Shawn Score "Reach Out for Advice"

Shawn Score • Best Buy Mobile President

Thanks so much for inviting me to contribute a perspective on life, sports, and business. The website is an awesome idea and has some really great advice on it.

In my 25 years of working for Best Buy, it has been clear that a set of values and leadership principles hold true. As you move up in responsibility in what you are doing, these values and principles become even more important because at some point, you're "always on stage". You never know who is watching you to see if what you say is what you really do.

As I was thinking about what to post on the website, I thought about how valuable it would have been to be thinking about these things as a younger man playing baseball, loving life and thinking about what the future might hold for me.

Here is the set of value based leadership principles that I subscribed to about 12 years ago and still teach and hold myself and the team to today.

* Everything we do is about PEOPLE. It's about YOU and ME, the employee and the customer, the manager and the part-time employee.

* TRUST....it goes both ways. Leaders have to trust their teams and vice versa. It's the foundation of any relationship. Trust cannot be something you demand, it must be earned.

* RESPECT....It's the best of both worlds if people like AND respect you. But, if it came down to choosing one or the other, I'd choose respect every time.

* HONESTY....this one is simple, tell the truth. Be honest with yourself, your employees, your teammates and your customers.

* INTEGRATED...No single person on a team can possibly have all the answers. Every person on your team has strengths to contribute. Great leaders figure out how to put people into positions where they can do their best work on behalf of the bigger mission. For a team to function properly, it must be integrated so that people understand their roles and how to contribute to the victory.

* OWNERSHIP....Thinking and acting like an owner of the company will ensure that your actions are aligned with the bigger mission. By taking ownership, everyone on the team can better serve the customers which in turn will benefit the company.

* REALITY BASED....You have to be real with where you're at as an individual, and where your team is at as well. Extra preparation when a store visit might be happening, following the rules only if someone is evaluating doesn't work. You'll teach your employees that it's only necessary when the "boss" comes to visit. If you are reality based, you'll be your toughest critic and your biggest supporter.

* TEAM 1st....If only one department in a store wins, but the store misses budget, it's not a win. Team victories are what matter here. When the team understands this, open sharing of information happens, no one withholds valuable lessons because they believe it will hurt their career. We have to share "best practices" value the partnerships we have on the team, and celebrate only the team victories.

* OPEN ENVIRONMENT....This is where the team understands that it's OK to speak up and share an opinion. Honest feedback will only make the team better. If you don't have an open environment, the water cooler discussions can and will take over. Assumptions will be made that can hurt the team and the leader. Creating an open environment isn't easy....you'll hear things that you don't like....but, the discussions will lead to much better solutions that benefit the employees, customers and the company.

* DIVERSITY.....This is all about valuing the diversity of the folks on your team. It's not always about the visible aspects of diversity though. It's the diversity of thought, experience, the community and of the leadership team. When you manage diversity through this lens, you will see more of the people on your team want to contribute and perhaps decide to make a career path decision with the company.

* PASSION....I'm sure most people have worked with, or been on a team where someone wasn't really into it...kind of going through the motions. As a leader, you must have passion about what you're doing and this passion will become contagious.

* FAMILY....There is a balance necessary in school, work and in life. Your family is a major part of all of these and you can't sacrifice your role in the family in pursuit of a career. Success in a family situation will only strengthen the work part of your life.

* FUN....Having fun while being the best is one of our core company values and it's clearly one thing that has made us so successful. Life isn't long enough to keep doing something that isn't fun!

* COMPASSION....this is all about caring for your fellow employees and teammates. You need to be able to understand and have compassion for yourself, your customers and your communities.

* The final one is INTEGRITY....it's how you live your life everyday. Simply put, it's what you do when no one is looking.

This may certainly seem like a long list to memorize. But it's not really about memorization, it's about what you are willing and able to do as a person, an employee, a teammate or a leader. Whatever it takes to build these value based principles into who you are will be well worth the time spent.

Sincerely,

Shawn Score
President, Best Buy Mobile
 

Shawn graduated from Richland High School '84, (Colfax, North Dakota) and played baseball for the Galchutt American Legion, 1980-1984.