I recently had the opportunity to speak with Chuck Moller, Founding Partner and Principal of MCG Partners, a leading provider of leadership, sales, talent and organizational solutions and winner of the “Entrepreneur of the Year” award from the Chamber of Commerce. Chuck also owns MCG’s subsidiary, Career Tramsotopm Advisors, a leading provider of career management services.
As an executive coach and developer of effective leaders and organizations, Chuck has consulted with companies and professionals in all industries, including startups, Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits in the US and internationally.
ANTHONY: What inspired you to start MCG Partners?
CHUCK: I had been in executive management positions for 10 years and I missed working directly with clients. I wanted to build a firm of talented people who shared common values and a vision of making a difference with people and their organizations. I also missed working in a business environment and wanted more control of my schedule, so I could have more balance with my family and other interests.
ANTHONY: In addition to owning his own businesses, he also sits on boards of directors and does volunteer and fundraising. As a leader, how do you manage and juggle the demands on your time?
CHUCK: I’m still trying to find out! It has something to do with my personality. I like to be busy and involved in many different things. My main focus is my family, my amazing wife and best friend, as well as my four children. Our family also grows and harvests blueberries as part of the Ocean Spray grower cooperative.
However, regardless of one’s drive, personality, and energy level, I firmly believe in total leadership – having a footprint and focus on your family, profession, community, and yourself. Quality of life does not mean complete equality or balance in all aspects of our lives, but I believe that we have a healthy internal balance when we take the time to nurture these four areas.
Most leaders do a terrible job of focusing on themselves – taking time to relax, leading a healthy lifestyle, etc. It’s hard to be effective with your family, profession, and community when you’re not taking care of yourself.
ANTHONY: As an executive coach and leader developer, do you find common challenges with executive leaders?
CHUCK: Yes, there are some common challenges. How do you get highly successful, brilliant, and results-oriented people to be genuinely willing to change, including traits and behaviors that may have helped shape their success in the past? Another is to get leaders to find time to work on themselves and ask others for comments and opinions.
ANTHONY: Your company, MCG Partners, also has a subsidiary, Career Transition Advisors, that works with people in career transition; In your opinion, are there differences in the challenges faced by leaders in transition from individual contributors?
CHUCK: The biggest challenge is that with higher roles with a higher level of responsibility, there are also fewer options on the market, unless you are fully open to relocation. As leaders, we also develop a leadership brand based on reputation, results, experience, personality / style, and interest. Some leaders prefer restructuring or restructuring and other startups or high-growth opportunities. Some like global and complex businesses, while others prefer specialized markets and solutions. While understanding and honing your specialties is important, it can also be limiting in terms of your options for career growth.
ANTHONY: Often times, organizations of the time select individuals for leadership positions because they are good creators of “widgets” and assume that they will be a good leader of creators of “widgets”. This often predisposes the individual to failure; What advice would you give the new leader in this role?
CHUCK: Someone who has enormous functional experience, whether it’s in manufacturing, finance, sales, marketing, operations, human resources, technology, etc. – You have to make the transition to being an effective manager AND leader. They are two separate skills and approaches. Employees need their managers to not only assign tasks, but also define a purpose. Managers must organize employees, not only to maximize efficiency, but also to nurture skills, develop talent, and inspire results. Being a good manager means managing processes and systems; you direct, plan, coordinate, organize and educate. Being a good leader means leading people; you inspire, motivate, provide insight, and advise others.
Managers manage; leaders innovate. Managers take advantage of the tried and true; leaders originate. Control of managers; leaders develop confidence. Managers have their eyes on the bottom line; leaders have their eyes on the horizon. Managers ask how and when; leaders ask what and why.
ANTHONY: What does leadership mean to you?
CHUCK: Many things: be willing to constantly learn; help others to be successful and more effective; help others understand what matters to them and then help them do so; to better align how people see themselves versus how others see them; be humble and able to understand the audience and adapt to it; and being able to adapt to influence and persuade others.
It’s about truly understanding others – what’s important to them, their dreams and aspirations, as well as where they come from, what has made them who they are and what they need to become who they want to become. Leadership means developing the next generation of leaders, building high-performing teams, and understanding the importance of developing relationships and trust.
ANTHONY: What are your thoughts on the value of mentoring?
CHUCK: Being a mentor and advocate for others, even having them for ourselves, is critical. To this day, it is one of the most effective means of development and guidance in a person’s career and life. Most, including those who are “self-made”, have had some form of advocacy and mentorship. Never stop having one, no matter how successful or senior you are. Don’t be afraid to ask for direct feedback, even if you don’t want to hear it or it can be difficult. Most importantly, if you ask for feedback, input, and guidance, do something with it. Show that you’ve heard it, or people will stop delivering it. Hear; do not debate. Be thankful and appreciative.
ANTHONY: What has been your biggest leadership challenge in your career?
CHUCK: They asked me if I had ever received a 360 evaluation. There was none.
After going through the feedback gathering process, the results surprised me. He had very little understanding that while he was a decent manager who was very good at building businesses and getting results, he was not a good leader. It was a time in my life and career where I had to decide if I wanted to be a good leader and if I was willing to learn, change, and commit. I have been on that journey ever since and it has transformed me as a leader and as a person.
ANTHONY: What has been your greatest leadership achievement?
CHUCK: Training very talented and successful leaders to be more effective and knowing that we have changed their lives and relationships with others is extremely rewarding. Many have been promoted, even to C-level positions.
ANTHONY: The biggest mistake a leader can make is?
CHUCK: Stop listening and learning; believe that they have “arrived”.
ANTHONY: The most important thing a leader can do is?
CHUCK: Listen, learn and lead.
ANTHONY: What kind of advice would you give your children to prepare them for their careers and possible leadership roles?
CHUCK: Follow your heart and your passions. Try to understand what you are good at, your strengths, and what you like, but don’t be afraid to explore. Get out there and learn about what people do, especially in your circle of friends and family. Be flexible, work as a team, and work hard. Develop strong communication skills and find a mentor and others to advocate for you. Network internally and externally. Find interests, hobbies, and activities outside of work. Be willing to make mistakes and even fail.
ANTHONY: I’ve always found the written word inspiring and motivating, that’s why every day I post a quote on the Leadership & More blog and on other social media. Do you have a favorite quote?
CHUCK: There are so many favorite quotes that have inspired me over the years. One I’ve thought of recently is Peter Drucker’s: “Leaders who work most effectively never say” I. “They think” us, “they think” team. “They understand that their job is to make the team work. They accept responsibility and don’t shirk it, but ‘we’ get the credit … This is what builds trust, what allows you to get things done. “