Julie Roehm recently welcomed author, entrepreneur, and executive coach Harry Cohen onto her podcast The Conversational to chat about the motivators behind leadership that foster success. A clinical psychologist turned restaurateur, Cohen has just released a book of his personal philosophies on life and leadership called Be the Sun, Not the Salt. During the interview, Roehm and Cohen demystified the traits of successful leaders, both in business and in the family, and provided tips on how to find more fulfillment in both.
Harry Cohen is the latest guest on The Conversational, which features business and thought leaders from across industries. Host Julie Roehm is an award-winning marketer and executive known for her groundbreaking work with Party City, Ford, DaimlerChrysler, SAP, and other major companies.
Below is a recap of the key takeaways of the interview. Listen to the full episode here.
“Be the Sun” in Modern Marketing
Harry Cohen’s new book, Be the Sun, Not the Salt, explains that everyone can choose to be an energizing force in personal and professional relationships (the sun) or a negative force that causes people to recoil (the salt).
He calls this heliotropic leadership. “The heliotropic effect is the effect of all living systems to be drawn to energy, which sustains life, which is why a plant tilts towards the sun,” he says. “Hence, be a positive energizer like the sun and the leaves of the plant, and not a negative energizer like salt on the roots, which makes them shrivel.”
He applies this same philosophy to his marketing efforts at Ann Arbor restaurant, The Black Pearl. “We create a culture where people feel that the owner takes care of them, we care about each other, and take care of the customers, and eventually we make a buck.”
The Black Pearl has indeed made a buck. It seats over 7000 customers a month and has won many awards.
This simple marketing philosophy is similar to Julie Roehm’s no-nonsense customer-centric approach to communications. Roehm has revitalized multiple businesses with strategies that directly address customer needs. For example, she brokered a partnership between a major retailer and a rental car agency during the pandemic to deliver goods to customers safely.
Adapting to Change with Humility
Harry Cohen has held multiple roles in his life, and not all have gone according to plan. One of the biggest surprises was becoming a father to twin boys. Another was opening a restaurant the same week the economy imploded in 2008. And it didn’t get easier from there.
“I learned after three months that the guy I partnered with was a crook,” Cohen said. “And so I had to get him out. So I’m the sole owner of this multimillion-dollar business with no experience.”
Cohen realized that these stressful times sometimes cause people to act as “salt on others’ roots.” The key to tackling a challenge successfully is to pursue it with humility and a desire to learn.
“Well, I’ll learn no matter what,” he said to himself at the time. “I’ll learn. My kids will be busboys and they’ll learn customer service. I know about people and maybe I can make it a successful business, but either way, I’ll learn a ton.”
Later, Cohen would take his experience of choosing humility in the face of strife into boardrooms and even to the stage of a TED talk. His insight has brought success to major companies, starting with doing good.
“The woman who wrote the forward to my book, Mindy Holman, is the President of a $6 billion privately owned company, and they operate by doing what I try and do, which is take care of their people, take care of their customers, take care of the community, and do the right thing.”
Julie Roehm could relate. A long-time friend of Cohen, it’s no surprise that she lets the “sun” shine through her business strategies. As a retail executive, she didn’t simply focus on streamlining processes to benefit the brand. She emphasized cultivating joy at every step of the journey.
“It is my job to help to set the strategy, to help to provide insights, to help to provide guidance,” she said in a separate interview. “But at the end of the day, it is a team-wide effort to deliver joy in the easiest way possible.”
The Root of Good Business: Taking Care of People
The message that Cohen has shared with Julie Roehm, listeners, board rooms, and customers for years is not complicated. “You don’t have to do anything other than hold the door and smile at a stranger. You know what I mean? Say please and thank you. It makes a difference,” he says.
The problem is that people get lost in the details of balance sheets, conflicts, and lofty goals. They forget that good business starts with treating people right—customers and staff alike.
“We will be happier and more effective if we practice this stuff,” he says. “And it’s the practice of it that makes us better at it. And I’m not done practicing. I’m still doing it.”
As someone who puts customer experiences and relationships over facts and figures, Julie Roehm agreed with her guest. “They’re actually just the facts of life,” she says of Cohen’s advice. “If you just do these things, you’ll be successful in life.”
In the Businesses of Doing Good
During his insightful interview with Julie Roehm, Harry Cohen emphasized the need for humility in business, which may be especially important for business leaders to remember in this market, as a recession may be around the corner. He reminds listeners that good business starts with treating people with kindness and respect.
It may not be the best decision for your bottom line. But in the long run, it creates a thriving company culture and customer community.
Roehm, a marketer and executive known for her customer-centric approach, agrees with Cohen’s message. She stresses the importance of staying grounded when doing business and recalls something her father used to say: “Remember where you come from.” Cohen shares a similar quote from his book: “Remember who you are.”
Listeners were reminded that sometimes, the most important business insights don’t come from someone with an MBA. They come from parents and kindergarten teachers. Care for others, be kind, and be the sun, not the salt.
Harry Cohen’s book, Be the Sun, Not the Salt, is available now at Amazon.
Listen to more episodes of The Conversational podcast with Julie Roehm here.