“Sometimes, things may not go your way, but the effort should be there every single night.“ – Michael Jordan
It‘s a common notion among the masses that a leader is the one who leads from the front and is the torchbearer of a team. Leaders are the driving force to lead organizations towards corporate success and consistent growth. Still, there is one aspect that many leaders often forget, i.e., to bring out the best from the employees.
One of the most fundamental problems in businesses today has always been increasing employee productivity. But they misinterpret improving employee productivity by putting additional pressure on them. The problem with that approach is that it may improve productivity but at the expense of engagement, autonomy, and overall wellbeing.
However, that‘s not the case for the founder of Priority Life Insurance Group, Nick Ayala. The core difference between Ayala and other leaders is that he always credited the company‘s success to the professional relationships that he created. Ayala says, “whenever the good and great things happen in the company, you will always hear me say “WE.” This is a team effort. When things go wrong, I always say “ME“.“Furthermore, professional relationships also lead to a harmonious workplace environment. Adam Weber, the Chief People Officer at Emplify, writes that workers need leaders who have the conviction to encourage them during pressure situations to achieve radical growth.
Ayala operates in a similar fashion. He believes that people working in a team structure should enjoy what they are doing. At the same time, leaders should create a learning and thriving environment and acknowledge the roles of all the professionals within the four walls. Ayala has always believed that the success of an organization largely depends on its workforce.
As a leader, he ensures that his people have the freedom to talk about anything with him. “I want them to be fulfilled with their work, stable in their financial situation, and empowered enough to believe they can come to me with anything,” says Ayala.
Ayala also emphasizes that a world in which people value mutual cooperation and teamwork is truly worth living. He constantly involves himself with his people, to establish trust with them and align their personal goals with the company’sobjectives. “Good professional relationships create an empowered environment that fosters responsibility, creativity, innovation, respect, and confidence, and offers an outlet for raw potential.“
Ayala also knows that, in order to build a high-performance team, leaders must develop a “learning mindset.” Business leaders should know that everyone has the potential to become top–notch performers. They also need to understand that the key to success is implementing adaptability and innovation within the team structure and strengthening them by forging strong bonds. “Adopting strategies beyond your comfort zone is manna for your business.“ Business leaders must eliminate traditional methods, adopt new operational strategies, and use them to maximize performance.
Ayala suggests that new relationships give birth to new experiences, strategies, and, most importantly, new ideas to drive success. After all, the real struggle that leaders often face is that they can‘t bring out the best in their employees. And when they do manage to reach to that level, employees switch. The cycle makes leadership a harrowing experience.
Today, the world is in shambles. Every individual looks for that shred of difference that could potentially change how they view the world. In such trying times, people like Ayala can change anyone‘s perspective with their presence. In a competitive market, Ayala believes he can guide other business owners, who drove a successful business from scratch, without any prior sales experience.
