{"id":15623,"date":"2023-07-21T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-21T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/?p=15623"},"modified":"2023-08-07T14:50:35","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T13:50:35","slug":"business-lessons-global-tech-ceo-steve-hare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-lessons-global-tech-ceo-steve-hare\/","title":{"rendered":"8 business lessons from a global tech CEO: The Steve Hare interview"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/category\/people-leadership\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">People &amp; Leadership<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t8 business lessons from a global tech CEO: The Steve Hare interview\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2023-07-21T11:00:00+01:00\">21 July, 2023<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"8 business lessons from a global tech CEO: The Steve Hare interview\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/business-lessons-global-tech-ceo-steve-hare\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/header>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/author\/ryangrundy\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/06\/Ryan-Grundy.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Ryan Grundy\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Ryan Grundy<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As a leader, your personal performance is a huge driver of your business\u2019 success. What you do and how you behave matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You want to set the highest example for your team, so they can maximise their own potential and ensure the business performs at the highest level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s a lot to shoulder, but it comes with the territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Sage CEO Steve Hare joined <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/e201-steve-hare-remaining-calm-through-chaos-with-the\/id1500444735?i=1000619631282\">Jake Humphrey&nbsp;and&nbsp;Damian Hughes on The High Performance Podcast<\/a> to share the lessons, values, and business culture that have made him the high-performing leader he is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When asked what high performance is, Steve said: \u201cIt\u2019s doing amazing things that you didn\u2019t think you were capable of. It\u2019s pushing to becoming the best version of yourself. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;But you\u2019ve got to want it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;You have to set yourself the ambition and put the effort in. You\u2019ve also got to be resilient, because you can\u2019t be high performing all the time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;The best measure is whether you can deliver it consistently over a period of time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Only that version of yourself can guide your business to ongoing success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Below are eight lessons from Steve on achieving high performance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Here\u2019s what he covers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#fall\">1. Fall in love with the outcome<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#always\">2. Always about the team, never about you<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#create\">3. Create an emotional connection<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#seek\">4. Seek honest feedback<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#learn\">5. Learn to say no<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#build\">6. Build a culture of accountability<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#an\">7. Create an environment where it\u2019s safe to fail<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#find\">8. Find balance<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#how\">How high will you rise?<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"fall\">1. Fall in love with the outcome<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To make any form of progress in your life or your business, you need a clear vision of where you\u2019d like to be. In other words, an outcome you want to achieve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You then need to fall in love with that outcome, because tough times will come, and your motivation won\u2019t always be there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But if you have a north star that excites you, and you\u2019re willing to put in the hard yards through good times and bad, you\u2019ll be able to stay consistent and make it happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cI\u2019ve never met anyone who is consistently achieving high performance, that doesn\u2019t put huge amounts of efforts in, and doesn\u2019t have highs and lows,\u201d &nbsp;says Steve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"always\">2. Always about the team, never about you<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Speaking of highs and lows, the way you behave when things go wrong will reflect massively on your performance as a leader.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Sometimes, you and your team will be aligned on how to solve a problem or issue. But there will also be times when you\u2019ll have differing views. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And that\u2019s OK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">In fact, challenging one another is essential for high performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When this happens, you need to always make it about the team, and never about yourself. Keep the interest of your team and the wider business at heart, not the outcome you want for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Don\u2019t be tempted to point fingers. Instead, own the problem together, take collective responsibility, and you\u2019ll arrive at the right solution faster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"create\">3. Create an emotional connection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">For your business to reach its full potential, your team needs to be driving in the same direction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But simply understanding your business goals will only get you so far. To really excel, everyone needs to be emotionally invested too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can achieve this by establishing strong company values that people can get on board with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This goes beyond dictating what people should care about. It means surrounding yourself with those who already share your values and creating a realistic vision that aligns with them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You then need to model those values in your own behaviour and start to mould the business using value-based decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Steve illustrated how many businesses forget this, and simply create a set of values that don\u2019t really mean anything to teams. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">He says: \u201cIf you\u2019re going to have values, they need to mean something. You go to so many places where the values are up on the wall. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;Yet, if you covered them up and asked someone to tell you them, they wouldn\u2019t be able to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"seek\">4. Seek honest feedback<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To continually improve as a business leader, you need to seek honest feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This can be hard to do, as you often find those around you are afraid of telling the truth and tend to tell you what they think you want to hear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This creates a mini echo chamber where everything that comes back to you is reflective of the things you say and do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The best way to get around this is very simple. Go up to people and talk to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Within your business, this means walking the floor, approaching people of all levels of seniority, and engaging in conversation. Outside of your business, it means meeting or phoning customers of every type and size.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Whoever you\u2019re speaking to, ask them what\u2019s working and what isn\u2019t. Show a bit of vulnerability and allow them to open up. Try to learn what it feels like to be them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">For this to work, most of the time, the conversation needs to be unexpected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">An unprepared person is more likely to give honest feedback because they haven\u2019t had chance to think about what you want to hear, and so instead tend to tell the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You can get really valuable feedback this way. You may even learn of unintended consequences of a decision that have resulted in a negative experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Steve says: \u201cThis might be hard at first, but the more you do it and the more you learn from doing it, the easier it becomes and the more enjoyable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"learn\">5. Learn to say no<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Trust is one of the most important aspects of a business and its culture. It\u2019s also very volatile and can be damaged quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">A proven way to build trust\u2014both as a leader of your business and with your customers\u2014is by following through with promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">That means giving a firm agreement or announcement of what you will do, and then actually doing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">It\u2019s tempting to give vague responses such as \u201cI might be able to do that,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ll see what I can do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But people don\u2019t really know what these mean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">And if you make several of these promises to different people, you\u2019ll likely only take action on those that matter most to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This erodes trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Instead, you need to get comfortable with saying no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Give an honest response that says you can\u2019t do what they\u2019re asking. Explain why their request isn\u2019t a priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This isn\u2019t easy, but people will appreciate the honesty, and their expectations will be properly set. You may not have given them what they want, but you\u2019ll have built trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"build\">6. Build a culture of accountability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">When you\u2019re faced with multiple requests that you can\u2019t prioritise, it\u2019s often because issues or decisions have been unnecessarily escalated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">People have passed an issue up to you because they don\u2019t feel as though they can solve it themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">This can be reduced by building a culture of accountability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Empower people on the ground to make decisions themselves. This will help them solve issues faster (even if it\u2019s not the same way you\u2019d do it), which delivers better outcomes for both internal teams and customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">The alternative is that problems drag on for too long, or never get resolved at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You need to clearly communicate with your team that they have the go-ahead to make certain decisions. There will always be things you\u2019ll want them to run past you, but you should remove yourself from as many processes as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"an\">7. Create an environment where it\u2019s safe to fail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To create a culture of accountability, there\u2019s a big hurdle you need to overcome. And that\u2019s making your team feel safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">If they live in fear that any mistake they make won\u2019t be accepted, they\u2019ll never take accountability and make their own decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You need to create an environment where it\u2019s OK to fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Making mistakes is inevitable when people try new things and push the envelope. In fact, innovation can\u2019t happen without failure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cIf you speak to people who have invented things and successful entrepreneurs, you\u2019ll find there are very few that turned their first idea into something amazing,\u201d Steve says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">\u201cMost have had 20, 30, even 40 ideas. Then they\u2019ve simply iterated them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">&#8220;To achieve great things, you have to make mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Encourage your team to switch their language from \u201cmaking a mistake\u201d to \u201cthat didn\u2019t turn out as I expected\u201d. It\u2019s a subtle yet powerful shift that positions these situations as opportunities to learn and try something else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"find\">8. Find balance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">To be successful in any area of life you need balance. And this needs to be a conscious priority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Yes, you have to be all-in on the outcome you\u2019re pursuing. But all-in doesn\u2019t mean 24\/7.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">You don\u2019t need to be at the top of your game around the clock. That\u2019s impossible and unhealthy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Allow yourself to be unavailable and make sure you\u2019re psychologically present when you\u2019re spending time with family and friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Not only will this benefit you mentally, you\u2019ll also be fit for the big moments that matter when it does come to your work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As Steve reminds us: \u201cSustained high performance in business takes fitness. It requires you to look after yourself. It\u2019s hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">As well as making this a priority for yourself, extend it to your team. They need to know you don\u2019t expect them to have an unhealthy work-life balance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Yes, there may be a time of crisis where you are needed, and where you need your team out of hours. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">But this should never be the norm, never planned, and never expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"how\">How high will you rise?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"\">Catch the rest of the conversation with Steve on <a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/e201-steve-hare-remaining-calm-through-chaos-with-the\/id1500444735?i=1000619631282\">the full episode of The High Performance Podcast<\/a> and hear his full story; from starting as a factory <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/sage-business-cloud\/accounting\/features\/accounting-payroll\/\">accountant <\/a>and being let go as CFO to being welcomed as Sage CEO.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice newsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Join more than 500,000 UK readers and get the best business admin strategies and tactics, as well as actionable advice to help your company thrive, in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-b1a63862-3fa0-4a5e-bb67-c76b88bbc6b8\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe now<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1073797282-1-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Sage CEO Steve Hare shared some top business tips on The High Performance Podcast. Find out what he had to say.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1398,"featured_media":15626,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[15],"business_type":[4],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[],"persona":[73,74,75],"imagine_tag":[109],"coauthors":[370],"class_list":["post-15623","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people-leadership","tag-grow-business","business_type-small-business"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-gb","author_name":"Ryan Grundy","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/07\/Steve-Hare-podcast-1.jpg","imagine_tags":{"109":"Small business"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice UK","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15623","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1398"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15623"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15623\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15623"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=15623"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-gb\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15623"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}