admin A leader’s ability to influence team members and craft the very fabric of the organisation goes far beyond a simple designation tag. While there can be many leaders who possess the official “CEO” tag, very few can actually live up to the influential role that accompanies this designation.
Such influential leaders have the ability to side-step the authority that comes with the official designation and still impact the opinions, attitudes, behaviours, and choices of their team members. Therein lies their ingenuity. They are capable of inspiring their employees and helping them actualise their true potential. Operating with a nuanced foresight gives them the ability to unearth hidden opportunities even when faced with adversities. While such leaders are hard to come by, meeting one is a true privilege.
Consumers follow innovation. If you don’t innovate, they will leave you. Because there are other people who are innovating and coming up with new ideas. Thus, innovation is the key to success – James Michael Lafferty
James Michel Lafferty, CEO of Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH) is one such influential leader who is redefining the world of wellness with his ingenious approach and unique leadership style. Operational since 1958, Fine Hygienic Holding is a globally recognised wellness company. While FHH initially started with the manufacture of facial tissues, paper towels, toilet paper, baby and adult diapers, and jumbo rolls, now it has forayed into a diverse arena of wellness products to meet the expanded needs of the customers. James took over the responsibilities of FHH as CEO in 2018, after three years of serving as a board member for the company. Under his astute guidance, the company has soared from one feat of success to the next, launched several novel wellness products, and expanded its global sphere of influence.
Beginning of a Great Leadership Saga
James started his leadership journey working as a track and field coach in the US. He worked with high-risk African-American youth and tried to help them look at sports and athletics as a way out of difficult neighbourhoods. He helped them look at track as a plausible option to fight the negative influences of drugs and crime. However, this journey was not an easy one as there were obstacles every step of the way. Inspiring them to forgo the allure of fast money was a mammoth task. As James recalls, “it was pretty difficult in 1983-1984 to inspire young people to come and sweat and run and work hard for nothing when they had other easy solutions like working for drug dealers or working in other areas where they can make fast money.”
At the same time, he also had to make peace with the fact that not everyone could be saved, no matter how hard he tried. However, many of these kids are now teachers, coaches, and professionals. James is proud of their progress and happy to have made a difference in their lives. He believes these pivotal experiences of his career shaped his leadership perspective. The valuable lessons learned during these days hold a special place for him. As still a track and field coach at heart, he believes in inspiring and influencing those around him to the best of his abilities.
Innovation as Key to Market Edge
Great leaders fear complacency more than failure. James is no different. He is a staunch believer in the need for constant reinvention and improvement. To this end, he asserts, “If you want to stay ahead, you have to wake up every day and demand that you are going to get better, you are going to improve your business and yourself, and improve your products.” With the ever-evolving industry benchmarks, no successful venture can afford to continue practising business-as-usual. Innovation, remarks James, is the bedrock of securing and maintaining an industry niche. Since customers value innovation, they will inevitably prefer dynamic and innovative enterprises over ones that keep upholding the status quo. As an influential leader, one must constantly pursue what lies beyond the horizon.
Overcoming Barriers
Influential leadership is as much about inspiring others as it is about drawing inspiration for yourself. For James, real-life stories act as a potent source of inspiration. He is deeply moved by real-world obstacles and people’s perseverance in the face of them. This gives him the strength and courage to overcome the roadblocks he faces as a leader. Mountaineer and activist, Eric Weihenmayer is a constant source of inspiration for James. As the only blind man to have completed the seven summits climb, Eric is the best example of the triumphs the human spirit can achieve when it’s kept boundless and free. Having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and Mont Blanc with Eric, James acknowledges how difficult the climb is for people with functional eyesight. He thus states, “People like Eric are really the best of humanity because they have no barriers in their life.”
A Nurturing Boss with High Standards
Influencing your team members to become their best versions is not always an easy task. James does this by painting a picture of the future for his teammates. He shares his vision with his team members to help them understand the long-term goals and aims of the enterprise. This helps make their efforts meaningful and gives them a strong sense of purpose, rather than feeling like a cork in the wheel. As a leader who sets very high standards for himself and his team members, James believes in helping people achieve their potential. However, he is also aware of the need to make employees feel protected. While he acknowledges that this is a tightrope to toe, it’s one that’s integral to his leadership style. As James asserts, “It’s a juggling act like I said, but that’s something I try to do to inspire and motivate people.”
Tenets that Define an Influential Leader
James believes that character, ethics, and morality are the defining attributes of an effective leader. He asserts that these core values form the foundation of trust. “If your people don’t trust you, you are a horrible leader. It doesn’t matter what else you do right. I mean, if they don’t trust you, you will never lead them,” posits James. No leader can earn the trust of his team members in the absence of a moral compass. Similarly, for James, foresight is another invaluable tenet that makes great leaders. Cultivating an ability to gauge situations and anticipate challenges gives a leader the mental bandwidth to tackle them effectively. While developing such strategic thinking prowesses does take time, the end product definitely pays off. Values of trust and foresight were crucial for James during the pandemic as he led the FHH team through these tough times.
The most important thing is having a foundation of trust, and trust comes from the principles and values and moral compass that a person has – James Michael Lafferty
Strength in the Face of Adversity
The pandemic resulted in burgeoning costs with global supply chains coming to a near-halt. FHH was burdened with these issues like all other ventures around the world. With raw material shipments docked at ports or stuck at sea, product launches were severely delayed. However, what was different about FHH was James’s approach to the pandemic-induced challenges. His philosophy of grinding through tough times came in handy during these unprecedented days. James believes that it’s impossible to try and control everything. There will always be things that fall outside the purview of one’s control and the only option available at such times is to accept whatever happens with grace and maturity.
Influential leaders know how to set the tone of response in the face of adversities. Understanding that people follow in the footsteps of their leaders, James decided to remain calm when the pandemic started. His foresight and vision helped the company and its employees battle the woes of the pandemic quite effectively.
Preserving the Team Spirit
Unprecedented circumstances call for innovative strategies and solutions. The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic pushed leaders to adapt to the new normal. “We put programs in place for our team members. From 24/7 counselling programs for people on mental health to physical fitness classes done on zoom, we created an ecosystem to tackle the pandemic” asserts James. This helped foster the spirit of unity in the team, ensure employee engagement and preserve the nurturing work culture of the organisation. “I think our people were thankful and had a sense of gratitude that they worked in a company that was, in a sense, pandemic proofed by being in consumer goods where our products are needed,” added James.
Marching Towards a Revolutionary Future
Thanks to his constant hunger for innovation and relentless pursuit of novelty, James is never weary of conquering what lies beyond the horizon. To this end, he, along with the FHH team is preparing to launch a revolutionary wellness tea that has its roots in ancient Lebanon. After an intensive research period of over four years, rigorous clinical trials, and a seal of approval from the American Medical Wellness Association, this healthy herb concoction will finally release in the American market in August-September. Talking about this exciting new launch, James stated, “When you look at the blood test results of the people that were in the clinical trials, you look at their health forms, you look at the comments they made about their own energy levels and how good they felt, this is the product that can basically revolutionise the health of millions of people in the world today. And I can’t wait to launch it and help those people.”
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