Secret Sauce: Mike Bowker Chief Operating Officer of Cable One
Welcome to “Secret Sauce Sunday.” I invite leaders who I admire to share real world leadership principles they have learned on their journey.
The insights that follow are born in Mike Bowker’s experience. Mike is Chief Operating Officer of Cable One.
We know there’s no magic formula. But for Mike, the following ideas are contributing to the leader he is becoming.
*Secret Sauce posts are exempt from my 300 word limit.
The principles of leadership that I strive to emulate include:
#1. Show up to serve.
I believe that showing up to serve is the prerequisite mindset that all effective leaders have. The role of the leader is not to be served, but to serve. Serve by:
- Listening.
- Guiding.
- Coaching.
- Mentoring.
- Curiosity. Ask people what they think. What’s working. What isn’t working? Ask what they would do?
#2. Do the right work.
One of the most valuable – and liberating – leadership lessons I have learned is to stop trying to do it all. In my first leadership roles, I thought it was my job to be involved in and know everything that was going on.
I was slowing people down and creating long unproductive hours for myself. I was actually hindering performance and burning myself out.
Only do the work that only you can do. Delegate the rest.
As leaders it is our responsibility to help others develop and grow. Once I adopted the philosophy that I should only do the work that only I can do and to delegate the rest, things changed. People knew that I trusted them to take on more. Their engagement grew.
Extend trust. Allow others to expand and grow. They will respond.
Delegation is trust.
Delegation is growth.
#3. Care about people.
You cannot lead if you do not care about people.
No one follows a leader if they think that person doesn’t care about them. You can’t fake this. You either care about people or you don’t.
Caring about people demonstrates that you understand leadership is a privilege, not an obligation.
#4. Connect with people.
- Go to people.
- Walk around.
- Smile.
- Ask people how they are and listen to the answer.
If you know the people you work with, really know their motivations and aspirations, which you can only learn by asking, a connection will grow. With a connection, people will find purpose in what they do.
Connected people engage and feel that what they do matters. When you achieve that, positive results follow.
#5. Reward initiative. Celebrate it.
When you have people that demonstrate initiative with the intention to make things better, celebrate them, which will ultimately replicate them.
Celebration produces replication.
Which leadership principle do you find most relevant to your current leadership challenges?
How might you put one of these leadership principles into practice?
Mike’s book recommendation: John Wooden’s, Wooden on Leadership. His wisdom and work ethic that come through the pages are worth reading more than once.
Meet Mike: 
I have been leading teams for the past 19 years at Cable One. My roles have included various sales management positions and multiple executive leadership roles. Most recently in May of 2017 I became Chief Operating Officer. My wife Kelly and I have been married for 29 years and counting! We have two wonderful sons, Drew age 27 and Kam age 24. My greatest joy is spending time at our cabin enjoying the Arizona outdoors.
Very nice piece Mike and Dan. Agree on all points.
Thanks Jim. It was a pleasure working with Mike to develop this post.
Both of YOU–Mike and Dan–are the Secret Sauce. Happy people make people happy. Yes, I realize that your suggestions or “formula” for the secret sauce is important. At the same time it’s the “essence” of who YOU guys are that makes the leader and thus leadership successful. It’s sort-of like saying we forgive people NOT because of who THEY are, but because of who WE are. There’s goodness and happiness inherent in leaders and managers even before they assume positions of authority and responsibility–even before they become successful and before you learned and wrote this secret sauce piece. You have high consideration for others: You care “about them,” you also care “for them,” and you “are careful with” them. Thank you.
Thanks Rick. You’re hitting on something that’s really important for this post and any that follow. The come from the heart.
I suppose “authentic” is overused, but the idea is powerful and valid.
Thanks for your encouraging words.
Dear Dan,
If you can not care, you can not lead. This is core of leadership. I appreciate the suggestions about being effective leaders. Walking around, interactions, smiles are good indicators of leadership. I find interactions and go to people are more relevant in my organisation. They are challenges as well who do not believe in this approach.
To bring into practice, first one need to start self. Secondly, when people are much aware, its importance and relevance need to be propagated.Most of the practices in the organisations, disseminate from the top.Employees copy and follow the practices of leaders. Leaders need to lead by action.
Thanks Dr. Gupta. You remind me that if we look around and don’t like what we see, we should look in the mirror.
You also bring up a challenge. When organizational culture doesn’t support management by wandering around, it’s might be viewed negatively. Once again, it’s about people at the top.
Dan, Fabulous post, if we “take care of the workers, they take care of the customers” Richard Branson cliche has stuck with me as of late.! Beyond that the Marines ” Be all you can be” hits home everyday, just gets me going. “Early to bed Early to rise”, geting the proper rest so critical, learning to take power naps helps too.
Thanks Tim. What I love about, “Take care of the workers, they take care of the customers,” is that it’s outward focused. It lifts us above the idea that I will take care of you, you take of me.
Exactly, takes us to another level!
Outstanding post. Well said Mike. As always Dan, excellent share. Thank you.
My favorite statement:
Caring about people demonstrates that you understand leadership is a privilege, not an obligation.
Dear Dan,
A thought- provoking post pointing the importance of people management.
In today’s competitive world, there would be lot of similarities in business with products/services that is offered, use of technology and marketing promotion tactics used to win the confidence of consumers. However, the basic differentiation comes with people behind the final offerings and their level of effective delivery. It also speaks of their basic skills, training and development within with opportunities to excel at work.
It reflects the work culture at any organization coupled with a strategic role of HR in running business successfully. People at the top have their own influence in this critical area.