Winning Others Over: WOOing and Wowing - William “Bill” Jones
The ability to build authentic relationships is key to success in business — and in life. But it’s not a common skill. A survey by the social media platform LinkedIn tells us that of the hiring managers it surveyed, 59 percent said that human relations skills are difficult to find, and 58 percent believed the lack of these skills among potential candidates is impacting their companies’ productivity levels.
We’re in conversation with Bill Jones, a highly effective board member and former C-suite leader in the financial services industry. Bill is known for his abiding ability to cultivate, strengthen, and deepen trusting relationships.
Bill, along with your skills in finance, you’re masterful at building relationships. Is this a natural gift, or something you’ve studied and consciously crafted over time?
I think it’s a result of both nature and nurture. Nature, in that I’ve always been fascinated by people — insatiably. What makes us who we are? What makes us different from each other? How can we best build on each other’s strengths? The answers to these questions never fail to wow me.
It’s a result, too, of nurture. My mom was a single mother of five who taught us how to treat others with kindness and respect. A quote she often shared was one from President Teddy Roosevelt: “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
In my young career as a leader, I continued to be intrigued by differences in personalities and how they shaped the team dynamic. My focus was on leveraging personality strengths and leading people differently based on their strengths.
A few tools have served to deepen my people perspective. One is the “CliftonStrengths” assessment from Gallup, which helps us to understand what makes us unique and how to build on our five greatest strengths.
From the assessment, I learned my top strength is WOO, or “Winning Others Over.” Those who discover that WOO is their best asset — we call these people “WOOs” — are rare, just 13 percent of the population.
So what is a WOO, in a word?
People often define WOOs by what they see on the surface: we’re described as warm, outgoing, and gregarious — even charming. But the real strength of WOOs is in our ability to create genuine connections with people, to really see others for the unique and wonderful beings that they are. An abiding truth is that people need to know you and like you before they can trust you. And from that trust, WOOs unleash our true superpower: the ability to persuade and influence, in service of the greater good.
How has WOO woven into your leadership style, in the C-suite and on boards?
WOO has helped me attract and retain great talent and exceptional business partners. It’s also been an essential asset in creating an open and productive board culture, where diverse opinions are valued and board members truly enjoy interacting.
A group of executives who joined my division at U.S. Bank gave me some positive feedback. They were amazed at their experience of their first meeting in our group, where they were welcomed to challenge me or to challenge the topic at hand, without fear of consequences. WOOs are adept at “reading the room” and creating an engaging environment — a safe space where others can speak freely, question anything, and be their authentic selves.
How might WOO apply to building bridges in our world at large?
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer — an annual gauge of people’s trust worldwide in business organizations, governments, and the media — our society is more polarized than ever before. In fact, ideology has become identity. Few people say they would help, live near, or work with someone who strongly disagrees with their point of view. Knowing how to win others over can heal much of our polarization.
Throughout my career, I’ve sat across the table from people with views vastly different from my own. But we didn’t see each other through the lens of those differences. Instead, we saw our essential similarities. As author Jackson Brown said, “Remember everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.” Keeping that truth in mind can go a long way in crossing the great divide.
Thank you, Bill, for sharing your WOO with us!
Independent board director and business leader Bill Jones is an inspired idea creator and positive change maker. A former public company CEO and CFO, he has been serving on multiple boards in diverse industries, from banking and health care to utility and broadcasting. Bill is known for his financial expertise, transformational approach, and distinct ability to build authentic relationships.
Connect with me on LinkedIn.
