541. Learning Leadership That Values People

Bobby Albert

Bobby had just graduated from college at age 20 when his father died suddenly, leaving him the family business and $70,000 of debt. But advice his father had given him in junior high taught him lessons that paid off sooner than he had expected.

Bobby Albert is president of Values-Driven Leadership, LLC. His passion is to help other leaders build inspiring workplace cultures through values-driven leadership. He is a trusted advisor to small and medium-sized organizations and their leaders. Grounded in values and powered by the twin engine of enhancing relationships and driving for results, Bobby helps leaders chart a proven path to extraordinary results.

How Did You Start Using Your Talents?

“As a little boy, I was fortunate to hang out with my dad a lot. He started a reupholstering business in late 1930s, which evolved into a moving business. In junior high school, my dad let me go out on my first moving job. He said something to me that really stuck with me: ‘I don’t want you to act like the boss’ son.’ I would do the dirty jobs that nobody else wanted to do. I didn’t realize how valuable that was when I was working with the crews on these moving jobs. But it taught me lessons that paid off sooner than I expected.”

The Most Impactful Turning Point?

“Within one month after I graduated college, at age 20, my father died of a heart attack. During high school and college, I had continued to work in the business, and when I was in college I would also go in on Saturday mornings and help my dad with bookkeeping and paperwork. So, fortunately, I was familiar with that part of the business when Dad died. Then the payoff of following his advice came when I had to have a fierce conversation with our five employees. We were $70,000 in debt I had to ask them to take a pay cut. All of them accepted a pay cut. A lot of it had to do with the fact that they had respect for my dad. But I think what also helped was all those years working side-by-side with them. They had taught me everything I knew. I was able to build respect from them as well.”

The Most Powerful Lessons Learned?

Working alongside his father’s employees taught Bobby to see the value in each person, to learn what was important to them. “Later, I began to see my work as a ministry, not just a job that I went to every day. Even though thinking about the people side of the business was always in the back of my mind, at some point, it’s like I put a stake in the ground and decided to create a people-first company culture. In fact, our value statement was called ‘People, People, People.’ I found that if I really focus on the needs of the people, they’re going to help me accomplish our goals: with the customers being delighted, and with profits that would soar.”