To be bright is important, but the distinguishing feature is to have human relationship skills — that is what is critical!

– Richard Byles

SINCE becoming the co-chair of the now famous Economic Programme Oversight Committee (EPOC), Richard Byles has become a household name in Jamaica. Being the trendsetter-pacesetter that we usually are, Jamaica has received commendations from no less an institution than the IMF for innovativeness in setting up EPOC — the first of its kind in the world! We are now used to hearing Richard Byles’ sombre, evenly paced monthly press briefings giving EPOC’s independent commentaries on the state of the economy, vis-à-vis our IMF targets.

But before he became EPOC co-chair, Byles had racked up a serious, impressive string of leadership successes. I had the privilege of conducting a brief interview with Byles to pick his brains for gold nuggets that would be beneficial to aspiring leaders.

I remember some time ago when I started at an institution as a manager and the first time I was introduced to the then CEO he asked me a curious question in a rather stentorian voice, “What is your claim to fame?!” So here we go — what is Richard Byles’ claim to fame?

Well, it seems that he has a very big claim! Have a look at a March 14, 2014 Jamaica Observer article on Byles where it states, “Despite a contracting economy, the strictures of the IMF, debt exchanges (JDX and NDX) and a constantly devaluing Jamaican dollar, Sagicor has turned in stellar profits year in ,year out, under the astute management of its CEO.”

As President and CEO of Sagicor, Richard Byles has taken the net profits of the group from $1.4 billion in 2003 to $8.5 billion in 2014 — a whopping 600 per cent increase in roughly 10 years!

When asked what are his biggest successes, Richard Byles indicated his successfully leading multiple mergers and acquisitions over the years. In 2004 there was the acquisition of First Life Insurance and Pan Caribbean Investment. Then there was the $1.7 billion acquisition of Blue Cross in 2004, and more recently in 2014, the purchase of RBC.

So what can we learn from Richard Byles to be better leaders? I will summarise a few thoughts that he has shared with me:

He finds it a joy to work with his people

If you are going to be a great leader you must actually love people, and find it a joy to work with people. Richard Byles subscribes to this notion. Actually, I spoke with one of his executives who believes that having Byles as a leader is a “blessing” and that he is a “dream boss!” When your direct report can say that, it means you are hitting the right notes!

He gives his executives latitude to perform

Byles set the performance criteria and the expectations, provides guidance, then steps back and allows his executives to perform. He gives them air! Many leaders suffocate their staff, and constrain their creativity and performance by controlling what and how tasks are completed.

Another corollary to this issue is that of coaching and training of staff. Many times I realise that I am the best person to do a task at a level of excellence — but if I do it, then I will always be the person who needs to do it in the future. So it is time to invest time in developing others to that level of excellence. This may take time, but the investment will pay off. Again, the benefits are multiple, someone gets developed — and has grown — and I can take my vacation!

Being able to relate to people is vitally important

I have stressed before in the MBA Forum the importance of emotional intelligence, which is the ability to manage one’s own emotions, and the emotions of others. Intrinsic in this is the ability to relate well with others. As you move further up the management hierarchy, interpersonal skills become more and more critical, while technical skills are required less.

He expects excellence

Byles sets the bar high and expects the performance at that level. Have you ever heard of the Pygmalion concept? If you are a regular reader of the MBA Forum you would recall it has to do with expectations — people tend to live up to the leader’s expectations.

There is also an irony about all this. I have seen it as a part-time lecturer and also as an executive. Set the bar high and expect excellence, but do not be abrasive about it. If you provide the right environment, you are respectful to people, and they know that through it all you have their best interest at heart — and they will grow at the end of the process — then they will appreciate that you pushed them to excellence!

Learn to think like the customer

I know someone who has a store and repeatedly insists on buying items for resale that he loves. He keeps getting into problems because his customers may not necessarily like what he likes. The key point is — learn to think like your customer, and know what your customers like — they are the ones buying!

Create and maintain a high-performance team

At Sagicor, Byles fosters a high-performance team, and this is maintained by a focus on rewarding and recognising team members for outstanding performance.

In addition to annual corporate awards (which is made a very special event for the team), Sagicor also gives year-round recognition to team members.

Byles also believes that it is very important to involve others from the planning stages as this allows for collective ownership. He believes that it is important to seek feedback and this can be done by brainstorming and interchanging of ideas. “No one person has all the solutions!”

Dr Kenroy Wedderburn is an MBA part-time lecturer. Send your e-mails to drkwedderburn@gmail.com.