The Business & Pleasure of Flowers

AIFD Leadership: Interview with Jody McLeod AIFD, PFCI + Mayor of Clayton, NC

• Episode 28

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Episode 028: AIFD month continues with Vonda interviewing Jody McLeod AIFD, PFCI about leadership. Jody presented a main stage program at AIFD Symposium "Discover" in Washington DC (2018), titled, Discovering the Art of Leadership. Jody defines the 4 leadership types and discusses the important part each plays in a flower shop organization. The video is available as well, on Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/aifd2018discover/

More on this interview at: https://www.thebusinessandpleasureofflowers.com/

Sponsored by:
Flower Clique
Flower Clique Prep School
Real Life Retail Florist

Jody

One of the most valuable experiences I've been afforded was one particular leadership class that taught about the four leadership styles.

Vonda

Welcome to the business and pleasure of flowers. We're your hosts, Vonda LaFever.

Lori

and Lori Wilson . And we believe that business and fun are a perfect combination, kind of like us Vonda .

Vonda

Thanks so much for joining us today. This month, we're featuring AIFD the American Institute of floral designers, as we mentioned last week. And we kick that off with an interview with the current AIFD president, Mr. Jackie Lacey. Now we know that AFDI members are leaders in our floral world. And this week we have a leader Mr. Jody McCloud , who presented a main stage program at AIFD symposium in 2018 in Washington, DC. Jody is a member of AIFD and also the professional floral communicators international. He's an education specialist for Teleflora and a member of the syndicate sales design team. He's a really energetic speaker and mayor of his hometown Clayton, North Carolina, since 2004. Hey, Jody, it's so good to have you here with us on the business and pleasure of flowers. We're happy you're here.

Jody

Thank you so much. I'm so excited to be here

Vonda

In 2018, you presented a main stage program, which was discover was the name of the symposium. You were discovering the art of leadership. And at the beginning of your presentation, you said leadership doesn't begin on a stage with a spotlight, but it begins in the back as a worker bee. I thought that was so awesome. What a great way to start the presentation?

Jody

Well, you know, you need to deliver a message in a presentation, and that was letting everybody know that leadership starts. Every time you volunteer somewhere, every time you offered support, every time you stayed after a program to help clean up and get things ready for the next day, like all of those experiences are what builds your character and your leadership style. It's one of those things that gets you to where you're going, but nobody ever really started out as a leader in a spotlight. So that's what I thought, you know what really this isn't about Jody McCloud , stepping out on a stage and a spotlight. This is about people being able to relate to, Hey, I'm volunteering and what I got out of volunteering and helping and how they supported me through my journey. So that's one of the reasons I wanted to start it out that way.

Vonda

Yeah. And I think that connected with the audience, for sure, because everybody's like, there's hope for me. I can do this maybe someday. You know, I just gotta keep plugging forward. Keep putting in the time in the backroom as a worker bee.

Jody

Exactly.

Vonda

You also mentioned that you use the principles and elements of design to design your community. That was amazing.

Jody

Well, you know, as designers, we're constantly learning more and more about the principle and the elements of design and 15 or 20 years ago as a newbie, kind of in the industry. Every time there would be a class about principle and elements, I'd be like, I've already done that. And the next go around , somebody else will be doing something with principle and elements . So I'm like, why are they so stuck on principle and elements? Well, the reason is because there's so much about each one, you know, that affords us to be a profitable florist or affords us to be a phenomenal designer. Those principles and elements are what we use to create floral design. What you can take the same principle and elements, and you can use them to create anything. For me, I used them to create community, especially like when I think in the way of like our downtown, trying to create an alive downtown, you know, so now we make sure that the planners have one reputation of continuous color, you know, instead of everybody having something different outside their door, repetition of color, for example, in the fall with fall mums, you know, everybody gets giant farm moms and put some by their door . It's just very welcoming and it creates a beautiful visual down downtown, you know, but also in creating balance, like when we create a new building, a park and recreation or whatever, you know, we think of our heritage as historic place, but we also think futuristic. So trying to use a little bit of both when we create a building using some balance in what we're creating. So yeah, the same holds true in your life. In my life. I can use the principle of elements to create what my vision and my goal is and to help move that forward. You know, so for me as a leader, I just kept , it kept dawning on me. There are so many similarities between floral design and leadership because these principles and elements are like the connecting dots, because those are the guidelines that we use to do what we do in floral design or to do what we do in leadership.

Vonda

Yeah. It's so true. When you talked about line, it's the vital visual path to guide us from one place to another, right. Bringing your eye. And that just is incredible.

Jody

Well, I think the key word there is vital and why is it vital? And what does vital mean? You know, if you go to the ER, they're going to be like, we got to check her vitals or her blood pressure is good. Her heart is pumping. You know, she's breathing the vitals, well in line and floral design. It's the vital visual path. Because if you don't have it, you can't go anywhere. Right. So that's why line is vital in our floral design. You can't have a great floral zone without line. And it occurred to me that that holds true for us in professional or in business or in leadership or in any aspect, you know, if you're going to create a vision and you want to know how to get there, you got to know where you're beginning, just like line and where it's going to end, where you're trying to get it to go. And what are the goals that you reach to get to that point? What are the elements that you add to the line that get you to that point?

Vonda

What is the rhythm that gets you there?

Jody

What is the rhythm totally, that gets you there, you know, continuous motion of moving forward. Absolutely.

Vonda

Yeah. Wow.

Jody

That's cool.

Vonda

So let's go through those four leadership styles that you mentioned in your amazing program. It was just the way that you married the leadership style with the designs you were doing. Let's just go through those.

Jody

We can and let me tell ya as a preface that when people read, he's doing a program and it's called discovering the art of leadership, I had questions like, are you using flowers?

Vonda

I'm sure

Jody

It's the AIFD symposium, of course, I'm like , well, how are we going to learn about leadership through the use of flowers? I just don't get it. So I think that one of the success elements was the fact that everybody was like, what is this? And I thought, man, I didn't really anticipate it to be received that way. But how awesome that, you know , you've created something that people are like, this doesn't make sense. And I want to know,

Vonda

So the element of surprise was there at the very beginning, the question, and then the surprise, both because here are flowers and it's leadership.

Jody

Yes. And you know, you want to engage your audience. That's our role, that's our job engagement to hook them and keep them hooked.

Vonda

And let me just stop a minute and say, you should buy this from the AIFD website, aifd .org . You can go on and you can look at his program because you have to see the interview with Jody and his mama that is priceless. Just that ad you did. And the way you talk about mama , you could be a standup comedian. I swear. It was so good. I just went back and watched it two or three times. Cause I'm like, it's endearing and it just it's priceless.

Jody

Well, thank you, mama mayor is doing really well. And she's still thinking she's large and in charge

Vonda

That's, that's important. You've got to keep her there. Okay. Sorry. Didn't mean to derail us on our force leadership styles here.

Jody

There you go. So one of the most valuable experiences I've been afforded was one particular leadership class that spoke about the four leadership styles. And one thing that's important about this is because I think the team and we assembled a team, be it, the people in our shop, be it somebody w e're working on a wedding, o ur team with, or p arting team with or whatever. It's good to know the different types of leaders that you're working with. And when we have a better understanding of one, what type of leader am I? And t wo, what type of leader a re they? Then we have some awareness on ways that strengthen our team and what we can do, how we communicate, how we act when we have an understanding of those four leadership styles. And the very first leadership style is really what I coined as the controlling leadership style. And for symposium, this was a beautiful panel, a monochromatic red p alette. U h, it was a really strong p allet. It was very filled with tension bonding techniques. The p rincipal was really d ominant in this from the floral design perspective, but the messaging that goes with t he controlling leadership style is just that, y ou k now, the controlling leadership style is very controlled. They are strong and appearance creating tension and a strong force. The controlling leadership style is described as a decisive i n planning and strategy and execution. You know, these leaders they're charismatic and they step into a leadership role really quick. They often offer a lot of certainty. Now, I think that's important to stop with certainty because when we speak in certainty t han we know, and people are attracted to leaders who speak certain, leaders who speak with a well, I don't know, and I'm not sure. And you know that doesn't f orward your team to get you to where you're going. So these leaders are very certain in what they do and in the actions that they take, you know, controlling leadership is either really happy or they're really mad. They're rarely even keeled people. U h, this leader is often not detailed oriented and prefers to delegate. They are not a worker b ee. U m, they are clearly not the doers. You know, they set their own schedules. T hey're very driven to be successful. Oftentimes they assume that other people know what they know. So there can be some challenges in communication when you're dealing with that controlling style, u h, leadership, they prefer to communication style i s direct. And to the point they don't have time for all this preface and d etailed. I think one of the ways to adapt with these people is that you have to sometimes use what I call the proverbial t wo b y f our and knock them on the head t o get their full a nd immediate attention. I'm not kidding, you know, and that means, Hey, stop and listen to me. Speaking with certainty that will get their attention in a skinny minute. But the cool thing about the controlling leadership style is oftentimes these people are o ur team captains. T hey a re very strong leader and getting the goal done and getting the process complete. They don't always lead with their heart. So they're not maybe as compassionate or empathetic or sympathetic. They're very, pretty much c ut a nd dry

Vonda

So being a control person Isn't a bad thing. Being a controlling leadership style is not bad. It's , it's a good thing. And it's where we mostly see our leadership.

Jody

Yes, I think so too most definitely. But it doesn't mean that they, they only want to have their way. It means they want to do collectively what needs to be done and pretty much, they're going to be on point with what they're doing and how to rally the team to get to that point without just saying, dammit , we're going to this point, you know, but with that momentum, you know, they're a very strong driving force.

Vonda

That makes sense. They're very clear and defined.

Jody

Exactly. So that's our controlling leadership style. The next panel was the analytical leadership style.

Vonda

And this is your favorite, right?

Jody

This is really my favorite analytical style leadership, you know, analytical leadership. They were commonly labeled as the thinkers. Usually they're kind of reserved and they're a quiet leader. Um, they love getting to the bottom of things because of their strong sense of curiosity. Analytical people want to know like everything they want to know. Like they think of stuff that we don't ever even think of. It's amazing. These leaders are, I think they're like detailed oriented and they practice like perfect placement and design. You know, everything is very, just step one, step two, step three. They thrive on the details and they thrive on like eccentric color palettes . And they go crazy when it comes to texture. And you know, this is the leader that wants to know everything and they're hyper-focused , and they're distinct . And they pull apart all the pros and the cons of every goal, every mission. And they always have a plan and they're so smart. They always have three or four plans and spreadsheets and the list goes on, you know, thank God for them because we all need somebody who is really good at thinking, you know, perhaps that's not my strongest suit, you know, I'll look at them and think, Oh my God, do they ever stop thinking? And then I know they look across the table and go, Oh my God, does he ever think.

Vonda

That's what we call imbalance. Here we go.

Jody

That's it. You know, one of the challenges for this leadership style though, is not getting too bogged down into the details because this slows down the momentum and it also decreases being able to move forward, you know, getting the goal or the mission accomplished. So I think we call that being down in the weeds and everybody knows that terminology. But if you think of it in floral design, if you create something with a whole bunch of bear grass , and then you try to put a Rose down in the center of it, you're never going to see the Rose . It's never going to see it's big as possibility. And the Rose can't see anything. It's just like down in the weeds. So we need to make sure that, you know , while we are paying attention to the detail, we don't want to get so bogged down that we get that analysis paralysis. Now I love that for analytical people. I love to see them struggle with that is so good to me. I know that's terrible to say, but I love it when they get so paralyzed by thought process. And I just kind of sit back and chuckle inside the analytical leadership style. They have a great gift in being creative and being resourceful. Like they know where to go. They know what to Google, they know how to get it. The analytical leadership style. Basically these leaders are learners and they want to know more. They want to be more, they want to dream more while encouraging other people. You know, they bring multiple perspectives to a team, you know, and of course, obviously I think it goes without saying their preferred communication is everything go detail that you can give them, which is great. And you know, but you've lost me after like the fifth detail I'm done. So we're glad we have those people who pay attention to the detail and no matter how long it takes, they cross every T and dot every I, which I find amazing.

Vonda

Right. Right.

Jody

You know , it's awesome. So on the leadership team, these people are often our coaches, have you thought about this? Have you looked into that? You know, we thought about this, we looked into that. Here's what we found. You know, it's constantly sharing of information because they're so f.

Vonda

ull of information because they gather all the information and they love to share that with others after they found it and make sure that you are aware of those things as well and help you get to where you need to go.

Jody

Yes, I think so. But remember sharing that information like with the controlling leadership style, they're going to want you to be right straight up and forward. And to the point with what it is, they're not going to be interested in a bunch of the detailed fin points. The study shows ABC. Thank you.

Vonda

Gotcha. That makes sense.

Jody

So learning how to communicate with different types is going to be hugely important both now and definitely in the future. So that takes care of our analytical style leadership. And the next one is the promoter leadership style, which is so perfectly, you know, descriptive of really who I am. It's my home leadership style is where I'm most comfortable. It's where I'm really me. But I think it's important to emphasize that while we're talking about these four leadership styles, it's about for us as individuals, to be able to access all of these when we need to, we need to be controlling when we need to, we need to be analytical and detail oriented in our information and our correspondence when we need to, but we also need to be promotor. And the promotory people are the fun people. They're the high energy people. You know, they are loud, they are colorful. They are not shy. They are definitely extroverts. They're out there. They love people. If you put them in a room with a book, they're going to go crazy. Cause it's too quiet.

Vonda

That is you

Jody

The gift that they bring to the team is the gift of energy. So, you know, everybody may not come in as a and energized , but they're always those people who have nothing, but, you know, constant flow of creative and fun, engaging energy, their enthusiasm, you have to admit it's contagious because they have fun and everything they do. You know, some people prefer people to be serious when they're working, but you know, we can have fun and be getting our goals accomplished. So just the coach someone's over there being quiet doesn't mean that these people over here that are cutting up, having fun, still, aren't getting some amazing results and making it happen.

Vonda

That's right .

Jody

Everybody seeks this type of leadership style to have on their team because you need that energy. You know, it's something that you count on when you get to the group collectively is being able to feed off that energy and create your own and add it to the whole network of energy that's going on. Uh , obviously this leader is a little bit outgoing and has a passion for people like really, they enjoy being the center of attention. If you want to know the truth, that's why promoters don't really care for other promoter leadership style because obviously there's only room for one in the spotlight. So step left.

Vonda

But the promoter also that energy that they provide to this whole group really helps the controller be more energetic. The analytical person be a little more energetic. So you're not just the one providing the energy. You're providing energy for everyone in the whole group.

Jody

I think that's exactly it. Yes, it's true . This group really thinks quickly and act quickly, which is good for momentum and moving things forward. But maybe you better think before you jump a little more frequently and give some thought to the detail or what the outcomes would be for jumping that you didn't think about before you just decided to jump in. So that's, you know, one of the things that this leadership style gets to work on is maybe not taking action too quickly, maybe slowing down the thought process, pace, and really getting a holistic view before making a choice.

Vonda

makes sense.

Jody

Their communication style is quick. And to the point, just to get to the bottom line, that's really all they want. They don't think like analytical people, but do you know that promotory leadership styles or more attractive to analytical leadership styles? So here's a group of people that don't think too much that love being around people who love to think a lot. And then here's a group of people that love to think a lot that love being down here with people that really don't think that much.

Vonda

I think the analytical people feel they're a lot smarter that way.

Jody

Yeah, exactly. But you know, it goes back to that whole , uh , harmony and unity and balance and all of that, you know, you can look at those principles and elements used in relationships.

Vonda

Absolutely. What did you do for your designs and the promoter? The energy?

Jody

So the promoter one was really a , um , it was a picture frame obviously because they love being the center of attention. So the outside of the frame, just poping with tons of beautiful color and basic technique. And then in the center are really striking focal point with ginger and birds of paradise and anthuriums. Really strong stop. Look at me , you know, I'm not red, I'm not green. I am all this and a box in a picture frame, you know , screaming, screaming. And that's what this is . They're just crazy people out there who are wanting to do good and be a part of a team and have fun, making a difference for people.

Vonda

And you attract people. I mean, that's the thing. People want to be around the promoter. They want to be around. And they want to be a part of that because of the energy that that promoter provides, which is pretty cool.

Jody

Exactly. So to all my promoter for leadership styles out there, just keep drinking the coffee. Okay. Now the Koolaid, but the coffee, okay. That Koolaid will make you think too much. So the last leadership style that I want to touch on is probably one of my most favorite. And it's the, the supporting leadership style. And, you know, this panel was really a beautiful monochromatic, yellow, delicate, soft, fabulous design intro design , just full of delicate Dendrobium orchids. And you know, just wonderful, you know, this supporting leadership style. These people are just wonderful because these are the people who bring cookies to work or cupcakes or half the pot that was left over from Sunday dinner or whatever. These are the people that are always doing super nice, thoughtful things. They are so thoughtful all the time and being thoughtful is natural for them. And I love that because obviously I'm not always as thoughtful as I need to , you know, but these people are constantly, constantly thoughtful on our team, these people are going to be our biggest fans. They're going to be the ones who want to watch us be successful. They're the ones who are rooting us on. They're just overwhelmingly loyal, you know, and I think that is one beautiful quality and trait to have as a human being. And as a professional is that you are loyal, you know, and this group is so loyal and they lead from the heart. They're so quick to like acknowledge other people for their contributions. They love being at something that matters to them from the heart. You know, they're very nurturing. Their leadership style is described as like being helpful and attentive and just wonderful, sweet enduring people. You know, they're very gentle. They're meek. They probably are more intimidated by the controlling leadership style that anybody, because now we're talking about two opposites, I've talked about the promoter and the analytical here. We have people who are nothing but love working against people who often just constantly think with their mind and never with their hearts . Now these two relationships can build old with the principle and elements of design with balance and harmony and unity. You know, they're just a very, very special group that always needs to be a part of what we do.

Vonda

So the supporting person helps to bring confidence to the team. I would think because they're always there going, Oh my gosh, Joe , you are doing this. Just, this is great. This is what you should be doing. And because it's sincere feedback as well. And they want to say the right things. They want to be there for you, but it seems like they would be giving the rest of the team confidence in moving forward.

Jody

Yes. And because it's driven from love and passion, the delivery of what they speak to you, it's different than being a cheerleader because it's so sincere.

Vonda

Gotcha.

Jody

It's not a lot of sincerity in cheerleading. Now you can't show me a professional cheerleader that's sincere. They're just getting out the message rah rah rah, right ? But these people are taking the time to communicate you and nurture and fluff your aura and all that good stuff. But the downside for the supporting leadership style is simply this. They are the first ones to neglect themselves by putting other people before themselves. Also with this group, entangled in my interpreted design was a lot of briars that's because with this supporting style leadership group, if you impact someone that they love and care for and admire, they will come after you. It's like you don't mess with the mama bird's babies because she will come and get you. She can go from zero to 90 on you in a heartbeat. How awesome is that?

Vonda

Yeah, absolutely .

Jody

How awesome is that?

Vonda

So that was the thorns. That was that part in there that was like, be careful, don't mess with it .

Jody

Yes and that was the part in there where we took the phalaenopsis orchid and we pierced it through that thorn of the Briar , you know, taking something so delicate and just slamming it through there. That's how it was supporting leadership style will do. If somebody is messing with somebody that they love and care for, or an entity that they support or whatever, be careful of this group, they're loving and wonderful, but they got a big knife.

Vonda

So be careful

Jody

Be careful. So I just think, I want to sum up by saying, you know, all this is good to know that you have all this type of diversity on your team. It's great to know how they like to receive information. You kind of get an idea of what you can expect from them. And it just gives better balance to your whole team and creating and getting to the overall goal on what you're trying to do. That's really what leadership is about leadership is about showing people here's a way when people think there's no, way.

Vonda

Did you go through some leadership testing for your whole group? I mean, or was the self identified?

Jody

The whole group got tested in everything that I've done. Um, and then, you know, obviously you get thrown into a pile of people that you got tested in the same way with, you know, which goes to like a quick introvert extrovert. Obviously I'm extrovert a 30 , but to have a 30 introvert stand across me and look at her and she is quiet and calm she's intelligent, she's articulate. And then I am a loud mouth just the complete opposite. And she loves the energy and the vibe and wants to be like that. And I want to be more like that, you know , it's just, it's amazing. It's just amazing,

Vonda

Great exercises. Yeah. Yeah. And you also said leadership doesn't end. It never goes away.

Jody

It really doesn't. You know, it doesn't matter if you're a leader in your shop or in your community or in our industry. It never goes away. The first rule of leadership is if it's meant to be it's up to me, can't wait for somebody else to get out there and make the difference and rally the troops and get things going we have to start from within, you know ?

Vonda

Yeah. And then your very last quote, the John Quincy Adams quote your end quote from John Quincy Adams, if your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more and do more, become more than you're a leader.

Jody

Oh yeah. Pretty powerful.

Vonda

We don't think of that because we could just be inspiring people just to learn more in our flower shops, we could be teaching them to make a design or to answer the phone correctly. Just little things like that, which we don't think we're leaders, we're just helping someone get to another point where they should be going inspiring them on their way. But we don't really think sometimes we're a leader,

Jody

Right. But we're always the leader. Everybody is a leader in everything they do.

Vonda

love it. Well, Jodie , this has been awesome. I appreciate the time. This is great, fun and knowledge. People need to now be able to identify what kind of leader they are and the rest of them and the rest of their teammates . Right?

Jody

Exactly.

Vonda

So then to wrap it up, the one last thing at the end of our podcast, since Lori's not here, what is giving you life right now?

Jody

I think what's given me life right now. And what seems to be such a depressing time that we live in is knowing this is an opportunity to do more, to be more, to dream more, to see things differently. It's a great jumping off point. And for me, that's it. How do we continue to do what we do in the floral industry and keep everybody informed and educated and engaged and how do we do the same thing in our homes? Or how do we do the same thing in our communities? You know, and there's so many opportunities out there, you know, and maybe pre COVID. We weren't thinking so much in those terms, but now that we've had some downtime, we'll have an opportunity to reflect, you know, instead of our, the Buisiness of what we were experiencing before all this I'm noticing people really changing alignment on how they think of what priorities are. And I think it's a beautiful thing. And I think it's the time for us to do that with our industry, you know, without question. And it's the time to do that really everywhere.

Vonda

Yeah, absolutely. And the next year AIFD symposium is going to be crazy because everybody will want to go cause we missed this year. It'll be, yeah ,

Jody

I'm excited next year. Okay. Just as a little hint for your viewers, hello, the program is called perspective 2020. And in this program, we are going to discuss what perspective is, what forms, our perspective, what creates your perspective. And then we're going to break it down into four areas of perspective . So I don't want y'all to miss that it's coming people.

Vonda

You've done a lot of planning and preparation for it that was supposed to happen this year and they're moving it to next year, right?

Jody

Yes.

Vonda

Okay. So are you going to change the name of the program to perspective 2021?

Jody

Well, you know, there is always that there's probably going to be a group call on that before too long to really get into the detail .

Vonda

I'm excited. That's going to be an awesome program,

Jody

But I'm excited. So , you know, I love to write a program in the early days of my career. I would sit around and dream up programs I would do if I ever had a chance to do them. And now all that play time is really being well received and meaningful, you know, and getting people to take action and make a difference.

Vonda

That's awesome. All right , Jody , thanks again for the time.

Jody

Thank you so much.

Lori

We have certainly enjoyed our time together today and we look forward to being with you guys again, if you have any questions, concerns, comments, anything we would love to hear from you. You can always email lori@flowerclique.com. Also, if you enjoy our little podcast, go ahead and click that subscribe button. That's very helpful for us and you can even leave a review and we hope you join us next week.

Vonda

Yes. So please come back and join us and discover how a bit of knowledge and one small change in your mindset can take you to new levels in your life and business.

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