How You Can Strengthen Your Leadership With a Simple Weekly Quote

John Petrucci is the author of today’s post. He’s one of the most down-to-earth people you’ll ever meet and that’s part of what makes him an exemplary leader. You can read all about his accomplishments at the end of the post.  Here’s John…

There are many ways to lead.  One of the most important is through communication.  There are two forms of communication: direct (face-to-face, email, voicemail, thank you notes) and indirect (showing up to support someone who has lost a family member, a smile to celebrate good news, living your values).

One form of communication I’ve found most valuable over the last 15 years has been something I call the “Friday Quote.”  I started the quotes back in 1997.  I was relatively new with my department and my company, and wanted to have a little fun.  Even though I wasn’t a ‘formal’ leader, I thought I could lead in this area.

I sent out my first quote with a little note, telling folks I knew how depressing Fridays could be, as we had to go home for the weekend and would be away from the office for two days.  To help ‘lift our spirits,’ I’d be sending out a quote every Friday to brighten the day.  And so I did.

The first quotes were just that – inspirational quotes I found from various sources (Dictionary of Quotations, books, magazines and newspapers).  When I got promoted to regional vice president of the Eastern Region in mid 1998, I decided to take the Friday Quote to a new level.  Not only did I share an inspirational quote, I also shared a brief message about the happenings of the region / company / industry.  The Friday Quote became a leadership tool and a communication vehicle – one read inside and outside the region.

The Friday Quote or a derivative is something every leader can employ.  Your first message can tee up the format, letting folks know you’ll be using this medium for weekly communication.  Then take note of how each week develops, looking for something to build your message around on Friday.

Most of my messages are based on current events (sports, festivals, season of the year, press releases, weather).  I draw inspiration from news reports, radio shows and the Internet.

Other times I share personal stories that tie into what we’re doing at my company.  A recent Friday Quote talked about my dry cleaners.  They had shown leadership in a couple of different ways over the years.  The latest was returning money found in my dry cleaning.  Should they have done that?  Of course!  But that didn’t change the fact the act positively reinforced my decision to use them for my dry cleaning.  They communicate with me through their actions.  As we all know, actions speak volumes.

What they did back in 2009 – helping a competitor out when the competitor suffered a fire loss – had already locked me in to being a lifetime customer.  The loss occurred the afternoon of Friday, May 29.  A faulty motor in the production area of the business (where the clothes are cleaned) started a fire that caused $50,000 worth of damage.

If a dry cleaner can’t clean your clothes, they’re effectively out of business.  The owner of my dry cleaners knew that, and reached out to the owners of the fire damaged building, offering full use of his facilities.  They accepted, which kept their business in operation until their own facilities were back up and running.

All my dry cleaners asked was the competitor pay the increased utility costs.  My dry cleaners didn’t ballyhoo their decision.  As a matter of fact, the only way I knew this had happened was when I read about it in the local paper.  You can read the full article about this extraordinary business decision here.  Dublin Cleaners – my cleaners – showed leadership via their actions by doing what was right.

Through the Friday Quote communication tool, I hope to keep the associates I support fully engaged in the task at hand.  Through their actions, Dublin Cleaners has moved from being just another business to being ‘my’ dry cleaners.  They have got me to want to follow them.  Using their example as my Friday Quote only reinforces the leadership messages I want those around me to hear.  Isn’t that what leadership is all about?

– John Petrucci is a 27-year veteran of the insurance industry. He has experience in claims as an adjuster and manager; in sales as an agent and agency manager; and administration as a branch manager and vice president of sales. In addition, John has worked for both a captive agency company and an independent agency company. His blended experience gives him a unique perspective on the insurance industry. John has a total of ten professional designations, showing his commitment to the insurance industry and his own professional development.