Nate Brazier, who was promoted in May to CEO of Stinker Stores, Boise, Idaho, said one of his greatest strengths is being able to build a high-performing team and then accomplishing the goals they set out to do.
“What I do is find leaders that are a lot smarter than I am,” said Brazier. “They know more than I know. Then, I rely on them and hold a lot of trust in their expertise to help guide us where we should be going and what we should do.
“I identify the key leaders. I give them the tools and the resources they need, set the expectation and the vision, and then get the hell out of the way,” he said.
Brazier, who previously was chief operating office (and retains the title of president), said he has been referred to as “chief skunk wrangler,” a playfulness that is part of the convenience-store chain’s brand, which includes 105 stores.
“We have a lot of fun with our brand,” he said.
Another key strength Brazier said is his adaptability—“being able to be flexible and remain calm when it’s high-pressure situations or when we’re adjusting to the circumstances—because this thing doesn’t come with a playbook.”
He explains, “This role does not have a certain play that said, ‘Hey, you’re facing this. This is what you need to do,’” adding that he’s able to see that “and then check and adjust very quickly to make sure the team is staying ahead of the game.”
One of the biggest things Brazier said he has learned so far in his new role is the importance of balancing the strategic vision and pathways with operational focus.
“Being the CEO, I think it’s been critical for me to maintain a clear perspective on the near term and also the long term but staying deeply connected to the day-to-day challenges and operations that the team faces,” he said.
To do this, Brazier has learned the importance of fostering open communication and empowering his leadership team.
“They have really been the key through that transition,” he said.
In the last three years, Stinker Stores has implemented many new programs, technologies, processes and procedures.
“To add to that, we’ve gone through a pretty significant brand enhancement,” he added. “We redesigned our stores to reflect on our focus on food. We realigned the company and built out various teams to help support our most important people out in the stores.”
In short, he said, Stinker Stores has been laying the foundation for the future, and to build off that, “it takes some ‘stinking awesome people.” My focus has been and will continue to be really develop and grow people.”
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