Our CEO's Office Had the Worst View in the Building — And It Taught Me Everything About Leadership

Our CEO's office had the worst view in the building. And it taught me everything about leadership.

Charles Barbo (Chuck) was the CEO of a Seattle-based Real Estate Investment Trust called Shurgard.

In 2001, while Amazon was still figuring out how to turn a profit, Shurgard was expanding profitably as the pre-eminent storage leader across the US and Europe.

Let's be honest. This is not the sexiest industry. Nobody hears "storage" and thinks, wow, that is such a glamorous place to be.

But under Chuck's leadership, Shurgard attracted world-class talent. People wanted to work here. And once they did, they stayed.

I worked at our home office on Lake Union recruiting talent and hosting new hire orientation. On orientation days, I would give an office tour including a stop where they could meet the C-Suite.

Chuck loved to welcome new Shurgardians on day one. Not through a welcome email, but in person.

No appointment needed. I could walk right into his open office, introduce them, and watch as he shook their hand and welcomed them like they belonged there.

One day, during orientation, he decided to share more than just a handshake.

He reached into his wallet and pulled out a small, worn, folded card. Inside was the Shurgard Constitution. Our mission and our values.

We gave every new hire one. But Chuck carried his with him everywhere.

That day, he gave an impromptu speech about why it mattered.

He talked about how the mission was not just words on a page. It was the foundation of every decision we made.

And how our values were not for show. They were the standards we held ourselves to, even when it was hard.

We did not just read our mission at the start of every meeting. We lived it. And so did he.

Instead of a cushy office with a closed door, Chuck's desk sat in an open executive suite with a view of the freeway.

The gorgeous Lake Union view? That was for the employee lunchroom.

Because he knew the people who mattered most were the ones on the front lines.

Every single person who started in the home office spent two weeks working in the field so they understood what it was really like for our store employees.

We never made decisions without thinking first about what the customer needed and what our people needed. We never forgot that the people who mattered most to the company were the ones on the front line.

People say your coworkers will not go to your funeral. Heck, I have even said that.

But soon, many of us who worked with Chuck will prove that wrong.

Because he was not just a CEO. The company he built also created a culture that felt like family.

Chuck was the most amazing, transformative leader I have ever known.

He walked the talk. He did what right looked like. He never forgot about the people who mattered most.

The culture he built made us feel like family.

That is his legacy. And it lives on through the thousands of us who had the honor of working with him.

Thank you for everything, Chuck.

The full context for why leadership like this shaped the work I do now lives in The Why Behind the Theory.