S1E7: Rob Dube | Honest, Open, and Authentic Leadership

Good leadership takes time and requires humility. Rob Dube, president and co-founder of imageOne print management, discusses how EOS has helped him become an authentic leader and pivot during the pandemic. Rob stresses the unhelpfulness of command-and-control leadership and advocates for transparency and openness instead.

Rob and ImageOne’s co-founder Joel Pearlman have been entrepreneurs since they were in ninth grade, selling lollipops out of their lockers. Years later they started a business, but they were having trouble growing their company. They needed a system.

That’s when Rob met EOS Worldwide founder Gino Wickman. Gino taught him that the most important step to achieving a company goal is staying focused. Since then, Rob’s company has taken off.

Leading Slowly Wins The Race

Before implementing EOS, Rob says his leadership approach defaulted to “command-and-control” style and he often communicated passive-aggressively. 

However, over the years he has seen the value of leaving that style behind by letting his guard down and leading with humility and emotional vulnerability. Rob has found that it’s much more productive to focus on fortifying people’s strengths than ordering them around. He says leaders should honestly assess whether they’re doing a good job or not.

[10:00] “If you’re able to feel into your actions, there’s something that your gut and your heart can tell you [about your leadership] if you’re paying attention.”

When a leader is leading well, Rob says you’ll know it by what it feels like — and it feels slow. When you lead collaboratively and engage your team in problem-solving, it will take your business further than you dreamt, even if it feels slow.

Pivoting In Times Of Crisis

Rob says since the beginning of the pandemic he has experienced a 40% drop in revenue. However, he has managed to stay resilient because of the practices EOS has instilled within his company. EOS has taught him how to pivot and take up the challenge of pursuing different angles or markets. It’s much easier to adapt if your whole team is on the same page. 

Rob emphasizes that the ability to IDS (identify, discuss and solve) that his team gained from EOS has made pivoting possible. Rob knows that whenever he has doubts — from where to cut spending to how to keep employees on the payroll — he can go to his team for help. Together they build solutions.

When you have a strong foundation, you can get through difficult times. Rob says a strong foundation is not just about having a solid business operating system in place. It also means maintaining a balanced life with meditation, spending time with friends and family, and being truly present to others by listening well. 

With honest, open, and authentic leadership, even the hardships of a pandemic can be faced and overcome.

Learn More:

• imageOne’s website
• donothing™ Leadership Retreat

Also Mentioned In This Episode:

• Focus by Al Ries
• Small Giants by Bo Burlingham