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After working in the staffing
and consulting industry
for six years, Michael
Lovern founded distributor
Brandito in 2009. His
employees credit himwith
creating a thriving business
that attracts high-quality
talent, and they consistently
praise his leadership, values
and interest in themas
people first. “Michael is
an awesome leader,” says
nominator Krissy Keener,
director of operations.
“He always considers what
is best for his employees
beforemaking a decision.
Not only is he an advocate
for achieving professional
goals but he also challenges
us to think about our
personal goals too. He
values a healthy balance
between work and home life
and that is very important.”
Her colleague,
account executive Margaret Worten, says Lovern
made her feel valuable again by hiring her and giving
her the most responsibility and freedom she had ever
experienced. “Mike’s confidence in me continues to
play a critical role in my growth. He is able to pinpoint
fundamentals that I can improve upon without
ever making me feel inadequate. Mike works hard
and plays hard and allows us to do the same.”
Most important lesson
learned as a boss:
You
have to be patient and
transparency is always the
best policy.
Philosophy for successfully
managing people:
You
have to stay true to your
core principles, but realize
that each person has to be
managed in their own way.
Everyone has their own
personality and will respond
to positive and negative
feedback differently. If you
use a blanket approach, you
will never be able to make a
positive impact and motivate
everyone. As a manager, your
goal can’t be to always make
everyone happy but you
can strive to develop people
professionally so they feel
challenged and successful in
their roles. That will naturally
create a solid culture.
To create a positive team
culture:
A positive culture
is built with a combination
of all the things I previously
mentioned. It shouldn’t only
be about managing people
but also about challenging
everyone to be their best
professionally. I encourage my
employees to learn from each
other, from me and from the
people they respect outside
of the organization. I like to
set clear expectations with
each of them but encourage
them to make their own
decisions. When employees
are effectively managed and
challenged, when they work
well together, and understand
your core principles, then
you will have a positive and
contagious culture.
Best advice for other people
managers:
Be transparent, set
expectations, challenge them,
develop them and listen.
Best boss ever:
I have had a
number of great bosses and
mentors in my career. I have
always believed in learning
from others and there are a
number of people whom I
can credit with my success.
Some helped me early in my
career and some continue to
be mentors today. I believe
that the most successful
people in the world are willing
to listen and adapt based on
what they learn from other
successful people.
Michael Lovern
CEO
BRANDITO, LLC, HENRICO, VIRGINIA
NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS: 6
NOMINATED BY:
Nick Raible, Alex Palmer, Krissy
Keener, Margaret Worten, Kevin Mullaney
ONE-ON-ONE WITH MICHAEL LOVERN
Alex Palmer, Victoria Kellam, Nick Raible and Kevin Mullaney celebrate their boss,
Michael Lovern (far right).
When
employees
are effectively
managed and
challenged,
when they
work well
together, and
understand
your core
principles,
then you
will have a
positive and
contagious
culture.
2016
MICHAEL’S COOL FACTOR
“Mike has a phenomenal way of building culture,” says
nominator Nick Raible, an account executive. “Mike wants
to celebrate the work that goes into each project, win or
lose. We all support each other inside and outside the four
walls of Brandito—it’s a special place. That type of culture
absolutely starts at the top.”
56
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OCTOBER 2016
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FEATURE
|
Best Bosses