Lessons from Bruce Paynter

Ten years later…. Bruce Paynter’s legacy is alive and pushing me forward!

Its hard to imagine that ten years ago the week, my good friend and old boss passed away after his fight with the disease, ALS.  It was a unique and complicated/challenging time, and I view it as a real treasure of my life that I was able to spend a lot of time with Bruce in the months and weeks before his passing.  The stories, the little interactions, the funny moments of those times together all add up to an unusual collage of remembrance and lessons… many of which I have passed along in previous essays and a few that I will share as easy links in the following paragraphs.

Since Bruce’s passing, I have shared his story not just through this blog but with groups of folks in retreats and presentations that I have lead at Bolthouse Farms or with a number of my consulting clients.   Hundreds of folks who never knew Bruce up in Appleton Wisconsin have come to know his humor, his insights and his wisdom primarily through the stories of those days I had with him in the spring and early summer of 2009.

While many of his stories hit home,  the video above that he made for the folks at Kimberly-Clark has been a keepsake of mine for the past ten years.   I keep it on my laptop desktop and rewatch it regularly, especially when I feel that I need a little nudge from my friend Bruce!   Another story  that has really triggered a lot of attention is his view of “Authenticity, the Foundation of Leadership.” This specific story, and the related chart reviewed in the essay has really connected to a wide range of folks across roles and work environments.  The idea that “authentic leaders” have the greatest organizational impact and Bruce’s view that the basis of authenticity is the alignment of a leaders “words and actions!”  Staying on the “authenticity rail” is a  significant concept in this area and I have watched it really connect to executives in their own leadership journeys over the past ten years.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

“Authenticity”, the Foundation of Leadership

Last week I had the chance, the fortune, to spend a few days with my friend Bruce who has ALS.  I have written about him before, see the entry “Always pursue the Truth”;  and while his disease is taking it’s expected, unrelenting course, my time with him was precious.  Over the course of a day or so, we had the chance to have some amazing conversations which ranged widely over topics that Bruce wanted to talk about.  There were three conversations though that have stayed with me, that have affected me deeply, and over the course of the next few weeks I am going to write about all three.  The following is one that has to do with “Authenticity” and “Leadership”.


As I commented on in earlier entries, Bruce was my first boss out of business school and proceeded to have a very significant career at a major, publicly traded, consumer products company.  He held a number of senior executive roles across his career and had the responsibility and accountability for a multi-billion dollar business and a large organization in his last role.  I am not sure what prompted him during my last visit, but somewhat out of the blue, Bruce brought up the topic of “Leadership” and asked me what I thought about “Authenticity” as a leadership characteristic.  Rather than diving into a rambling “sermonette” of my opinions on the subject, I had the good sense to ask Bruce what he thought about this idea of “Authenticity” in a leadership context.  Even with his voice restricted by a respirator, he started to talk about “Authenticity” as a critical variable in leaders.  That organizations knew immediately whether their leader was being “Authentic” or not .  In those moments of “Authenticity” , Bruce felt that organizations trusted their leaders dramatically more than when there were impressions of Leadership “Inauthenticity“.

I asked Bruce how he evaluated/measured “Authenticity”.  His comments rang true to my experience, but I was having a hard time trying to figure out how you might evaluate/assess this characteristic.  He said very simply, “alignment between words and actions”.  He talked about an executive that he worked closely with who “talked a good game” about caring for and being focused on his team; but his actions showed that he really cared for and was focused on himself.  A clear example of misalignment between words and actions… a clear example of a lack of “Leadership Authenticity.”As a result,  the organization doesn’t and probably won’t trust this leader very well.  Obviously a limiter to performance. In many  ways it would have been better for everyone, including the broader organization, if the executive in the example wasn’t trying to portray an image that was so different from who he really is.  

Since returning home, I found an old article from 1997 written by Kevin Cashman, titled “Authentic Leadership”.  The following is a quote from the article that articulates Bruce’s point well:  

The foundation of leadership is authenticity. How do we go about expressing ourselves more authentically?  I constantly challenge clients to ask, “Where is my leadership coming from?”  Do our actions originate from deep within ourselves, or are they coming from a more superficial, limited place?  Is our leadership arising from our character, the essence of who we are?  Or is it only coming from our persona, the external personality we’ve created to cope with life circumstances.

As I mentioned above , I am not sure what prompted Bruce to want to talk about this topic; but I have always found Bruce to be an amazingly “Authentic” person, friend, and boss.  This conversation gave me more to think about regarding the alignment of my words and actions, my “Leadership Authenticity”. I hope that it might be a trigger for you too!

I sincerely miss Bruce and would love to have his available today as I dive into my new role as President of Bolthouse Farms Brands.  I could really use his good humored “push/nudge,” his encouragement for me to go beyond my limited current thinking and find key insights for future performance.  As I reflects on the picture above of his grave in a lovely cemetery near the river in Appleton, I am once again reminded of his lessons for me today!!  Take a close look and you will see one of Bruce’s constant quotes “Always pursue the truth…” on the bottom of the cemetery marker.  I can literally hear those words in my ears today, from 30+ years ago when I was a marketing assistant at Kimberly-Clark, working for Bruce, when I brought him some sort of analysis that was not quite finished and he would send me back to my cube with those words ringing in my ears.  While certainly appropriate then, with is very applicable for me today!  The business I have just jumped back into is in decline, and with lots of challenges across the board and a cursory review of the facts…. “the truth” will not cut it!  I need to listen to Bruce’s advice today and push my company to dig deeper, search harder and “always pursue the truth” as we clarify the road ahead.

A ten year memory and salute to my friend and mentor…. Bruce Paynter!!

Our Actions Betray our Intent

I have been thinking about this topic for a number of years,
and recently in my consulting practice, I have had a series of conversations
with a number of clients/leaders across varied industries, organizations and
roles where this theme continues to resonate. 
The dynamic of an organization or a leader’s “words” communicating one
set of “truth” (no “alt facts” reference intended) and that same
organization’s/leader’s “actions” communicating a different “truth” is
pervasive and damaging to organizations broadly.  While the “disconnect” between the “words”
and “actions” is debilitating, I want to suggest that in today’s business and
political climate, we must be reminded that our actions betray our intent, not
our words.
Looking over past essays, you can see that I have found my
way to this topic before and it continues to be an issue, and may be a growing
one across our landscape today.  Back in
2014, I commented on a discussion with a work associate where this
“words/actions disconnect” was front and center.  You can read more in the essay “Watch the
Feet,” at http://ift.tt/2rJFc3a.  While the dynamic is common, I am
coming to a point of view that the leaders who are actively engaged in this
“disconnection” are fooling themselves to think that they are somehow being
effective, impactful leaders with this behavior.  Maybe we have become too jaded or cynical
with all the “spin,” and “talking points,” with people being trained to “stay
on message” at all cost; but I suggest that broadly individuals are looking
past the “spin” and watching the actual actions to understand the true intent of
a leader or organization.
A living example of this is happening currently in the
summer of 2017 with an impending headcount reduction at major corporation
headquartered here in Atlanta.  The new
CEO has described these job eliminations as a way to “ help us do fewer things
better and help us support our operating units” as a “more lean and focused
corporate center.”  While the “words”
tell one story, the reality is that the company is struggling to grow, with the
stock price at the same split adjusted price as 19 years ago, and  the company needs to cut costs dramatically in
order to achieve its profit targets; thus is eliminating 1200 +/- jobs in its corporate
headquarters staff  of 5500, a 22%
reduction.  While the reality is harsh,
it is more the “truth” of the moment rather than some “process improvement”
initiative to make the corporate workplace more streamlined and efficient … the
actions betray the intent!
Closing with a word of inspiration from my old boss Bruce
Paynter, leaders and organizations can be amazing and powerful when their words
and actions actually align!  In one of my
last conversations with Bruce, he talked to me about the importance and impact
of authenticity in leaders and how organizations watch leaders carefully to
“see” the alignment of their words and actions. 
You can find that essay at, http://ift.tt/1Sn5A8r.  This need to stay “on the rail” where
one’s words and actions are aligned is vital to all of us as we seek to have a
positive impact on our teams/organizations/clients/families/etc. in the short
run, and leave a legacy that we will be proud of in the long run!  Let’s work to “stay on the rail” of alignment
and allow our actions and words (hopefully highly aligned) “betray our intent”
regularly and positively!

The “Treasure” of old friends

Last week I went on one of my “pilgrimages” back to Appleton Wisconsin, where I began by career when I went to work as a young marketer at Kimberly Clark in 1985. As is my way, I visited a number of my “old haunts,” including Jacobs Market (a magnificent butcher shop), City Park (across the street from my old apartment) and the campus of Lawrence University (where my wife Jennie lived and worked as a dorm director the year before we were married.) While the sights, smells and tastes of my quick visit all hit home, nothing was more significant than the visits I had with a number of “old friends.”

First, after picking up some wine and delicious bacon (from Jacobs Market of course), I went to visit Steve and Nina. Steve started at K-C the same time that I did, and we were marketing assistants in different departments. While we worked for different bosses and even in different buildings, our jobs were very similar and many a night I would “hang out” with Steve and his wife Nina and their new son Wilson. They were my closest friends in Wisconsin for sure! What is wonderful and hilarious is that I have become “reacquainted” with Wilson as a young high performing business executive over the past few years and really enjoy his company and his fine taste in wine! Steve and Nina were so generous to host me last week, and Nina (once again) cooked a tremendous dinner that included beautiful steaks from Jacobs (of course, do you see a trend??) After a restful night and a good cup of coffee, I headed out to spend time with another old Wisconsin friend, Bruce Paynter.

As some of you know, Bruce was an old boss from K-C who was a very close friend, and who passed away from ALS in 2009. I have written a number of essays about Bruce and you can find them on my blog archive under the heading, “Lessons from Bruce Paynter.” Bruce is still a very strong presence in my thinking and my life; I use his thoughts, principles and sayings in my work/life all the time. Last week I went over to visit his grave, and spend some time with “my old friend.”

Bruce is buried in a beautiful old cemetery near the Fox River in Appleton. The morning was cool and I went and grabbed a coffee at Bruce’s favorite spot on College ave. (ACOCA Coffee) and went and “visited” with Bruce. I spent almost an hour at his grave that morning, remembering Bruce, re-reading a couple of my essays about his dying days, saying a few prayers and walking around “his corner” of the cemetery. It was a wonderful morning and as always I hated to have to “say” goodbye. Leaving Riverside Cemetery, I headed out into the country to visit Bruce’s favorite cheese factory, The Union Star cheese co-op in Zitau Wisconsin. They were packing string cheese that morning and I picked up a few “treats” for my lunch guests and headed back into town.

Lunch was at the Four Seasons Family Restaurant in Neenah and I met up with Marilyn and Donna! The “smile-filled” picture above does not do it justice, but we caught up, told stories, laughed and enjoyed a delicious meal (more on that later) and really enjoyed our time together. They are both doing great and like Steve; I worked with both of these wonderful ladies at K-C starting in 1985. Donna and Marilyn also worked closely with Bruce and both knew him well long after I left Kimberly –Clark. Sadly, we all became “re-connected” at Bruce’s funeral. It was great to share pictures of our families, catching up on acquaintances and a very “small-world” story that included Donna and Jacobs Market and 10 pounds of ground chuck!! I will save that one for another essay but it’s absolutely hilarious! We had a “lively” waitress named Pam who put up with “Bill from Georgia” and gave us extra napkins so Marilyn could avoid the pickles and any pickle juice left on her plate (what a hoot!!) It was a wonderful lunch and I look forward to seeing those two wonderful women again at the Four Seasons on my next trip to the area.

I share all of these visits to highlight the “treasure” of old friends. As you head to my stage of life, 55 years old, a thirty two year career, with one child in college and one a rising junior in high school, its easy to focus on more “earthly” treasures. One’s IRA, or 401k, or maybe the 529 account balances seem to take center stage and while retirement planning and college savings are both vital, I am suggesting that my trip last week is a great reminder that the “deeper treasure” is the love and relationships that we have in our lives. Whether re-connecting with family members, work acquaintances, or a few old friends in Wisconsin, we should all try to focus in on that “treasure” in our lives, and find reasons/excuses to get out of the rat race of a busy life and go spend a day or a lunch with the “treasures” in our lives. I hope that you enjoy your visits with “old friends” as much as I did last week!

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