When I started this blog The Sword in the Stone, I created it as a place to post my thoughts on various topics in addition to sharing more about my background and who I am. Since launching my website, I have been asked many great and interesting questions about my leadership role in my family’s company, so I have put together a list of your questions with my answers in Q&A style to share with you what leadership means to me. This article explores how I approach my role as President and CEO of my family’s business and what it is like to lead our incredible team at Kenny Family Stores.
1. How did you feel about becoming the President + CEO of the Kenny Family Stores?
It was a natural progression of responsibility. Since 2003 my roles had been expanding successively every few years. I felt a sense of completion in one aspect of not having to prepare for another role and new set of requirements.
2. Were you "fully prepared," or were there some aspects you "had to learn by doing/observing," etc.?
I had been growing in areas of responsibility for 10 years. Each role requiring the use and expansion of the prior. Some things I learned by doing, other by observing, most by trial and error via making decisions and adapting based on the results.
3. When did you first learn you were going to have that leadership role?
With a family business you have a very limited group to choose from for running the business each generation. It became very clear when I entered the business that would be my responsibility.
4. How did that make you feel? (Excited? Scared? Wondering "why me??", etc.)
I have always had the sense of martyrdom. I could go elsewhere to make more money and work less, but I didn’t feel that would that be fair to my family. If I have been blessed with certain capabilities and the opportunity to help my family, but don’t act on that, I would not feel good inside.
5. Many have asked about your reference to the “The Sword in the Stone” in the title of your blog, how does that story and the idea of the Unwanted Marcher relate to your experience?
Currently, none of my siblings could pull the sword from the stone. I am lucky to have the genetic predisposition, coupled with the intentional experience and completed training to be able to successfully take on this responsibility. My siblings could have gone to college and finished, but they didn’t. They could have gone to law school and passed 3 bar exams, but didn’t. They could have excelled in their jobs and demanded incremental responsibility every year. They either couldn’t or didn’t.
6. Were any business books part of your leadership training? If so, what were some of your favorite ones, and why?
I’ll expound upon all media I consume—books, newspapers, movies— in its own blog post.
7. How do you manage to "rise to the occasion" without "getting swallowed alive" by the problems and obstacles?
VFMA hardened my soul. I operate from a cool, calm, and steady place with tracer fire overhead. The thrill of success (winning) when bodies are dropping (competitors) is visceral. Throttle maxed with hair on fire is the only speed. I ain’t got time to bleed. If someone isn’t getting it done, I step up, get in and do it myself.
I find it easy to calm the nerves while traveling a path already well tread, that has led to a desired result; everyone is traveling that path along with you. There is no need to reinvent the wheel during crises. My tried and true philosophy is to double down on core strengths and stop anything fringe or speculative until the crises averted.
8. Can you elaborate on your business practices with regards to respect?
Respect requires fairness and accountability. To me, treating anyone differently is the biggest form of disrespect. It is my creed to respect people by treating them as I would anyone else under the same circumstances.
9. How do you motivate people?
I intentionally overwhelm people with stretch goals and large volumes of workload, with the intention of pressing them to overachieve what they think is possible. I don’t micro manage or punish failure to complete, but I find far more work gets done than if goals and workload are simple and easy to complete.
10. How do you motivate yourself?
I need to successfully complete things and move on to motivate me to do it again. I need to feel it isn’t being done so I have to do it. I love creating something to fill a hole. I motivate myself the same way I motivate others, I create a huge stretch goal and plan out the kitchen sink to get it done. My motivation comes from the need to successfully complete a project.
11. Have you ever wanted to throw in the towel?
I have actually gone to the unemployment office and sat waiting with a number. This was years ago. I think I was in HR at the time.
12. What are some examples of how you have persevered through the ups and downs of trial and error?
When I entered the family business full time in 2003 as the director of Human Resources, the department was essentially a two-person operation for 600 associates. When I started as CFO in 2008 we were not paying our bills to our wholesaler. When I took over as CEO in 2012 my father had been doing the same things for 30 years.
Most of my time working in executive roles have been conducting myself by trial and error, finding ways to make things work that haven’t been working for years. My favorite trick is very simple: replicate. I have no ego with strategy. If someone else is doing it and it works, then we do it as quickly and efficiently as possible the same way. We can worry about doing it differently or better later, but right now, let’s get it done a proven way ASAP. Secondly, just do it, take a chance and ask for forgiveness if it doesn’t work. Do it. Don’t wait, don’t make excuses, don’t fear failure, don’t care what others will say, just do it.
13. How has a lack of planning shaped your career?
My family business never had a business or leadership succession plan and if you ask my father today, he may still say we don’t have one. At 82 years old and still the controlling owner, he believes he will live forever. I had to create our succession plan and implement it myself. I created the timelines and successive roles. I had to initiate, convince, negotiate (re-negotiate), and involve partners to curate the business succession. Nobody in the family at the time could understand the complexities involved.
14. How does creating more of a strategic operation happen?
Having a permanent strategy of effectively implementing change requires deeply ingrained organizational processes and carefully groomed people that are both forever successively developed and adaptive to the change.
Change. Process. People. You have to manage change by creating processes with people. That is the strategy for business and frankly life.
Social clubs and groups like the Monday Club are not dissimilar from the merchant guilds…
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Chris,
Thank you for sharing, this really helped me look at some things differently.
CHRIS-YOU'RE BLESSED-MOM/DAD/VFMA/LOTS LOVE-PREPARED YOUR JOURNEY-VALUES/CARING/LOVE-DELAWARE BLESSED-CONTINUED SUCCESS-THANKS.
My first question is: What does "VFMA" stand for? Is it VALLEY FORGE MARINE ACADEMY? Does that even exist? I'll Google it after this (smile).
Second: "Throttle max with hair on fire is the only speed. I ain't got time to bleed." Is an ill line. I like that.
Third: Through reading this piece I'm learning that you're a "HIGH PERFORMANCE" individual. Dan Pena speaks about and teaches people how to become HIGH PERFORMERS. He States that it's "Bloody hard" to become one. Most people just don't have it in them. My question to you is; with your training what is the success rate and do you hold classes?
There's more about this Q&A that I liked but I guess I'll stop there.
Thanks!
Wow. Thanks for sharing. Have you always been so modest? Haha just kidding- refreshing to read someone who knows their strengths.
Semper Fi