Best Practices, Feature, V10I5

The Nature of Leadership 

(Photo courtesy of Bakr Magrabi from Pexels)

Each in their own way, the leaders of today’s shed-building industry have overcome unique obstacles and taken calculated risks to become guiding forces in their companies. 

They often have an unrelenting internal drive to make a difference and a strong desire for growth and lifelong learning, as well as the energy and ability to inspire. 

For the most part, these owners and managers agree that transparency is key to effective leadership and that consistency is critical to fostering trust with their team and stakeholders, and to creating strong, trusting connections with those they lead. 

EVOLVING LEADERSHIP 

Alan Fluharty with Sturdi-Bilt Storage Buildings in Fairmount, West Virginia, says all businesses are continuously evolving, and the same can be said about how they should be managed. 

“In order to be successful and continue to operate in the future, I feel that owners have to constantly adapt,” Fluharty says. 

“That adaptation can mean changing your product to meet the wants and needs of your customers,” he adds, “or it might mean expanding your sales locations. For me, it meant expanding our operations, as a whole, into another state.” 

In his early years, Fluharty knew little about the shed manufacturing process. He credits the success of the company, which he founded in 2000, to a prevailing sense of teamwork. 

His Amish employees, salespeople at each of their locations, and Shed Shuttle delivery drivers all play a pivotal role. 

Today, the company builds sheds and barns with Amish craftsmanship throughout West Virginia and Ohio. 

“As an owner, it’s important to be involved, to some degree, in all aspects of the business,” he adds. 

“This allows me to understand and address any issues encountered by my sales staff, office personnel, and builders, all critical to running a successful and growing business.” 

THE COACH 

Darren Warren, president/CEO of Stor-Mor Outdoor Products, which owns Stor-Mor Portable Buildings in Mayfield, Kentucky, sees himself more as a coach than a leader. 

“I tell my folks all the time that above all else, we need to make sure our servant’s heart is bigger than our ego,” he says. 

“If we base our company on treating others as we want to be treated, at the end of the day things work out well. People generally respect that.” 

As a teenager, Warren was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so he has a strong connection and commitment to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. 

That’s reflected in the way he manages his company, which currently operates some 20 manufacturing plants with more than 100 employees. The company is on track to donate nearly $250,000 to the Memphis-based hospital. 

“I want every employee to know that there’s a bigger purpose than just the bottom line, “Warren says. 

“It’s true that we’ve got to watch the bottom line and make money, but at the end of the day I want them to understand that we’ve been blessed and that we’re trying to make a difference in someone else’s life.” 

He hopes that that gives his employees a greater sense of purpose and pride in what they do, 

Warren feels transparency is imperative for a leader to be effective, and he expects his managers to follow the same ideals.

“If you’re faking it and that’s not your heart, it’ll never resonate,” he adds. “It’s like the old saying, ‘I’d rather see a sermon than hear one every day.’ If we truly live what we believe and treat people the way we want to be treated, I think that builds respect. 

“I tell my managers that you must first earn your people’s respect before you’ll get them to go along with our vision. You can’t go in with a billy club; it never works.” 

RESPECT 

Ryan Hurley, president of Backyard Escapes in Pocomoke City, Maryland, says his leadership style has evolved in tandem with his growing retail business over the last 17 years. However, it has always revolved around a singular principle—respect. 

Today, he operates sales offices in Maryland and Delaware. 

“I was in sales before I got into the shed business and I had managers that were always looking over my shoulder, and that irritated me,” Hurley says. 

“I learned a long time ago to treat my sales reps with respect, give them a goal that’s achievable, educate them, and reward them when they do good. 

“I find good people and let them learn about the products they’re selling and give them a goal that’s attainable. I then step back and let them do their job.” 

Hurley is now in his 50s, so he’s recently become more focused on training his two sons, both in their 20s, to lead the business one day. 

Succession planning, he points out, is another critical aspect of leadership. 

“Honestly, I never really thought about it until a few years ago,” he adds. 

“I think that’s common with a lot of people with a small mom-and-pop business. They think they’ll just hand it over, or hopefully have a child or relative that wants to do what you’ve been doing all your life.” 

To prepare his sons, he has had them help with deliveries, interact with customers, and deal with the occasional maintenance issue so that they become familiar with all aspects of the business. 

“They’ve ridden in the truck with me since they were in elementary school,” he adds. “They’ve grown up in the business, so when it was their turn, it was almost second nature to them.” 

Hurley makes sure that every employee is able “to work in their own space,” Then, at the end of each day, they meet to discuss progress, issues, and unfinished items of business. 

“I’m not 30 anymore, and I’ve learned to trust my people, and those that are out there representing us,” he adds. “They know what they need to do to protect our image and what we stand for as a company. That’s more important today than ever. 

“When I first started selling sheds, I’d put 30 to 40 sheds in our parking lot and people would come in and buy or order. Today, they’re looking online, and your image is in front of a lot more people. That means it’s easy for that to go south on you quickly if your people aren’t representing you and doing the right thing.” 

Developing new leaders is critical to a company’s future success. That can often be accomplished, Hurley says, through a formalized mentorship process. 

In the process, older, more experienced sales reps can train new hires. He also has new employees visit job sites, ride along with delivery drivers, and visit manufacturing facilities to gain product knowledge.   

“We try to interact daily, and sometimes that’s difficult with two locations, but we’re interacting together,” Hurley says. 

“In the process, I learn about what they have going on and they gain an awareness of where the company is heading. And if we have differences in opinion, we discuss it openly. 

“That’s the beauty of a small business. You hope everyone is going in the same direction, but if you need to make changes you can make them quickly.

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