Nourishing People: Sowing the Seeds of Leadership with Jason Buechel
Jason Buechel had a big task ahead of him when he started at Whole Foods: Consolidate thirteen distinct regions of teams into a system where individualization remained but could be scaled efficiently. His successes led him from the CTO/CIO position to COO in 2017 (when Amazon acquired Whole Foods), and now he leads as CEO. This journey has come with plenty of lessons.
In this episode of the Take Command podcast, Jason discusses his style of servant leadership and what he’s learned while leading his teams through major changes. Everything he does is motivated by the idea that “our goal is ultimately not just how do we serve customers today, tomorrow, five years, ten years from now? But we want to change this entire industry so we can make sure that this is protected for future generations.”
What You Will Learn:
- Lessons in the importance of being a servant leader
- Tips on how to find your own best way of solving tough business problems
- Discussion of why you always need to lead by example
- Strategies for taking a panoramic view when it comes to customers, team members, and other stakeholders
Jason says it’s difficult to be a leader who both drives short-term results and can fully connect with and motivate an organization—something he’s done remarkably well. His view is that a leader is there to “help support the organization and bridge it to the next opportunity, and ultimately help work through challenges.”