Guardian Life’s Mike Perry: ‘Leadership Means Creating Teamwork’

Mike Perry faced an uphill challenge. He’d agreed to a grueling 207-mile, single-day cycle ride before totally understanding quite what it would demand. But while some might have quit before the event began, Perry charged ahead.

“I just felt like it would be good to take on whatever risk came with that,” he told me on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast.

For those who know Perry, it’s not surprising. He’s not one to succumb to the dreaded paralysis by analysis. For the head of Client Solutions and Wealth Management at Guardian Life Insurance, taking on risk is inseparable from forward progress.

But there are ways to mitigate potential pitfalls, he explains. How? Well, the insurance executive says, you must find your peloton. Indeed, the road toward success does not have to be a lonely one.

While he’d prepared diligently ahead of the long 207-mile cycle ride, midway through, Perry says he hit a low point. Instead of throwing in the towel, though, he found relief, speed and a renewed focus once he locked onto a group of riders.

They could reduce drag for one another and could work together and make the difficult and uncomfortable trek that much easier. Perry hadn’t planned for this. However, the solution he found provided a viable path forward.

“Being part of a team,” Perry says, “I saw the benefit of that and that translated [to] the work world.”

Perry talks about all this and more on the podcast, including:

• Get a coach. Coaches aren’t just for beginners, Perry says. Instead, they are ways to shorten any learning curve. Coaches help people break through the ceiling faster than they could on their own. So, find a good one. “Coaches,” Perry says, “help you see things you’re not seeing.”

• Seek clarity in crisis. During that 207-mile race, one of Perry’s brakes actually fell off his bike. But instead of panicking, he narrowed the problem to its essential question and focused on the next move to keep going. It worked—clarity prevailed over chaos.

• Build a vibe. A group of people should be more than just a collection of employees, Perry says. People need more than numbers. They need trust, shared exertion and a sense that they are moving as one. Unity is more than proximity. It’s a closeness people can feel.