Leaders on Leadership: Pat Huebel

As part of a series on leadership, we asked the executives of Toyota Material Handling what advice they have for aspiring leaders in the material handling industry. This week, we feature Pat Huebel, TMH Senior Manager of Aftermarket Sales and Warehouse Operations.

Advice to 25-year-old self: “You will deal with a lot of different leaders in your career. Some will be good leaders and some will not. Always remember the behaviors and qualities you admired the most from the good leaders and make them part of your interactions with people every day. In the end, you have to be yourself, but you will have a lot of opportunities to learn from the good leaders and grow if you keep an open mind.”

Thoughts on Leadership: “Everyone at Toyota has the ability and opportunity to be a leader.  You just need to take the initiative when the opportunity is available to lead up, lead across, and lead down.

Great leaders share many qualities. A few of the qualities that I personally embrace are the following:

1. Stay Positive: The power of a positive attitude can be life changing for you and the people you work with. But staying positive is not easy, and it is a skill that you must work on every day. A positive-thinking leader will look at the problems they are presented with as opportunities to improve a situation. When individuals react to a problem with a positive, can-solve attitude, it relaxes everyone in the room and allows for clearer thinking. A positive attitude can be contagious, so start spreading it around.

Quote to Note: “A bad attitude is like a flat tire; you can’t get very far until you change it.”  –  Joyce Meyer

2. Be Empathetic: Be willing to look at a situation from the other person’s perspective, and use that insight to help you respond appropriately to the situation. By doing that, you show the other person you are listening to them and you truly understand their challenges. Your ability to show true empathy will lead to mutual trust and respect.

Quote to Note: “As a leader, you should always start with where people are before you try to take them where you want them to go.” – Jim Rohn

3. Lead by Example: To be an effective leader, at any level, you must set the right example when it comes to our core values and attitude. Two phrases that articulate this best are: “Your behavior determines the culture”, and “Your attitude determines the atmosphere.”

Quote to Note: “Leaders need to be what they want to see.”  –  John C. Maxwell