129: The Listening Leader | James Ryan

James Ryan is the President and CEO of Mercedes Benz Financial Services in Canada and this episode is part of our CEO series.  

James started his life as a musician, studying Comparative Literature and then moving and working in Germany as an intern for Mercedes Benz in 1995. James has had multiple roles within the organisation leading to his current role as CEO and President responsible for a $5bn portfolio. 

James and I explore how his early years as a musician (drummer) have crafted his approach to leadership which has allowed James to be very thoughtful and deliberate as regards his leadership, impact and legacy. 

As a CEO James is humble enough to realise that he can’t be expert in all that he oversees, and his style allows him to empower others whereby he can lead by asking questions and increasing his own awareness in order to be the strategic as opposed to the technical operator. James understood the real power in leading by questioning and with that, James’ style of leadership was underpinned by his ability to listen and really hear others. 

The Post pandemic environment challenged James’s leadership and questioned his own thinking and norms when it came to the issue of physical office space and flexibility for his teams. James asked his staff a series of questions and quickly understand they need to be a Purpose Driven Organisation and that the office space was not to simply facilitate work but was necessary to create collaboration, connection and camaraderie. 

As part of James’ focus on listening, he carried out a series of ‘stay’ interviews to complement what they were hearing in the ‘exit’ interviews. The results were fascinating as it helped the organisation understand what people were motivated about including, purpose, personal growth and the importance of culture which has never been so important in post pandemic environment.  

James continues to listen intently to his people which has allowed him to consider how he can measure his leadership by focusing on four key components. 

1.    Engagement: the experience that leaders create for their people. 

2.    Involvement: allowing people to own the whole not just their part

3.    Trust: a critical component especially post pandemic as people ask themselves if they trust their leader and the organisation within which they work. The higher the trust the higher the performance as a business. 

4.    Values: values drive value and must be non-negotiable and embedded in all that you do.

James also shares the two questions that he always asks himself when he considers an opportunity in his life. Can I learn something? Can I bring something unique to the table? 

Enjoy this great episode. 

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