strafel, author of THE FRONTLINE CEO (McGraw Hill, September 2021). “Yet most organizations today cling to old-fashioned systems that keep senior leaders and frontline workers apart.” Strafel, former CEO of Aviall and founder of SUMMi7 consulting, is on a mission to help companies break the status quo and create a new type of leadership.
In THE FRONTLINE CEO, he presents strategies that empower frontline workers to make decisions and solve problems on their own. “Frontline leadership pulls employees into the decision-making process, so that solutions are sought, found, and acted upon in the area that matters most—where the work gets done,” he writes.
The transition to frontline leadership begins when upper levels of management alter their overall management approach by discarding outdated systems, becoming transparent with information, and allowing others to make decisions. Drawing on his consulting practice and his own experiences as a senior leader and CEO, Strafel presents a roadmap for implementing frontline leadership in THE FRONTLINE CEO. His advice includes:
Know Your Purpose and Live It – Strafel explains that companies cannot implement frontline leadership unless everyone in the organization has a sense of purpose. Without purpose, employees will run off in dozens of different directions, impacting productivity, and undermining corporate health. Once leaders get clear about their own – as well as – their company’s purpose, they are able to inspire employees, support customers, build alliances, and guarantee that everyone is connected to a deep sense of purpose.
Practice Radical Transparency – Radical transparency requires a dramatic shift from the old top-down leadership style which assumes that only the most powerful members of an organization can be trusted with vital information and the ability to make decisions. Not only does this impede decision-making, but it causes a distinct “us-versus-them” mentality. Radical transparency, on the other hand, builds trust. Leaders foster transparency when they behave authentically, discuss what is really going on, solicit feedback, and take appropriate action. Strafel points out that transparency should extend beyond the organization, guiding the way companies work with customers and other stakeholders.
Show that You Care – In this section of THE FRONTLINE CEO, Strafel urges leaders to stop valuing performance over people. “Get to know employees, learn how they want to build their careers, what they care about, and then help them move toward their goals,” he writes. Strafel also notes that when it comes to caring, many leaders talk about the value of diversity, seeing it as a source of strength. Yet they fail when it comes to inclusion. Part of caring is making sure that everyone, no matter who they are, feels welcome within the organization. Strafel outlines effective ways to move beyond diversity to inclusion.
Maintain Alignment through Change – To maintain alignment despite the hazards of constant change, everyone needs to understand their individual goals within the context of the organization’s purpose and corporate goals. Strafel recommends using a tool such as the Goal Deployment Matrix in weekly meetings to keep everyone aligned. He further provides advice for implementing meetings that engage employees, solve problems, produce results, and create a culture of innovation.
Create A Learning Organization – Creating a learning organization requires two main actions – encouraging each individual employee to learn and putting in place systems that facilitate learning company-wide. In this section of THE FRONTLINE CEO, Strafel provides guidelines for supporting employee learning and professional development, while communicating the importance of continual learning. Strafel reminds readers that “a true learning organization doesn’t just survive adversity, it absorbs the adversity and uses it to propel new learning and new growth.”
Remove Complexity – Greater distance from customers is one type of complexity that companies accumulate as they grow. Another is outdated technology. As technology ages, it drags on productivity, while making it more difficult for a younger generation to plug into old processes. A third type of complexity emerges as employees come and go. Each of them will have had their own way of doing things and some of these personally-customized processes will stick around long after they are useful or efficient. Using in-depth examples and anecdotes, Strafel shows how to banish complexities, always remembering that the customer’s needs are the most important consideration when simplifying any process.
Partner to Advance Together – Strafel believes that “customers don’t need vendors – they need partners.” He wraps up THE FRONTLINE CEO with an in-depth examination of the most effective and rewarding ways to partner with customers and with the communities in which a company does business. He shows why these partnerships are valuable and how they are made possible when companies build a culture of caring and support of others.
In conclusion, Strafel writes, “I hope that this book has provided some guidance, to help you discover your own strengths, as well as enable others to make their meaningful contributions. If you follow the guidance in these pages, and work with diligence and creativity, then you will likely find some version of success—as an individual and as a leader.”
About the Author
Eric Strafel is the founder of the consulting firm SUMMi7, which helps businesses grow profits and scale innovation with mission-driven purpose. He was the President and CEO of Aviall, a global provider of new aviation parts, supply chain management, and other services to the aerospace aftermarket, which was acquired by Boeing. Previously, he held leadership and program management positions at L3 Communications, Honeywell, and Precision Conversions
