THE AWARD-WINNING BOOK…
THE FRONTLINE CEO
Turn Employees Into Decision Makers Who Innovate Solutions, Win Customers, and Boost Profits
For a limited time, you can connect with the author, Eric Strafel, to learn more about how you as a business leader can implement Frontline Leadership within your business.
Available at online retailers and local book stores
About the book
People want to work, to contribute, to be able to leverage everything they have to offer, but their voice isn’t being heard.
There’s a huge missed opportunity for businesses and leaders to fully engage their team at all levels and achieve their full potential. The obstacles in the way include formal structures that reduce transparency, create siloed communication and promote a style of leadership that pushes decision-making up rather than down. All of this creates bottlenecks at the top and misses the opportunity to engage the front lines in developing solutions, which is where 90% of the employees in any organization reside.
Where to Start
It’s easy to get disconnected at the top of a company from the people that matter most: your customers, and your own people.
Through 25 years of trial and error, and watching leaders who make a difference, there are five pillars I’ve found that can help companies create the conditions for people to thrive and for businesses to reach their maximum potential:
“Frontline leadership is modeling inclusivity at the top and encouraging leaders at all levels to think like a CEO. By integrating decision making and ownership accountability into the flow of work on the front lines, organizations can accelerate innovation to compete and win together.”
ERIC STRAFEL
01
Establish a purpose that your people and your customers connect to.
It’s your north star that aligns people toward a shared mission in service to your customers and community, which is why your business exists in the first place.
02
Foster transparency throughout your organization.
For all leaders to lead, they need the same information and context that the top leaders of a company have. Be as transparent with the information as you can so everyone can see clearly where you are and where you’re going.
03
Be honest with yourself and be authentic with your team.
You have to lead by example if you want others to feel comfortable being themselves and bring their best contributions to the team.
04
Promote inclusion so you can get everyone on the playing field.
To grow, you have to change, and the best people to lead that change are the ones doing the work. If you want to know where to start, talk with customers and employees and they’ll tell you what you can do better as a company to create value.
05
Build routines that reinforce your purpose, values, and how everyone contributes.
Talk about purpose, customers, employees, and your responsibility to serve them.
Simplify processes and remove obstacles that hold you back.
About the author
Eric Strafel is the founder of SUMMi7, focused on improving business and society by creating opportunities for underrepresented communities. For more than 25 years, the former CEO and Fortune 50 executive has dedicated himself to building forward-thinking teams and scaling innovation to create transformational organizations that thrive in an increasingly entrepreneurial and purpose-driven world.
His recent corporate leadership roles include Vice President of Strategy and Market Development for Boeing Global Services and President/CEO of Aviall, where he led the creation of the framework for Aviall’s 20/20 vision for future growth. He is a certified Six Sigma Black Belt, certified Project Management Professional (PMP), and APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM).
With years of experience as a leader in enterprise businesses, Eric is passionate about helping small and midsize companies grow profits and scale with purpose while leveraging their strengths, maintaining their values and harmonizing all of life’s pursuits. He is on a mission to share collaborative leadership strategies and create opportunities for a more human-centric and inclusive planet.
His driving motivation behind his book The Frontline CEO is assisting leaders in transforming their businesses to embrace and manage change while empowering their teams to fulfill their purpose. Through SUMMi7, Eric is working city by city, partnering with companies and organizations to impact people and businesses on a global scale, while building a more inclusive business environment that helps position companies to lead, innovate and scale with purpose.
Eric holds an MBA from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University. He sits on the Board of Directors of the Texas Diversity Council and the Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce. He is an active and engaged father and husband. Living in Texas with his wife and three children, Eric enjoys the outdoors, staying fit, and maintaining a wellness mindset. A world traveler with a global perspective, Eric has traveled across six continents both personally and professionally.
Connect with Eric on LinkedIn
Help your team become effective decision makers
Learn more about how to implement Frontline Leadership in your organization.
THE WORKBOOK
Business scaling
method™
The Business Scaling Method™ is a comprehensive system designed to help companies and its leaders understand and address the constraints that are holding them back and creating barriers to growth.
