DFW Leadership Series Kicks Off Fall Speaker Series with Southlake CEO
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by
Leslie Horn
Leslie HornColleyville, TX, August 27, 2022 – Clinton Anderson, CEO of Fourth/Hot Schedules, addressed a group of about one hundred listeners in Colleyville at the DFW Leadership Series on Thursday. The monthly event, launched last year by the Colleyville Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, features leaders and executives from diverse industries across the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Anderson discussed three principles for leading a team, a company, or a family during economic uncertainty. He told listeners to “Decide! Pass on the corners, and remember that people matter.”
During Anderson’s 18 years at Bain & Company he learned how critical speed is in making decisions. He says, “the 80 percent answer you get to in minutes or hours is infinitely better than the 100 percent perfect answer that takes days or weeks.” He says decisiveness means articulating priorities and doing the things that matter most first. That way, team members don’t waste valuable time on the least important tasks.
Anderson took the reins at Fourth, a workforce management software provider for the hospitality industry, just weeks before COVID shut down restaurants worldwide. The company had to radically restructure to survive. He explained the concept of “passing on the corners” where one racer accelerates as competitors slow down and likened it to innovating during a downturn. The company created new software to support restaurant employees that Anderson believes may become more valuable in the long run than the entire company. “Volatility leads to variability, which leads to opportunity,” says Anderson.
As the new CEO, Anderson had to temporarily let go of one third of Fourth employees. He emphasized the importance of honesty when dealing with coworkers and family members alike. He says, “honesty wins hearts” and counselled listeners to be “vulnerable and transparent” and explained that courage and vulnerability are not conflicting traits. Anderson says humility and a commitment to continuous learning, even during disappointments and downturns, ultimately creates the strongest leaders.
The next speaker in the DFW Leadership Series is former US Attorney Dayle Elieson. She will share her experience as former chief counsel for the Drug Enforcement Administration and talk about strengthening teams on Thursday, September 2 at 7 PM. Click here to RSVP to the event on Facebook. Sign up here to receive more information about this and upcoming events, visit the DFW Leadership Series on Facebook here.
About Clinton Anderson:
Prior to serving as CEO of Fourth/Hot Schedules, Anderson was president and EVP of Sabre Hospitality Solutions. He co-founded Emerson/Anderson, a private investment fund after 18 years at Bain & Company. He has an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta. A member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he and his family reside in Southlake.
Leslie Horn is a writer, editor, fashion stylist, and Media Specialist living with her husband and teenage son in the Colleyville Texas Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She has a daughter in college out of state and a son serving a full-time mission in Quito, Ecuador.
