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INNOVATE
32 •
PPB
• OCTOBER 2015
“Brian may be the CEO and founder of
our company but he never makes you
feel as if he is anything more than a fel-
low co-worker,” says nominator Greta
Dawson, account executive, “but he’s still
an influential leader and supports his
team by going out of his way to help
each employee with whatever they
need.” Haner’s nominators describe him
as approachable, caring, intelligent,
inspiring, passionate, hard working,
kindhearted, humble and hilarious.
“Brian is genuine in all things and it
shows. What you get is real,” says
MaryLee Berthon, account executive.
Another nominator, Jowed Hadeed,
marketing coordinator, says Haner
always has a great attitude. “He gives off
an energy that is motivating and posi-
tive. Even as CEO, Brian stays humble.”
Brian Haner
CEO, Image Sourc , Inc.
(UPIC: IMAGESCE)
Kirkland, Washington
Number of direct reports:
14
Cool factor:
He does everything from the garbage, dishes and coffee in
the morning, to road trips to distant clients across the state or farther. He
leads the team and is on the team.
Nominators:
MaryLee Berthon, Lori Horand, Sabrina Tan, Greta Dawson,
Jamie Butkowski, Airan Weatherman, Jowed Hadeed
What is your philosophy
for successfully managing people?
Haner:
Find that perfect balance
between creating a fun and friendly
workplace, and a fiercely competitive
workplace. It’s not an easy thing to do,
but we’ve been the most successful
when those two are in sync with each
other. We want our team to have a blast
when they are at work, and we also pro-
mote accountability and winning. We
need to be highly competitive every day
in order to bring in the right projects and
clients to drive revenue.
How do you create a
positive culture with your team and
those who report to you?
Haner:
For us, culture trumps every-
thing, so anything we can do to build
our culture is a top priority. We are big
on team activities inside and outside the
office. Our best team event each year is
our all-company weekend getaway with
everyone, including families. It’s generally
a destination resort where we can leave
the office setting to just hang out, build
personal relationships, get to know the
families and get a little crazy.
What advice can you share with other
managers to improve their people-
management skills?
Haner:
Creating autonomy with our
team is extremely important, where they
are really empowered to manage their
business, team, clients, and depart-
ments, all with our leadership and guid-
ance along with way. We also make sure
to recognize and reward our team for
success and performance. With autonomy
comes trust, and when trust is present,
the magic happens.
Brian Haner (center) is admired by his team for his ability to be an influential leader and run a suc-
cessful business while also getting to know his employees as people and having fun with them.