Inside The Edge
About
The Executive Chair
The one question you always want to ask a successful person in a senior leadership role is “How did you get there?” In developing your own career, you learn more from hearing what worked – and didn’t work – from senior leaders and hearing their wisdom than from any other source.
We are embarking on a series of interviews with leaders who exemplify success for us. In their words are insights that can give you direction for moving your own career forward.
To read a summary, written by Michael DeVenney, of the past 12 interviews this year - click here.
| Jim Mills - Nothing Beats Hard Work |
Bluteau DeVenney and Company (BDCO): What did you do to move to a leadership role?Jim Mills (JM) Nothing beats hard work. I started my career at Johnson & Johnson in their health care division. Through hard work and success in that position I was offered a promotion with increased responsibility. With that promotion, I discovered I really enjoyed leading. I enjoyed the challenge. In each new role I tried to figure out what I could do to be most successful in that role. Also, along the way I was connected with great coaches and mentors who were interested and willing to help. Those relationships were important, but really the key ingredient was the hard work. (BDCO): What is one thing that developing professionals need to do more of?(JM): I could pick several things, but I feel most importantly they should learn to be a great listener and, at the same time, learn to be of service to others. That may sound like two things, but it's really one because they go hand in hand. You can't be of service to others if you're not a great listener. Again, this is all assuming that you work hard. People that don't work hard will sometimes get lucky in a role for a short period of time, but over a long period of time there is no substitute for hard work. (BDCO): What about doing less of?(JM): There is always so much to be done that you really have to become good at prioritizing and resisting the temptation to do everything, because you can't do everything. (BDCO): What experience helped you the most in your career and why?(JM): Whenever there is a serious crisis in your organization, be it with a client or an employee, you learn so much about what people are made of - whether they run and hide, or step up and accept responsibility. A lot of people struggle with admitting they made a mistake; however, it is in those circumstances that you tend to learn the most. (BDCO): What was the greatest challenge moving your career forward?(JM): The greatest challenge for me was when I made the decision to leave Johnson & Johnson. I had a great career and I really loved the organization, but I was motivated to do something more entrepreneurial - something I could own. The first couple of years were a huge struggle, so that was undoubtedly my greatest challenge. (BDCO): What is the greatest strength of your approach to leadership?(JM): I have been fortunate enough to attract really talented and motivated people to this organization. I have two great business partners, Keith Skiffington (COO) and Bob Wallace (VP Sales), and a terrific CFO, Alan Mitchell. We utilize our collective strengths. We have a fantastic senior team. The people you have around you are really key to making your organization a success. We have been lucky to attract and retain really great people over a long period of time. (BDCO): What has been the biggest surprise you have had since attaining a senior leadership role?(JM): There hasn't been any really big surprise. What has evolved, particularly over the last decade, is that there is no letting up. When you're in that senior leadership role the thing you always have to remember is that everyone is always watching you. They are watching how you treat your employees, how you treat your customers, how you treat your suppliers, what you do in the community, and to some degree, what you do in your personal life. Whether you like it or not, you're on display. (BDCO): What is the greatest benefit to you in attaining a senior leadership role?(JM): I think I am one of the lucky few. Our tag line is "Love the Way You Work", and I love what I do. Every morning I get up and I look forward to what's going to happen that day. If you love what you do, you don't think in terms of week days and weekend days because you look forward to each and every day regardless. As I always say to my kids, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” (BDCO): What is the next achievement you want in your leadership career?(JM): I want to continue to develop and strengthen this organization, give people opportunities to do their best, continue to support the community, and continue to enjoy what I do. I don't really look at it as the next achievement, per say, but more so what I can do each day to help strengthen this business for tomorrow. (BDCO): What is the biggest challenge you face in achieving results in your work?(JM): For any business to be successful today, you have to be a great operator. We are in two different industries - the office furniture industry and the office equipment industry. We benchmark in both industries for best practices, and we are always pushing the envelope in terms of how to get better. It is a continuous improvement model. Every business is competitive, and you always have to be thinking of how to be a better operator than your competitor, how to build great relationships with your customers. (BDCO): What is your greatest opportunity/goal for providing value for your organization?(JM): I need to continue to work hard to be a good leader by figuring out new ways of showing leadership and continuing to lead by example. And to continue to make significant contributions to many community organizations. (BDCO): What added support or capability would help you most in delivering on your goals?(JM): Unfortunately, there are always resource limits. I think all businesses would love to have a bigger budget on the expense side, but that's what makes it interesting and challenging. You have a finite amount of resources and you have to deploy them as strategically as you can, while building client relationships that last. Think about where you are now in your career and what you can take from Jim's observations. We would love to hear your comments about what are your key takeaways from our conversation with Jim. Tell us your progress – we want you to succeed. ______________________________________________________________
Office Interiors specializes in office furniture and equipment. With five locations across Atlantic Canada, Office Interiors has one purpose: to help you love the way you work. Launched in 1991 and celebrating 20 Years in 2011 with showrooms throughout Atlantic Canada, Office Interiors is a long time member of the Top 101 Companies in Atlantic Canada and in total employs 120 people. You can find out more about Office Interiors at www.officeinteriors.ca. |
