130: Home Depot CEO Frank Blake on the Power of Recognition and Storytelling

Frank Blake is the former CEO and Chairman of Home Depot, where he led a massive company turn around during his tenure. Frank’s other leadership positions include serving as board member at Delta, general counsel at GE, general counsel for the EPA, deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Energy, deputy counsel to Vice President George H. W. Bush, and law clerk for Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

Frank earned an undergraduate degree from Harvard and a law degree from Columbia.

In this episode we discuss the following:

• The single most underappreciated tool that leaders have is the recognition and gratitude they can express to people working for them, and doing it in a way that is memorable for the people who are recognized and celebrated.
• Frank recognized people by bringing them up on stage and telling stories about them that demonstrated great customer service.
• Frank recognized people by writing 200 handwritten personal notes every Sunday, thanking them for specific things they had done.
• Just as kids will root for athletes who take the time to sign autographs, Frank generated support from his team by writing them personal letters of recognition.
• Every business leader knows the phrase, “You get what you measure.” Frank’s corollary is, "You get what you recognize and celebrate."
• If I say to someone, “I want you to provide great customer service” that sort of vaporizes instantaneously. But if I share a story of great customer service, everyone understands it and can apply it.
• When you tell a story that illustrates great customer service, people start talking about the behaviors they're doing that are similar, and the behavior gets reinforced and you get real momentum in the organization.
• More often than not, leaders are unintentional and undisciplined about how they recognize and celebrate their employees.
• Frank learned the power of recognition when he worked for George H. W. Bush. As VP, George started every day by spending an hour typing out personal notes. As a staff member, when Frank got a note from the VP, he felt like he walked on air.
• You can surprise people by thanking them and doing it in a specific way.

Follow Frank:

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frank-blake-1a99646/

Website: https://crazygoodturns.org/blog

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