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Speak to Individuals and Make it Personal
July 19th, 2012
by Bill Boyajian

As a leader, you need to take the time to speak individually to people at all levels in a firm or organization. There is no better investment of your time if you want to lead and inspire. The conversations can be short, but they should be meaningful. Ask questions about what your people are working on—or in some cases, how the family is doing. Make these brief times memorable for those you talk to.

When I began my career, I made a habit of coming to work early and staying a little late. On occasion the president would drop by after hours to chat. Each time he stopped by, it made my month. I loved my work, so putting in a little extra time was easy and fun. But that extra time also gave me access I would otherwise not have had. That experience with our president also gave me a taste of what great leadership was about: taking time to speak to individuals, knowing that the attention they get would last much longer than the few minutes it took to stop and say “hi.”

Years later, I cherished those brief encounters as very special times. They motivated me to work harder. They also encouraged me to work smarter at what I needed to do to get ahead and to ultimately attain a position of leadership. I wasn’t the only one to receive such intangible lifts. I watched our president care equally with everyone in the organization—whether they managed a group, taught a class, or cleaned the washroom.

If you want to lead well, take time to speak individually to people.  It really matters.



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“I needed help orchestrating a succession plan for our business. I had heard that Bill Boyajian specialized in assisting owners to transition their business to the next generation. He knows how to bridge the generation gap and deliver what each needs to hear. I would recommend Bill to any business owner who needs advice on succession planning from a trusted outside professional.”

–Charles Denaburg,
Managing Partner,
Levy’s Fine Jewelry
Birmingham, AL

"Our family needed some guidance on business transition and succession planning. We asked Bill Boyajian to help us because we knew we could trust him to tell us what we needed to hear. Bill became a valuable resource for our company and our entire family. He has the ability to meet each of us where we’re at and it has served us very well."

–Ceylon Leitzel
Leitzel Fine Jewelry
Hershey & Myerstown, PA

“We needed a plan to transition our business to a non-family member and we asked Bill Boyajian to help us. His experience in the area has really paid off, but we didn’t expect the added value of putting us together with a financial planner who helped organize our retirement needs. We now have the fundamentals to transition our business successfully, and we have Bill to thank for it.”

–Ernie & Debbie Cummings
Kizer-Cummings Jewelers
Lawrence, KS