September 04, 2020
Jeff Gill, Founder and CEO of Germinator, sat down with Charlie Katz of Authority Magazine for an interview series about the "Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times." In the interview, Jeff discusses the history of Germinator and ways in which he leads the company to success amid the pandemic.1. Don't live in denial
When COVID-19 hit and the phones stopped ringing at Sir Grout, we did not hesitate to acknowledge the circumstances and allow people's imaginations to run away with them. We brought everyone together and enacted a plan.2. Communicate with your employees
Communicate with your people early on in the relationship so they feel you are approachable when they need you. Employees and franchise owners need to feel they can depend on you for solutions and that they have you as their own personal coach when they need you.3. Show that you are willing to get your hands dirty and that no job is beneath you
This way everyone sees value in what they do and everyone's contribution is equally important. I would often visit jobs and work with the technicians so that they knew I wasn't working from an ivory tower.4. Don't forget to thank your people for what they do
People need recognition as much as they do financial reward, especially during hard times. Not everyone's number one motivation is money. That is a common misconception. Many people need money. They don't necessarily want money. There is a big difference. Many people thrive on security and recognition. Like a good basketball coach, know what motivates each player.5. Maintain a sense of humor
"Laughter is the best medicine" is not just a metaphor. One of my franchisees and his wife became seriously ill at the same time. Their business was in trouble with nobody to run it. We would talk regularly and I would joke about how much business they were building up while they were out as opposed to how much they were missing. We talked more about and planned for their return to the business instead of what was going on presently.
