Leadership Lessons from a Most Admired CEO Award

You have been named one
of Charlotte’s Most Admired CEOs of 2018. What are the keys to CEOs building a
high level of trust in an organization?

The only way for CEOs or
business leaders to build a culture of trust is to be fully trustworthy
themselves. The moment a leader demonstrates an inability to be trusted by
others, he/she is damaged from a trust perspective, often irreparably. Once
CEOs have established trust, they must be diligent in removing anyone that
cannot be trusted from a leadership position within the organization.

 Please tell us
what leadership and being a leader means to you.

I am a strong believer in
the concept of servant leadership; therefore, I believe leaders have an
obligation to provide those around them with a level of empowerment and the
resources they need to achieve their goals and purpose. I also believe leaders
must be able to provide a level of competent guidance and support and must be
prepared to make decisions and take actions that are often difficult and may
offer limited or no guarantee of success. Finally, leaders must always
understand that successful leadership will ultimately require hard work and
personal sacrifice.  

 Who is a
favorite leader you admire, and why?

I hesitate to name a
favorite leader, but there are a number of people who are presently showing
great leadership. Bill Gates is using his personal fortune to change the world.
Oprah Winfrey uses her platform and excellent communication skills to inspire
others. Jeff Bezos and Howard Shultz used innovation and customer focus to
create businesses that have touched millions of people every day in a positive
manner.

 Please explain
how you and your organization make tough decisions.

With honesty and by being
true to who we are as an organization. We take into account all aspects of a
situation, including both the business and personal impacts, and then make the
decision and move on.

 Please give some
details about one of your top accomplishments of the past year that you are
most proud of.

Anytime I am able to
support someone in any way that is meaningful to him/her, on a very personal
level, is very impactful to me. I am not the type of person who dwells upon or
announces my accomplishments, but I know what they are and find great
satisfaction in them.

How is your organization
changing or adapting to prepare for the future?

Every day we talk about
the future, and as both the owner and CEO of my company one of my primary roles
is guiding the company through this uncertainty. We focus heavily on strategic
planning, working to understand our markets and our industry, how it continues
to evolve, and the impact upon us as an organization. Then we take the required
actions to ensure we continually grow, develop and adapt as we believe
necessary. With all that said, however, we remain true to our culture, our
beliefs and how we conduct our business. And we don’t make knee-jerk reactions
to the noise all around us.

 What top piece
of advice would you share with other CEOs?

Always do the right
thing. This is the same piece of advice I give to the hundreds of college
students I speak to every year. It doesn’t matter if you are just starting your
career or leading a billion-dollar company, it’s equally important.

 What is one of
the best books you’ve read recently, and why?

Every young person that
joins our company receives from me a copy of How to Win Friends and
Influence People because if you’re only going to read one business
book, that’s the one to read. For the more seasoned business leader, read Good
to Great. Both of these are older, and some would say dated, books. Trust me,
they are still extremely relevant today.

‍

Link to article: https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2018/03/30/most-admired-ceo-awards-brian-king-a-m-king.html