We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jonah Erbe a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jonah, appreciate you joining us today. What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?

“80% say their training is not well-aligned with their business goals.” – Training Industry Report

Leadership training (and all other kinds of training) that do not focus on the specific and unique goals of each and every participant will never be worth it. This is because every single individual in every single business is completely unique.

Every individual is created with unique passions, unique motivators, and unique goals. A simple “copy-paste” training will not get the needed results.

Confucius said to “Dig the well before you thirst.” With the current leadership changes happening around the world (77% of organizations say their leadership is lacking), it is safe to say that the well has almost dried up.

There is no time to waste in developing people. There will never be a time where everything seems right because the solution to what is wrong lies within the people that need to be invested in.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Jonah Erbe is the President of Leadership Management International, Inc, (LMI) an international leadership development organization founded in 1966. He believes that his purpose in life is to help others realize and reach their full potential in all areas of life: professionally, spiritually, physically, mentally, socially and relationally.

Jonah believes that for individuals to change the world, they must first draw a circle around themselves and change everything inside of it.

LMI’s mission is to develop leaders and organizations to maximize their full potential, whether it be on a personal, family, or organizational level. Backed by over 50 years of global experience, we offer a number of products and services supported by a proven system that can make a measurable impact on both individual and company performance, as well as the profitability of any business.

Our products and services are accessible in nearly 30 languages, and we rely on independent representatives to make them available in over 90+ countries around the world.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

First, I want to beg whoever is reading this to not be blindly loyal to a brand. It is not the customer’s job to be loyal to a brand. It is the brand’s job to add value to the customer.

To answer this question, I would simply say that we must add value. Every conversation, every email, every call, every meeting, every interaction of any kind must add value. If it does not add value, then it is quite literally worthless.

The follow up would be, “What is value?” Value can come in all shapes and sizes. As business leaders, sometimes we think value must be something that directly correlates to increasing bottom line profits. This is so far from the truth. The best value is that which invests in the individual uniqueness of the person you are attempting to add value to. This could look like a word of encouragement, truly taking an interest in what interests them, checking in when you have nothing to sell, and much more.

Clients are real people with real gifts, real desires, real hurts, and real souls. We should always treat them as such. If we do that, I have no doubts that your organization will “foster brand loyalty.” We are loyal to those who care for us well, so let’s care for our clients well, regardless of if they will directly impact our bottom line. It is always the right thing to do, and most likely will impact the bottom line at some point as well.

In summary: treat clients as real people.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

The world has changed so much in the last few years. (That first sentence is cliché, I know.) Because of this change, people are more depressed, more alone, and more anxious than ever before. The days of having a strong company culture by simply having one or two forced events a year that no one really even wants to attend anyways are over.

To manage a team and maintain high morale, leaders must see themselves as the greatest servants in the organization. This does not mean that leaders let others walk all over them. It does mean that leaders who want to successfully lead an organization must constantly and consistently be on the lookout for opportunities to serve those whom have been entrusted into their care.

Actions speak so much louder than words. Some leaders still believe that just because of their position that the team respects them. They believe their title makes them a leader. This could not be more false. The greatest leaders who earn the greatest respect are the greatest servants. You cannot serve by using words alone. Servanthood involves direct actions that do nothing to benefit you and everything to benefit others. And as we all know, morale and culture start from the top. So, if the team never sees the leader serve, encourage, and care, what makes us think that the team will serve, encourage, and care?

Every leader should know what personally and internally motivates every individual on their team. Is it family? Travel? Community impact? Money? What is it, and why? When you know that, you should become an expert in how to serve them in that specific way. This is how people feel cared for. When people feel cared for, their morale increases, turnover decreases, and team unity increases.

Take an interest in your team members as real people, not just employees. When leaders do that, organizations thrive, lives change, and goals are achieved!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.lmi-world.com
• Instagram: @jonaherbe
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonaherbe/
• Other: You can purchase my book here: https://a.co/d/1v6750Z

Image Credits
Leadership Management International, Inc.