On visible leadership: 5 questions with Zeon's Mike Recchio

If you invest in anything, invest in a comfortable pair of shoes.

Because, according to Mike Recchio, president and CEO for Zeon Chemicals L.P., some of the most effective leaders are visible leaders. Those who walk shop floors and office hallways, engage in conversation, learn about their employees and co-workers, and clearly communicate a vision for moving forward.

Those are just some of the lessons he's learned during his 30-year career with Zeon, the last five of which have been at the helm of the company's Louisville, Ky.-based subsidiary.

I think that one of the strengths I bring is, having been at Zeon for so many years, I have been in a lot of different roles. So, I have worked in the commercial side of the business where I have run the different product lines over the years. And when I did, I was in those plants quite a bit, working with the manufacturing side.

I actually started working in a plant as a plant chemist working at a rubber company, so I really had a good feel for what it was like to work in the factory. Then I went back to the R&D side and I really got a better understanding of the technology side—what it takes to develop a product. And when I got there I had more and more people reporting to me.

When I look at some of the strengths, I also can look back to how I was treated by different managers and leaders. Managing and leading is different. One person I worked with said you manage things, you lead people. That is one thing that has always stuck with me.

I think one of the things that I have always valued in my managers or leaders was if they would listen. I have always tried to take on a view of listening. One of the things I do—it's the old story of managing—walking around, almost on a daily basis. I walk around the facility and talk to people, just to get a feel for what is happening—what is happening in the business and what issues they are having, but also what is happening in their lives.

I think that is really important, to have that relationship with people. Trying to understand there is more to a person than just their work life, which has really helped us get through COVID, understanding that there is more than just work life. And (we are) making sure we get a good balance of that. And I get part of that from listening to people.

The other thing we have tried to do is hire the right people. When I look at people (we) have hired and people that stay it is because it is the right fit. Trying to get people that are the right fit is really important. Because we don't lose people because of their skills.

When you lose people it's because the fit is not right. Is it because we have someone in the wrong place or is it because they don't have the right fit to work within our team which really gets to be involved in trust. Our company is built on trust, whether it is with our customers or with each other.

When I look at working with my staff, we have built a very strong relationship amongst that group and I trust them. I can point them in that direction, knowing their areas of expertise and their work. I am not checking and checking and checking every day to do their jobs. …

I do believe you should inspect what you expect. So, just by me asking a question about something, other people in the company will know it is important. So you inspect—you ask the questions—about things you expect. … By asking the question, I am leading them to think about it more and making sure they are focused on the right area. … Making sure that everyone knows their job is important for the whole is an important part of leadership.

That is hard to single out a specific thing. There is a gentleman here today (at the ACS Rubber Division's Intentional Elastomer Expo) that I first met 25 years ago, and one of the things he told me was, "you should enjoy doing the business."

It has become important to me that I actually enjoy this job. I have enjoyed other jobs I have had. But how do you get to that point? You surround yourself with the people you like to work with. You surround yourself with people that you trust, and they trust you and that makes you.

To me with the way we work with teamwork at Zeon, it is important that you can trust the people you are working with so you can openly share your ideas. We have all been in meetings before where there is someone up there asking if there is any input or questions and everyone is dead silent. Why is that? Nobody trusts that what they have to say is either going to be listened to or have any impact on something else.

Having that ability to have those open discussions because you have enough trust in the other people to know you can share your opinions. How much better is that in getting to a decision? …

Whether it was the expect what you inspect advice, you need to have fun with your business or whether it was the person who told me you hire the right people and let them do their job, those were probably the three big pieces of advice that I have tried to listen to. That has shaped how I do things.

I joined Zeon when I was 29 and had two small children, a 2-year-old and 4-year-old. Since then, I have had another daughter. My children are 27, 33 and 35. They have grown up, my family has grown up within Zeon.

The people who I have come up with in Zeon, we're friends. I know their kids, their spouses. And that has been a great experience for me. I want our new employees to have the same experience. And to me, building those relationships helps build the trust we talk about, but I want them to build that within each other as they continue to work at Zeon, (I want them to) end up with that family atmosphere.

And so, we do family events at Zeon. … And I love that because you get to meet with the families, and they like to know what their (loved one) is doing. …

They are not just coworkers that you know the name of. You build relationships, and there is give-and-take. You help each other. And that is always one of the things that new employees say when they come to work with us: it's amazing that everybody wants to help. That, to me, is what I want to give to the new people that join is the same kind of experience.

I am slow to trust. It takes me awhile.

One of the things that we did when I got into this position among our executive team is we brought in an executive team coach that helped us build that trust by having us share deep issues within ourselves and our families or work issues or whatever they were. So amongst that group, we know more about each other than we ever have before.

Part of that, with me in (the CEO) role, I had to be the first one to be open. To build that trust, you have to take the first step toward opening up and being vulnerable. … Demonstrating that vulnerability also lets people know that I don't think I am always right, it is OK to ask questions. But I have to model that for it to roll throughout the organization.

A leader is someone who, when leading their troops on the field and going a certain direction, they don't have to look back to know that they have people following them. People follow them and help them because they want to, they trust them, and they know that (leader) has got their back. It is not a command-and-control type thing. …

When I think about leadership and what it looks like, leadership looks like the kind of person that people trust and believe in. That they will listen to them, that they will make good decisions and that they will listen and explain and be willing to talk about a situation, not just say, "this is the way we are going and do it because I say." …

And leadership sometimes is about making decisions. … I try to be the last person to talk. I try to get everyone's input before speaking. Because I know if I speak up first, it will set a tone in the meeting or it will set the direction we are probably going to go, and I would rather get unbiased input. … And that is hard for me because I want to talk; I have got an opinion. I will change my mind or look at something differently, but that is an important part to me, listening first.