where they can perform, or trade up.


MT: Be direct & talk about the elephants in the room has been one of your mantras as long as I’ve known you. Why do you think this approach often feels wrong or counterintuitive?


JH: People are always worried about hurting someone’s feelings, or being overly politically correct. That in itself causes issues. It’s always been my belief that if you’re open, honest and completely transparent, there’s no having to play politics, or tell some people and not others. It means everyone is operating in a complete, open environment, where they know what’s expected and feel comfortable in making sure they’re driving to the real goal and not some perceived version of it. The biggest thing I see around issues of transparency is around people. Sometimes you might get two people talking about another person without that person knowing about it; I call that triangulation. Avoid triangulation and be open to everyone in every sense, from complaint to praise. That way everyone knows where everyone stands. The same should apply with company issues, problems, and opportunities.


MT: “Change the mood, change the culture, then move on to people and processes.” It might seem easy to do, but changing the mood in a small organization with big personalities could be just as daunting as effecting the same change in big business. What key strategy would you suggest to start the process?


JH: I couldn’t agree more, because there’s no difference between small business or Main Street or big business on Wall Street. The only difference is the number of employees, customers, and zeros in revenue, expenses and profits. The biggest thing I recommend you do is first look at your environment – does it reflect the brand you want to portray? A brand is a promise delivered. You can’t appear cutting-edge or look like a well-run operation if your environment looks depressing, dirty, shabby, old, and messy. Changing the environment is one of the best and easiest ways to instigate change. It will serve as a catalyst to remind people we’re going to do something differently than we have in the past.


MT: You talk about brand promises and state: “Principles mean something only when they are inconvenient.” It can be challenging for an organization to take the high road when it could mean a drop in revenue, profits or shareholder value. How can leaders stick to their guns in the face of such challenges?


JH: It gets back to the core of who you are as an individual and professional. SMEI has standards of professionalism which are exhibited in their certification process. As a CME CSE myself, I take my standards and code of how I operate very professionally and very seriously. One makes certain promises to their employees, customers, and family; you wouldn’t think of breaking those, so why would you settle for anything less when you’re running your business, even if it means losing some business. In The Mirror Test I talked about looking in the mirror and asking yourself the hard questions. This is a great example of reflecting on the great pride you have when you stick to your principles.


MT: Can we bring up the “K” word? You played a large role at Kodak and you have some detractors that would say you failed and perhaps missed some opportunities to help create a turnaround. How would you respond to that?


JH: Backseat-quarterbacking was always a wonderful thing. No one person is responsible for a win. Otherwise we wouldn’t need a team, and we could just put one person on the field at one time, rather than 11 people who have to work together and mesh in order to accomplish the goal. I’m extremely proud of the changes I brought into the company and I’m proud of my association with the people there. You couldn’t have asked for better people. Myself and others gave them more runway to try to get the plane off the ground had we not been there. You want the reasons why the company failed? It’s more to do with the decisions made 30 years ago when they shunned the digital future and put everything in place to slow the progress of change. Adapt or die. If you read my book, Running the Gauntlet, I highlight some great things they did, and certainly when I was there. But I can point to many things that they couldn’t overcome. Fundamentally amongst all the reasons… if you believe your best days are behind you and not in front of you, no leader or leaders can overcome that culture. For instance, see my chapter on “mood”.


MT: “Running the Gauntlet” became a business bestseller almost overnight. You’ve always been a very strategic thinker, so you must have some plans already made for leveraging your success. What’s next for Jeffrey Hayzlett?


JH: My most immediate strategy is to take care of my clients and help the many high growth businesses that have come to us for marketing and public relations support. We love helping businesses grow - fast. And then, I plan to go to South Dakota and ride my horse.


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