One of the most powerful lessons I’ve learned as a leader is that solving problems rarely begins with technology or process diagrams. It begins with listening, carefully and without assumption.
Whether the “customer” is external, as in my time at BlackBerry, or internal, as at Mabel’s Labels, the turning point always came when I stopped trying to fix things from behind a desk and instead immersed myself in the reality of the people I was serving.
When BlackBerry’s Strength Wasn’t Enough
At BlackBerry, we knew we had built the perfect enterprise tool, that solved a crucial need for the customers. Technically, it was robust and reliable. But adoption was slower than expected. Meetings with customers didn’t immediately reveal the issue, because everyone agreed the BlackBerry Enterprise Server was solid.
The breakthrough came when we shifted from presenting solutions to asking questions “How are you actually using this? What slows you down? What would make your day easier?“
That shift uncovered something we hadn’t seen: the real barrier wasn’t the tool’s capability, but the way it fit into their existing workflow. We had to adapt, not by reengineering everything, but by integrating seamlessly into what customers were already doing. That willingness to listen and adjust made all the difference.
Customer confidence soared, simply because I chose to listen to them and not create what I thought they wanted.
When the Customer Was Right There in the Building
At Mabel’s Labels, the “customers” we needed to serve were sitting just down the hall: our manufacturing team.
We were facing a persistent and frustrating issue. End customers were occasionally receiving the wrong order, or incomplete orders with parts missing. Our system at the time forced manufacturing to reprint entire orders when mistakes happened, creating chaos and waste on the production floor.
We held meetings, looked at reports, and brainstormed fixes. We had some ideas, but nothing concrete until we spent a few days in the facility itself. Only by standing alongside the manufacturing team, watching the pace and pressures of their work, did we finally see what they were experiencing.
The solution wasn’t complex. We introduced barcodes for each part of an order, with the order number embedded. Scanners at every station ensured that the right parts matched the right orders. And to keep everyone aligned, we installed a large monitor displaying each order and the components still outstanding.
What looked like a small change reduced our errors dramatically — from 7% to less than 0.1%. More importantly, it gave the manufacturing team confidence and control in their work.
Servant Leadership in Action
Both of these experiences reinforced a core belief: leadership isn’t about the leader. It’s about enabling others to succeed.
Servant leadership means setting aside assumptions, asking questions without ego, and sometimes literally walking the floor to understand what’s really happening. It’s not glamorous work, but it is transformative.
The results smoother workflows, happier teams, and dramatically improved outcomes all speak for themselves.
Why This Matters
Technology will keep changing. Processes will keep evolving. But the ability to listen, adapt, and serve the real needs of customers, whether external or internal is timeless.
That’s the leadership I strive to practice: not telling people what they need, but discovering it with them.