How do you motivate a team and inspire them to reach a collective goal? Leadership. But though often discussed, what’s the key to successful leadership? Two C-suiters of Counselor Top 40 companies – Ray Titus, a decorated entrepreneur who has launched several thriving franchising companies, and Jeanelle Harris, a seasoned executive with two decades of top roles in the consumer packaged goods and promo products industries – share their views.

Distributor View

Ray Titus
Counselor Power 50 member and CEO of United Franchise Group, parent company of Fully Promoted (asi/384000)

Supplier View

Jeanelle Harris
President & CEO, Outdoor Cap (asi/75420)

Q: How do you define leadership?

RT: Leadership is the cornerstone of being an effective boss – whether you’re leading other people or managing a team of one (yourself). Whatever you ask of those you lead, you have to be willing to do the same. You can’t just stand on the sidelines giving orders; you must get into the arena with the rest of the team. If that sounds more like being a coach than a boss, it is.

JH: Leadership is more than a title; it’s about influence, guidance and the ability to inspire others toward a common goal. Appointed leadership may provide structure and guidance, while leadership by influence taps into trust, respect and vision, creating a powerful dynamic where everyone is empowered to contribute.

Q: What’s the top quality you look for in a leader?

RT: Confidence. Nobody follows an unsure leader. Confidence is necessary in taking risks and accomplishing goals, and it trickles down to your team. If you’re a confident leader, your team will feel comfortable, empowered and have a more positive mindset, which in turn will make them more adaptable and resilient when they need to be.

JH: Leaders must embody essential qualities like integrity, competence, adaptability, and ability to build relationships and influence others. Yet, in my years of leadership, I have found that humility is a quality that sets exceptional leaders apart. A confident, competent leader who recognizes they don’t have all the answers, values the contributions of others and is open to growth is a leader I would follow regardless of title – and one I aspire to be myself.

Q: What’s one tactic you’ve taken to improve your leadership?

RT: Lifelong learning and embracing change. I’m a student of life, and I’m always looking to improve myself not just as a leader but as a person. The world keeps changing faster and faster, so I read 30-40 books a year to keep up and write at least one of my own. I believe it is equally as important to share knowledge and wisdom as it is acquiring it and staying relevant.

JH: One tactic I have embraced is a commitment to continuous learning and self-improvement. Throughout the years, I’ve made my share of mistakes – some I would like to undo or approach differently. To grow from those experiences, I have sought counsel, read and listened to experts, conducted 360-degree reviews and relied heavily on my established peer group for outside perspectives.

Q: In a company, what undermines leaders?

RT: Negativity is the gateway to a host of other challenges that can undermine leaders because it can spread like a weed to your team and compromise everything. It can significantly tarnish morale, disrupt creativity, tank productivity, break trust – the list goes on. Having a negative mindset can also cloud your judgement and leaves a margin for poor decision-making and missed opportunities for growth.

JH: Alignment to mission, vision and values is essential to an organization and acts as an accelerator for progress. Misalignment, on the other hand, can undermine individual leaders and destabilize the company’s momentum.

Q: Where do training and mentorship fit in?

RT: If you really care about something, you want it to last long after you’re gone. The mentor learns as much as the mentee. I love it when the next generation does it better. A solid mentoring program can be the backbone of any company if it is done right. It should be a give-and-take relationship centered around knowledge, not status, with honest feedback that goes both ways. And as I’ve found, it has rewards for both sides.

JH: Too often, individual high performers are promoted into leadership roles without the right training on how to lead, manage and supervise effectively. In fact, that’s exactly how I began my leadership career. Because of that experience, I believe in providing training to equip leaders preemptively, creating space for peer-to-peer learning, and encouraging leaders to explore the value of seeking guidance and perspective from others both inside and outside of work.