"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."
Joshua Nolette is the CEO and Founder of the marketing firm Nolette Media. He’s also the acting COO of SurpHaces LLC. and the Director of the SurpHaces Learning Institute. Joshua helps businesses create content that builds their brand and grows their following to receive returns from their marketing. He solves complex problems through visual storytelling and he’s raising the next generation of trade workers and giving them the skills they need to market their business.
He started his professional work in the airport industry. 3 years after starting he rose from the entry-level position of loading aircraft and cleaning lavatories to becoming an instructor for all ground handling employees, to supervising ground handling operations to eventually joining a team of terminal managers to run the overall operations of an airport with 3 million annual passengers. Working in the airport taught him so many life skills but it also showed him how cold business could be. How empty and unfeeling so much of the business world is. He knew when he left the airport and dove headfirst into marketing that he wanted to build companies that prioritize people.
He has always seen the opportunity for content in systems. Particularly systems that revolve around people and the customer experience. Joshua believes that every brand should be a transparent view of how great your company is. He believes in authenticity and business practices that prioritize customer experience and employee engagement.
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Table of Contents
Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Joshua Nolette: My family was very involved in our church when I was growing up. My family and the pastor’s family were the backbones of what that church did. I was groomed to be a leader from a very young age but I had some serious character issues that made my leadership harsh and aggressive. I was ineffective as a leader because of my anger and insecurities. I lead from a perspective that I was better or more gifted than my “subordinates” because I was selected as the leader. I was a fool.
After being promoted to a leadership role at work, the men on my team made me see clearly. It was a hard lesson to learn but I attribute my “waking up” to them. My now-wife helped me turn the criticism into wisdom. But the man who taught me to be a good leader is Hector Vasquez. I had the privilege of working under him at Action Church in central Florida where Hector taught me what it meant to be a servant leader. He saw a broken, angry kid and taught him what it meant to lead from humility and truly be effective.
Often leaders are asked to share the best advice they received. But let’s reverse the question. What’s the worst advice you received?
Joshua Nolette: When I worked at the airport, I was offered a promotion to the Terminal Operations department from my current position as a Ramp Supervisor. The position would have an overview of the airport operations as a whole, better pay, more experience. This position was better in every way possible for me wanting to gain business management skills and wisdom.
I went to the general manager of the ground handling company to seek his guidance on the decision and his advice was this “Don’t get promoted too much. Other companies will look at your work history and think that you can’t work a job more than a few months.” Although I could see his point if I were quitting because I was bored and went to work for some other company I knew that he was wrong. I was being promoted. If anything, being promoted every 8 months shows your abilities and what an asset you are. I’m glad I didn’t take his advice. That job is what got me into marketing and build my network bigger than I would have ever imagined.
Resilience is critical in critical times like the ones we are going through now. How would you define resilience?
Joshua Nolette: This time is unprecedented. If someone is telling you that they have the key to success through this pandemic, that their business will be untouched, they’re lying. We have not seen an economic impact like this before. Resilience is critical in certain circumstances and if you can power through the pandemic, good for you! for most businesses it’s not about resilience. It’s about adaptation.
Imagine each business were a vehicle driving down a road. The pandemic would be an obstacle in the road for some, a river for others, or a ravine. Some businesses are massive trucks built to smash right through the obstacle. A little damage but over they would be fine. Those with the river, hopefully, the truck is tall enough so the engine doesn’t suffocate or the wheels lose traction. Those that must face the ravine, need to reconsider their entire model or turn around entirely. The pandemic is not about resilience only. It’s also about adaptation to extreme circumstances.
What is most important to your organization—mission, vision, or values?
Joshua Nolette: The building block of a mission is the vision. The foundation of a vision is built from values that you believe in. The most important thing to me is the values that we stand by. We value people. Both our customers and our employees. When you care about people and that’s at the core of what you do, your vision becomes clear. Help people. The mission is the “how” and that is different with every company we help. We don’t have cookie-cutter solutions to problems that we project onto our clients. We listen to their struggles, their desires, and their values and then we build a mission to make that vision a reality.
Delegating is part of being a great leader, but what have you found helpful to get your managers to become valiant leaders as well?
Joshua Nolette: Delegation is one of the keys to being a good leader. A good delegator gives context and vision. When I delegate a task, I bring that person along on a journey to learn why that particular thing needs to be done. The best thing I’ve found is to raise leaders. Invest in your team everything you know. Teach them the art of delegation. Teach them servant leadership, give them the same building block of success that you use every day and let them grow.
What have you learned about personal branding that you wish you had known earlier in your career?
Joshua Nolette: I wish that I had learned that a personal brand is nothing more than being open, honest, and transparent about who you are. A personal brand doesn’t have to be a persona and I would even say it shouldn’t be a persona. Be real. Share all of the ugly truths. Share everything! Even if you think it would be boring or irrelevant. You are your brand. It’s just putting yourself out there.
What’s your favorite leadership style and why?
Joshua Nolette: Servant leadership. I believe that a leader is there to help the group do what they do best. A leader is not responsible for coming up with every idea and every aspect of the operation. A leader is responsible for ensuring that the best idea wins every time. That means that you must do whatever you can to support encourage and motivate your team. Leaders are servants. Managers are task masterstaskmasters.
What’s your favorite “leadership” quote and how has it affected the way you implement your leadership style?
Joshua Nolette: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” – Proverbs 15:1
Leadership is 100% about people and we as people are emotional beings. We must treat one another with respect and dignity. Never lose your temper, stay calm and collected and use a gentle response to handle situations of conflict or aggression. When we lead from a place of humility, our gentle answers come naturally. Be firm yet polite. Be strong and speak life into your people.
Mike Weiss, VIP Contributor to ValiantCEO and the host of this interview would like to thank Joshua Nolette for taking the time to do this interview and share his knowledge and experience with our readers.
If you would like to get in touch with Joshua Nolette or his company, you can do it through his – Linkedin Page
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