The CEO of Whole Foods Shares the 9 Tips That Help Him Run His Company for the Greater GoodJason Buechel, CEO of Whole Foods Market, shares the best leadership advice he's picked up over the course of his career.

Imagine running a world-famous company, one that you know many people depend on daily. How do you scale the business without compromising the values that inspired its start in the first place? For my latest领导Lessons episode, I had the chance to talk to the CEO of a multinational supermarket chain synonymous with the words healthy, local and organic:Whole Foods Market's CEO Jason Buechel.

I picked his brain about what it's like to oversee more than 100,000 Whole Foods Market employees across 535 stores in the U.S., Canada and the U.K.

Buechel joined the Austin, Texas-based chain in 2013 as global vice president and chief information officer. He later served as chief operating officer and provided operational leadership over the grocery chain's 500-plus locations.

Before Whole Foods Market, Buechel was allowed to soak up knowledge and experience as the managing director/partner within Accenture's Retail Operations Practice, where he worked with leading retailers on strategic business and technology transformation.

Throughout our talk, it was abundantly clear that Buechel serves as a champion of Whole Foods Market's culture and values and is committed to increasing access to local, quality food for the communities it serves. Here are nine invaluable lessons Buechel shared with me during our conversation:

1. The sky's the limit when you're following your passions

And that means not focusing on the things you want to say, but rather on the things youneed to hear. Try to understand the scenario at any given moment, and don't allow for any misinterpretation on your part when it's your time to talk.

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2. Understand the vantage point of each stakeholder, and find a balanced approach

All stakeholders want to be involved. Let them in on the challenges you face so they can help develop or contribute to a solution.

3. Allow team members to let you know they are connected to the mission and help shape the culture

Promote a culture of co-creation with team members at all levels, and work to cultivate a culture that supports and promotes connection to a higher purpose andcore values. In the case of Whole Foods Market, that's being store-centric.

4. Be patient in your 20s

It's not a race. Buechel told me he finished college in three-and-a-half years because he thought he was ready to be done and join the workforce. Looking back, he says it's a benefit to soak up what people are inclined to offer you in your 20s. Be a sponge, and absorb everything worthwhile from everyone you know.

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5. Make sure you have a rich life outside of work

Don't allow the paper cuts of making personal sacrifices for work to add up to regret when it comes to the decisions you've made. You only live once. Don't trade off on things that are fleeting: Work will always be there.

6. Never stop taking risks professionally

Switching jobs, changing clients andtaking risksare all uncomfortable, but if you're not pushing boundaries you're never going to know your fullest potential.

7. You won't realize how much stronger your power to communicate as a CEO is until you're there

When you become the leader of an organization, your power of communication is hugely increased in ways you won't fully understand until you're actually in the driver's seat. When you do realize that, you can take the organization anywhere.

8. Co-create what you're looking to put into place

Have a team to build your company with, and move those people along with you. You'll find thatdriving change否则将会很困难。

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9. Don't overthink the end goal

Buechel's message to future CEOs is that if you do all the right work, grow yourself and support your team, good things will happen. It's not going to be a linear experience. Zig-zags are inevitable. So get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

更多的从我小时Buechel,看完整webinar here. The growing collection of episodes from ourseriesgives readers access to the best practices of successful CEOs from over 30 of the biggest brands, including Wayfair, Redfin, Booking.com, Heineken, Headspace, Zoom, Chipotle, Warby Parker and ZipRecruiter, to name a few.