Harold Chapman recently retired as president and CEO of Bonitz Flooring Group, Inc., the nation’s largest independent commercial flooring company. At Bonitz, he was responsible for providing vision and leadership, using his considerable management, sales, sales training and marketing strategy skills to lead the company to success. Chapman offered some insight into how to thrive in business after COVID-19 at the recent FCICA Annual Meeting in Austin, Texas. 

Be a Leader, Not a Manager

The people at your operation need you and they need you as a leader and not just a manager. How do we all know the differences leader and manager manager? A leader has followers. A leaderlooks, long-term and strategic. A manager looks short term. People want to be led.

Reassess Your Priorities

If you have a plan—ABC, and it works, you go back into strategic thinking. You sit down and talk with someone that you respect and pick their brain. And as you do that, why don't you go to the beach? My point is is get away from it all—at least one time, maybe two times a year, and reassess what's important in your eyes. Reassess, how you know what you need to do, make sure that those people that you are leading are getting where they need be. My job is to make sure that people that are working with us are successful. They get up each day and say, thank you. Thank you good Lord, I've got a great job. Thank you. I'm in a great place.

Take Responsibility

If you're struggling right now and you're in businesses struggling right now, it's  nobody's fault, right? Yes, it is. It's your fault. Sometimes that's hard thing, but if you're a true leader and you want to grow your business during tough times, make sure the people around you, you understand, you don't mind saying that's that's on me. I'm learning from it. Pick yourself up.

Try Something Different

Albert Einstein's definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and over again and expecting different results. Don't be afraid to try something different. Think outside the box, anybody diversify their business during COVID year? My challenge to you is don't be a rock. You must move a little. Be forward with your thinking.