Arlton Lowry of Few On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain & Turbulent Times
Communicate transparently and frequently. Clear communication is crucial for fostering a sense of security and alleviating concerns during challenging times. Ideally, your organization is composed of competent, intelligent, and highly professional individuals. Such individuals crave complete understanding of situations and can be instrumental in problem-solving. Lacking clear and regular communication, you, as a leader, risk harming both your team and your company’s capacity to navigate and prosper in uncertain circumstances.
As part of our series about the “Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Turbulent Times”, we had the pleasure of interviewing Arlton Lowry.
Arlton Lowry is the Founding Partner and Chief Creative Officer at Few, a multimillion dollar digital product agency, which has worked with brands like Cars.com, General Electric, IBM and Walmart. He also founded the popular Made by Few conference, built and advised a number of startups and taught design at UA Little Rock.
Thank you so much for your time! I know that you are a very busy person. Our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you got started?
Sure, my background is in design, mass communication and information technology. I started my career in 2008 working with startups and remote-based organizations around the globe. That experience provided me with an early understanding of how connected we all are and how a team doesn’t need to be located in one place in order to do their best work.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
It’s not really a funny story, but one lesson I learned early on in my career is to not focus on money as the main metric of success. One of my first jobs out of college was working for a medical staffing startup. It was run by a guy, who I learned over time, had a bit of a shady past. I wasn’t very happy with some of his methods and wanted a change, so I accepted another role at a different company. Before I had the chance to jump ship he offered me a substantial raise if I agreed to stay, which I did. I learned that I was still miserable even with the additional income. Eventually left a few months later. From that point on I looked at money very differently and decided to not let it be the driving factor in the fulfillment of my career.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Someone I am particularly grateful for is my business partner, Zack Hill. Zack is someone with high integrity, grit and a keen sense of cool in challenging situations. He keeps me on my toes and pushes me to be the best leader I can be on a daily basis.
Starting and running a business is hard — very hard — and I’ve been doing it for 10 years at Few. Having someone along for the ride has been crucial for me to endure the challenges and hardships along the way. It’s also nice to have someone there for the accomplishment and celebrations, as well.
Extensive research suggests that “purpose-driven businesses” are more successful in many areas. When your organization started, what was its vision, what was its purpose?
Our motto at Few when we started and today is “People over Profit”. We focus on providing the best work environment to foster culture and give people the breathing room to do some of the best work of their lives. That’s why our average employee tenure is around 6 years. People love working at Few and that doesn’t happen by chance. It takes effort and focus to be able to curate a healthy working environment. We’ve carried that focus throughout the years.
Thank you for all that. Let’s now turn to the main focus of our discussion. Can you share with our readers a story from your own experience about how you lead your team during uncertain or difficult times?
The most uncertain time I can think of is during the start of the pandemic and how things were extremely uncertain, not just for us, but for the world. We had a number of clients pause work on projects, so we didn’t even know if we were going to even be able to make it through the year. I remember getting on an all hands call with everyone at the company to reassure them about their roles and provide them some sense of stability in an uncertain time.
One of the key characteristics of a good leader is being able to keep your head about you when everyone else is losing theirs. Was I nervous and scared myself? Certainly. However, I didn’t have the luxury to wear it on my sleeve. I’m proud of how we handled that period in our company’s history.
Did you ever consider giving up? Where did you get the motivation to continue through your challenges? What sustains your drive?
I’ve thought about quitting a number of times. Starting and running a business is not for the faint of heart. According to Inc. Magazine, 96% of businesses fail within 10 years. We’re part of the 4% that are still around. Of course there have been many challenges and pitfalls peppered throughout the past 10 years. Many of which have given me pause on what I was doing and if it was the right path for me. In the end, I wouldn’t change a thing. Getting through those challenges really shined a light on all our successes. It’s been a significant learning experience.
The biggest thing that drives me is building a great company culture and treating people how you want to be treated. I’ve found that if you focus on those items, everything else follows. Nothing is more depressing than celebrating success alone.
I’m an author and I believe that books have the power to change lives. Do you have a book in your life that impacted you and inspired you to be an effective leader? Can you share a story?
A book I’ve read a number of times and reference often is ‘Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…And Others Don’t’ by Jim Collins. While the book was published almost 25 years ago, it contains a lot of data-backed learnings that are still relevant today.
What would you say is the most critical role of a leader during challenging times?
During challenging times your people will reflect the mood and dynamic that you are projecting as a leader. That’s why it’s crucial for leaders to keep a level head when things are not ideal. Your ultimate role is to convey and provide a sense of stability. Without it, things will become even more challenging and chaotic.
When the future seems so uncertain, what is the best way to boost morale? What can a leader do to inspire, motivate and engage their team?
Openness, honesty and structure are key to keeping morale at a decent level during uncertain times. People ultimately want to be heard, recognized and supported when things are challenging. I think if you can get people in the right headspace and provide them a solid footing, then their anxiety will dissipate and they can focus on their roles and supporting one another at the company.
What is the best way to communicate difficult news to one’s team and customers?
The best way of communicating difficult news is in-person or via video chat. As a leader you need to be seen facing difficult things head on and not dismissing or avoiding them. One of the worst things a leader can do is putting off the hard stuff. No one likes confrontation or tough questions or potential conflict. As a leader it’s your role to embrace those not-so-fun elements.
How can a leader make plans when the future is so unpredictable?
When things are challenging it’s hard to have any sort of solid plan. The best a leader can do is keep an open mind, stay sharp and not let things overwhelm them.
I’m reminded of the first line from the poem “If” by Rudyard Kipling: “If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, … you’ll be a Man, my son!”
Is there a “number one principle” that can help guide a company through the ups and downs of turbulent times?
The number one principle for a leader to be successful at guiding a company through turbulent times is steadfastness. Things are going to change — it’s inevitable. Every year, month and day presents a new challenge. Most people want to avoid challenges and seek to find comfort in simple and easily understood tasks. As a leader, you don’t have that luxury. You’re the one who has to walk out into that dark night with only a small candle guiding your way.
Can you share 3 or 4 of the most common mistakes you have seen other businesses make during difficult times? What should one keep in mind to avoid that?
I’ve seen business leaders do a few things that should be avoided during uncertain times.
One would be to let vanity inform a hiring decision. It’s easy for some business leaders to become vain and relish the idea of having “followers”. No matter the time, it’s important to hire for the role, not ego.
Another would be to not trust in your team to rise to the occasion. One of the worst things a business leader can do is to lean into micromanagement during difficult times. Ideally, you as a manager have made sound hiring decisions, which should allow your team to execute without heavy oversight.
Lastly, assuming that things haven’t changed. Industries change. Methodologies change. Technology changes. If you’re not staying informed and slightly paranoid of being left behind, then you’re going to be left behind. I’m reminded of the story of a frog placed in water that’s slowly brought to a boil. You would assume the frog would jump out at some point, but no, he stays in the water.
Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things a business leader should do to lead effectively during uncertain and turbulent times?
1. Communicate transparently and frequently. Clear communication is crucial for fostering a sense of security and alleviating concerns during challenging times. Ideally, your organization is composed of competent, intelligent, and highly professional individuals. Such individuals crave complete understanding of situations and can be instrumental in problem-solving. Lacking clear and regular communication, you, as a leader, risk harming both your team and your company’s capacity to navigate and prosper in uncertain circumstances.
2. Prioritize employee well-being. It’s crucial to demonstrate empathy and support your team’s mental and physical well-being, both in prosperous periods and particularly during challenging ones. The overall health of your company is directly tied to the condition of your teams. By offering the necessary support, you not only foster a better environment for them and their families but also secure a more favorable outcome for your organization.
3. Strengthen customer relationships. As a leader, fostering strong customer relationships is crucial for the well-being of your team. Typically, early signs of problems manifest through client interactions. Scenarios such as a decrease in workload or sudden, unexpected changes from a client can trigger alarm, leading to uncertainty, concern, and anxiety among team members. By prioritizing and strengthening these client relationships, you help shield your team from these disruptions and maintain a more stable and confident working environment.
4. Focus on continuous learning and improvement.The optimal strategy during uncertain times is not to succumb to fear, but to continue moving forward. Companies that survive and flourish in difficult periods are those that consistently learn from both failures and successes. They confront challenges directly and offer their teams opportunities for personal and professional development. The ability to learn and adapt is crucial for a company’s sustained survival and growth.
5. Give your team and yourself some grace. As a leader, remember that you are only human and, like everyone, imperfect. This reality extends to your team, as well. A company is essentially a collective of individuals collaborating and it’s critical to understand that there will be mistakes and perfection is not achievable. But as a leader, ultimately, the well-being of your company hinges on your self-care, as it enables you to guide and support your team effectively.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I’ve got a handful of quotes that I revisit occasionally, but there is one in particular that has stayed with me over the years. The quote is from Daniel Daly during WWI at the Battle of Belleau Wood. He is said to have yelled “Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” before standing up and charging the Germans. I like to think that I’d be able to rise to the occasion if I were in a similar situation. It’s also a great mentality to have when running a business.
How can our readers further follow your work?
Readers can learn more about Few at few.io and they can learn more about me at arlton.com.
Thank you so much for sharing these important insights. We wish you continued success and good health!
Arlton Lowry of Few On Five Things You Need To Be A Highly Effective Leader During Uncertain &… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.