What Defines Them and the Secret to Having More of Them
How would you respond if they did? Has anyone ever asked you to describe your best day at work? In my company’s podcast, Difference Talks, we conclude each episode by asking our guest: “Describe your best day—a day when you are energized and fulfilled.” I expected to hear stories of extraordinary triumph in boardrooms or the stock market, but that has never been the case. The leaders we have interviewed include CEOs, bestselling authors and Grammy Award winners. Their best days all revolve around one singular focus: people.
Ranaan Meyer, founder of the Grammy Award-winning band Time for Three, expressed his inspiration to pay it forward to aspiring musicians. His mentor, Hal Robinson, former principal bassist for the Philadelphia Orchestra, selflessly guided Ranaan to pursue his love of music. Today, Ranaan is the Founder and Artistic Director of the Honeywell Arts Academy, which is responsible for supporting and nurturing the careers of budding musicians worldwide. He mentioned that his best day, for example, was seeing one of his students, who is pre-med, using her musical talents to help heal patients in a hospital setting.
Chuck Surack, founder of Sweetwater, the world’s largest online music retailer, finds inspiration in helping revive his hometown, Fort Wayne, Indiana, by investing in beautiful apartment complexes, performance halls, grocery stores and other worthwhile projects.
A respected figure in the automotive industry, Johan de Nysschen has left a lasting mark through his leadership of iconic brands like Audi and Cadillac. His best days have been seeing not just brands succeed but also the impact that success has had on the people who represent them. One of his most meaningful moments came after steering Audi of America through a difficult chapter. A dealership salesperson shared that he went from feeling disengaged with the brand to taking immense pride in selling its products, achieving both personal and professional success. For Johan, moments like this—where leadership leads to real, human impact—define a best day.
Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry-Wehmiller Companies, a worldwide, multi-billion-dollar manufacturer, finds inspiration in seeing his team grow professionally and personally. Bob authored Everybody Matters: The Extraordinary Power of Caring for Your People Like Family and established the Chapman & Company Leadership Institute to do just that. His best days are when he hears firsthand how his philosophy is touching the lives of his people by improving their personal lives.
For Jonathan Randall, President of Mack Trucks, his best day is when he can connect with his dealer partners and customers face-to-face. It’s his opportunity to understand their challenges and determine if his company can help solve them. In a world of Teams and Zoom calls, personally interacting with them and understanding their needs is invaluable to him.
Derek Jenkins, a renowned automotive designer and Senior Vice President of Design and Brand at Lucid Motors, describes his best day as seeing his and his team’s creative work culminate in a beautiful automobile. From clay models to finished products, it’s an inspiring journey that excites him.
The best days are about people, not things.
In the age of AI, one of the few differentiators we have is our humanity—being caring people. Leaders committed to their employees’ well-being will be rewarded with higher retention, increased quality of work and soaring morale. Don Hunter, CEO of Haig Point Club, an exclusive private island community in South Carolina, told me he’s most inspired when he helps his staff realize they can achieve their goals. Don started out with very little and is now a leading national club manager whose clientele is among the wealthiest and most successful. It would be easy for his staff to view their positions as comparatively low, but Don’s best days are when employees can purchase their first car or home, which illustrates his hope for their success.
Our goal should be to have more best days.
When we ask clients how often they have a “best day,” we usually hear they are few and far between. If we can increase our best days from once a month to once a week, wouldn’t that create an amazing impact? Our actions to improve our teams’ lives are as important as reviewing spreadsheets or developing a new product.
No matter the importance of the position or size of the enterprise, our greatest asset, and most meaningful concern, is our people—those who build, serve, design, sell and represent companies and their brands. Their happiness, success and fulfillment directly affect ours as leaders. Our focus must be on having as many best days as possible.
