While employees may expect leaders to know everything, the truth is that no one does. “You have to be willing to ask questions and not be afraid to sound silly. You have to put yourself out there and be inquisitive and willing to learn.”


and leans on their guidance and knowledge. “Being willing to ask questions and learn and not be afraid to be vulnerable has served me well.” One of the positives of the pandemic


is that leaders learned that employees actually want them to be human. During the COVID-19 crisis, Gradillas put out a weekly video to his team where he shared information about what was going on in the world and the company. He was upbeat and encouraging in these missives, but he also was honest and empathetic. He talked about the uncertainties and acknowledged that there were unknowns to be navigated. “I talked about the challenges we were


facing as an organization and a country and how we would move forward to overcome them. I could be strong in messaging about the realities, what we needed to do in the short term, and what we needed to do to push forward to get through the challeng- es,” Gradillas said. He was also honest with his team about


some tough issues. For instance, he admit- ted that he was uncertain at first about the COVID-19 vaccine and he was open in sharing his feelings. When he did get vac- cinated, he was transparent about why he made this decision and why it was import- ant for others to follow suit. “We have to be comfortable having difficult conversations sometimes and be willing to say, ‘I don’t know’ when we don’t have the answers,” he noted.


Learning from the Worst The truth is that there are bad leaders out there, and there is much to be learned from them, Gradillas observed. For one thing, he said, poor leaders talk too much. “They always have to be the biggest voice


in the room, and they’re constantly telling people what they think without asking their thoughts or ideas,” he said. Another quality of poor leaders, he said,


is the need to micromanage and dictate how to approach tasks or solve problems. This discourages engagement and innovation and often leads people to do what they need to do and little more. Poor leaders also don’t align their own


actions with those they expect of others. For instance, they expect others to be attentive and involved at meetings; yet they will be on their phone, reading papers, and generally behaving in ways that suggest they don’t need or want to be present. For the most part, the days of leading by


fear are gone; but Gradillas suggested that there are some passive remnants of this leadership style. “Instead of communicating to employees


that they’ll be fired if they don’t do this or that, some leaders just make it clear that


this is what we should do. This can be way to manipulate the conversation and make people afraid to speak up or express an op- posing viewpoint,” he said. In the end, Gradillas has learned much


from the best and the worst; and he contin- ues to learn every day from those around him. He asks questions, actively listens, en- gages others with authenticity and empathy, and he is able to communicate a vision that helps everyone see a positive future. He is imperfect, he admitted, but in many ways, this may make him a perfect leader for 2023. Often the best leaders come up through the ranks in their industry and/or have experience in other professions. Before he became an operations vice president, he was the executive director of Las Ventanas, a senior living community in Summerlin, Nev. And prior to that, he was general manager for The Platinum Hotel and Spa in Las Vegas.


WHAT ARE LEADERS READING?


Gradillas said that one of his favorites is Simon Senak’s “Start with Why,” which talks about how leaders inspire action. He also likes Senak’s “Leaders Eat Last,” which helps leaders inspire their workers to love and be fulfilled by their work.


Gradillas also counts on “The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living.”


“This is grounded in practicality and helps you reflect on how you can improve day-to-day and challenge yourself to be a better leader.”


JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023 ARGENTUM.ORG 33


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