Hot Messes Make You a Stronger Leader with Jerry Jones

Stronger leaders are made through multiple hot messes. Jerry Jones, former president of Cannon IV, shares his decisionmaking, sleepless nights, and strategy pivots during some tumultuous times. In this Hot Mess Hotline episode, he shares how 50% of their revenue evaporated in 90 days because of a supplier's switch in sales strategy.

This episode is powerful for those leaders who feel fatigued by change or have teams who are complaining about too much change. "Why can't things just go back to normal?" When change is forced upon your team because of external factors, there is no going back to normal. There's a new reality which forces new ways of working and new needed results.

Listen in for these lessons and so much more:

It's not a matter of IF a hot mess happens...it's a matter of WHEN External factors that you have no control over will disrupt your business Even if you're good at your game of business, it may not be your game to play During a Hot Mess, you must answer the question, "Who are we?" and go back to basics Bigger isn't better Worrying about what could go wrong stops you from celebrating what's going well Culture eats strategy for breakfast: the CannonIV story is how Your past tells the story of today's success Signs that your people are with you through tough times Quit on people faster Be willing to share the workload and the stress Get a mentor to be success Build a culture of communication Care, concern, and accountability is a two-way street Define your successful exit About Jerry Jones

In 2017, Jerry Jones retired as the President and CEO of Cannon IV, Inc., one of the strongest independent Hewlett-Packard printer dealers in the United States, as well as one of the leading MPS dealers in the U.S.

Cannon IV is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN, with additional locations in Ohio and Texas. Cannon IV sales are nationwide. Cannon IV was founded by Richard Jones in 1974. Upon Richard’s death, Jerry became president in 1978 and his 3 brothers eventually joined him to lead the company.

Cannon IV’s business and civic awards include:

Indiana Small Business of the Year Indiana Business Ethics Award Spirit of Service Award presented by the Archdiocese of Indianapolis One of the “Best Places to Work in Indiana” in 2009, 2013 & 2014

Jerry’s business and civic awards include:

1997 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award Legatus National President of the Year – 2017

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