The best leaders know how to be the boss -- without always acting like one.
"I really don't perceive me as being their boss," said Krista Cox, co-founder and owner of The Bridges Care Network, a hospice and home-care company based in Harmar.
"I'm more of a co-worker. I'm always out there with them. ... I still go out on visits. Still go out on call."
It was a refrain repeated by Pittsburgh's other top bosses, as determined by the Post-Gazette's annual Top Workplaces survey, which polled more than 16,000 employees at 136 companies in the Pittsburgh region.
The pollsters at WorkplaceDynamics, a Philadelphia-based research firm, asked employees, among other questions, if they have confidence in their company's leader and if so, why.
Along with Ms. Cox (leadership award, small company), the other top bosses were Debbie Flaherty (CEO of Day Automotive Group, large company) and Kim Tillotson Fleming (CEO of Hefren-Tillotson, mid-sized company). The Post-Gazette chatted with all three leaders about their views on business leadership.
Q. It can be difficult to be in charge while remaining friendly with employees. How do you walk that line?
Ms. Cox: "By treating them with respect. ... In four-and-a-half years, we've lost less than 10 employees. We include them in everything," even seemingly trivial decisions, such as changing software or shampoo brands.
Ms. Fleming: Help "people realize how important they are. We really spend a lot of time getting the right people in here, and trying to let them use their skills in a good way. Let them use their own creativity, use their own ideas."
Q. How have you grown as a leader?
Ms. Cox: "Fifteen years ago, [when I] got my first supervisory position, I was always quick to judge. 'No, you did it wrong.' Now, when a situation comes up, I'm much more able to see both sides. I guess time mellows you ... when I was 24 or 25, you think that you know everything and that you're always right."
Ms. Flaherty: "I have become more patient. I am well aware that I do not know everything, and that my employees are my most valuable asset and have wonderful opinions and ideas, and I always listen to them. I hope they all feel that I have an open-door policy."
Q. What's the difference between a boss and a leader? What sort of skills do good leaders need?
Ms. Fleming: "A leader has to have a good vision that other people find motivating ... and a good leader has to develop the respect and trust of people. And you do that by being open to feedback and recognizing your own limitations."
Q. Which are?
Ms. Flaherty: "One of them, according to my assistant, is that sometimes I am not stern enough. I am probably too soft in situations where I should be more direct and less tolerant. That weakness will never change."
Q. Time management is a struggle for many CEOs. Are you a 9-5 CEO, or do you have trouble getting away from work? Now that everybody has cell phones and access to email at home, is it even possible to get away from the job?
Ms. Flaherty: As a single mom with one teenager at home, I am definitely 9-5. Of course, after-hours emails are a must. I have hopefully let my employees know that family comes first. Nobody should miss the wonderful times in life with their families."
Ms. Fleming: "The day just never really slows down ... a good boss should not have to work the kind of hours that I might work. Balance is really key. My day is busy all the time, but I fit a lot into it -- a lot of variety."
Q. Leaders must balance risk and reward. What's the biggest risk you ever took?
Ms. Cox: "I completely wiped out my 401(k)" to start the hospice."
Q. You've all navigated some choppy waters, I assume.
Ms. Flaherty: "When times are bad and my employees' finances are affected, it is difficult to keep spirits up. I let them know that we are in this together and if they are not making money, neither am I."
Ms. Cox: "Our job isn't fun -- they deal with a very sensitive and emotional part of life every day that they're out there. [But] in the office, we joke around constantly. ... We come to work to have fun."
Q. What's the best business-related advice you've received?
Ms. Flaherty: "My dad, the most amazing man and business man I have ever known, gave me my best leadership advice. Do not ever ask anyone to do anything that you would not be willing to do yourself."
Ms. Cox: "Not to get comfortable. I remember saying to someone one time how well we were doing. They [said], 'Once you have it, it's harder to keep.' Every day we're looking at how to do things better."
Ms. Fleming: "Do what's right, and have integrity. ... Do what you'll say you'll do. And if for some reason you can't do it, you admit when you can't do it."
TOP EXECUTIVE LARGE COMPANY
Debbie Flaherty
โข Job: Owner, Day Automotive Group
โข Company founded: 1975
โข Sector: Auto dealership
โข Headquarters: Monroeville
โข Greater Pittsburgh locations: 8
โข Greater Pittsburgh employees: 450
โข What does the boss do well? Employees said: "Motivate, care, listen, assist, multi-task."
TOP EXECUTIVE MID-SIZE COMPANY
Kim Tillotson Fleming
โข Job: Chairman and CEO, Hefren-Tillotson
โข Company founded: 1948
โข Sector: Financial advisors
โข Headquarters: Downtown Pittsburgh
โข Greater Pittsburgh locations: 6
โข Greater Pittsburgh employees: 182
โข What does the boss do well? Employees said: "Kim truly understand the needs of both her employees and her clients. ... She is passionate about the financial industry, Pittsburgh, and the legacy of Hefren-Tillotson."
TOP EXECUTIVE SMALL COMPANY
Krista Cox
โข Job: Owner and co-founder, Bridges Hospice
โข Company founded: 2010
โข Sector: Hospice and home care
โข Headquarters: Harmar
โข Greater Pittsburgh locations: 1
โข Greater Pittsburgh employees: 58
โข What does the boss do well? Employees said: "The leadership at Bridges has done an exceptional job of positioning Bridges to meet the growing needs of seniors. ... They genuinely care about the well being of their employees and want Bridges Hospice to be a supportive work environment."
-- Bill Toland: btoland@post-gazette.com or 412-263-2625.
First Published: October 1, 2014, 9:58 p.m.
