“Our company does not exist to hit an earnings per share target.”

We were emerging from a terrible 2008, and I was skeptical about the outside CEO the board had hired to run the company. First Choice Power (FCP) was one of the original four electricity suppliers at the start of deregulation, and we took pride in our deep Texas roots. How could a hired gun from New York City possibly act as an agent for positive change?

With my experience focusing primarily on the Texas market, I was unfamiliar with Brian Hayduk, who had played on the national scene with a strong focus in the Northeast. I looked him up and found that Brian had an impressive resume with significant roles in the rise of Constellation New Energy and the successful launch of the industry disruptor Juice Energy. Even though I had never heard of Brian, my human nature allowed fear and skepticism to dominate my inner narrative as I prepped for the worst. What happened over the next year forever changed the trajectory of my career and my leadership ability.

Brian showed up in town driving a Volvo that must have been ten years old. Not what I expected from the new CEO. He joined a group of leaders from FCP for dinner, wearing business casual basics and showing genuine interest in each of us at the table. Wasn’t he here to slash costs, shore up operations, and sell the enterprise? Was this focus on others all for show, or did he believe in the people-centric management concepts I’d been studying and secretly pushing through several parts of FCP? I wasn’t sure, but I knew that time would tell.

A few months into the job, Brian pulled a move from the movie Office Space, or so I thought, by bringing in The Bobs. Two men were assigned to examine the most expensive and complex aspects of our business - and get this, one of them was actually named Bob.

 
Shortly into their scrutiny, the Bobs scheduled an entire day to examine the FCP Portal inside and out. Eric Bratcher and I shared every detail of this custom-built online tool with some strange mix of pride, patience, and defensiveness. I was worried that our project would be misunderstood and thrown into the scrap pile, but alas, everything shifted. Upon their review, these consultants reported to Brian that the technology was legit and so was the upside potential of our commercial sales division.

That report served as the foundation for a series of subsequent investments in the division I was managing. Commercial sales received full-time marketing support, weekly meetings with an internal team of analysts, and a chance to dream bigger. Brian also invested in my growth by hiring Kevin Baer to serve as my executive life coach. The next chapter of my journey was now underway.

Brian was unlike any other CEO I’d ever met. When you combined his humility and somewhat meek posture with his steadfast resolve for the mission, I was reminded of Jim Collins’ description of a Level 5 Leader from Good to Great. Brian listened intently, sought to understand different perspectives, and never used his title as a means of leverage. He credits his time at AES Energy early in his career with instilling in him the radical trust and responsibility he has since bestowed on others, an approach that helped quickly propel personal growth and experience for folks like me.

I can still remember the moment I transitioned from being a supporter of the new FCP to becoming its biggest internal fan and promoter. We attended an all-company meeting to review quarterly results and discuss departmental priorities. Brian addressed the team at the end by asking a simple question, “Why does our company exist?”

The answers varied, but none of them hit the mark.

To make money
To hit our earnings per share target
To maximize shareholder returns

Every answer focused internally, mostly on ownership, and no one mentioned the people we serve.

We exist to help people,

We exist to help people, and we use our expertise in electricity and business to achieve this purpose.

It was so simple, yet so profound. We help people. It was all I needed to hear.

I believe the feeling of purpose and meaningful challenge changed for many of my coworkers that day as well. Everything started to look and feel different. We continued to attract amazing new talent at all levels of the company. People no longer said they “had to” get back to work; instead, they could be heard sharing how they “got” the chance to solve complex problems and serve clients together. Brian’s leadership elevated FCP to a new understanding of teamwork, trust, and purpose.

The results spoke for themselves. FCP experienced a dramatic turnaround, growing on all fronts and leading the industry with a continued focus on people, process, and technology. Brian assembled a dream team of can-do executives and continued to pour into the development of each member of the FCP team. Ultimately, FCP received a premium valuation from a competitor, and our parent company sold the business at a record multiple for an electricity company of that size.

While the business metrics are impressive, what mattered more was the individual growth and sense of purpose that Brian’s leadership instilled in our entire team. Many companies change or morph over the years through mergers, acquisitions, or even closures, but the investment made in people is purely additive, and it can never be erased or removed.

I am blessed to have met Brian at the end of 2008 and often think about those lessons. Which leaders have had a profound impact on your life and career? What are you doing to bring positive growth and development to the teams that you are called to lead?

What is the one thing you can do that will change everything you do?