Servant leadership drives growth at Unique Snacks

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Unique Pretzel Bakery, Inc. was trademarked and incorporated by Paul Spannuth, over one hundred years and seven generations ago.

As one of the leading, award-winning and creative family businesses in the snack industry, the product is so beloved and favored, it is not unusual for it to be shipped down-under, appear on store shelves from Maine to California, be gifted for holidays or special occasions, or just enjoyed by the handful or bagful. As the company continued to grow and open its production lines and marketing reach to other snack manufacturers, the name was organically better described as Unique Snacks. And so it is!

Anyone who meets Paul’s great-great-great grandson, Justin Spannuth, Vice President and COO of Unique Snacks, knows that he does not think, act, or live within the “four walls” of any physical structure. Here is a leader who continues to defy gravity, challenge the status quo, and utilize all available resources when creating “what’s next” in his family’s business. Creativity, resourcefulness, kindness and character are all part of the bedrock for how Spannuth lives his life as a leader and models his culture. All characteristics of servant leadership.

And, as with Spannuth’s counterparts in this sequel, their common belief is that servant leadership is not a commercialized event. It is a lived experience they themselves challenge daily. With that challenge comes exponential growth.

During a recent interview, we asked Spannuth, “what are the non-negotiables, and why are they so important to you?” What we learned was that living a healthy company culture where people get along, respect and treat each other well, and appreciate a common goal, does not leave much room for poor attitudes, behaviors or performance. Spannuth firmly believes Unique Snacks’ culture brings out the best in the over 100 employees team members dedicated to the mission of their brand, which is “Pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence on all aspects of creating, marketing, and selling high quality snacks.”

Spannuth shared, “We are always pushing for continuous improvement, so it is important for our people to be comfortable with change. When one of our team members is hesitant with making changes, we make the time to explain how the change will produce a better end result, then work as a team to get through it. We are not looking to lose team members especially when they are a great employee with the attitude and work ethic that matches our culture.”

One of Spannuth’s key roles at Unique Snacks includes making sure his expectations of the company’s leaders and managers are crystal clear.

Spannuth said, “As our industry and opportunities are ever changing, we find ourselves always being tasked with more or new responsibility. At the same time, we cannot put employees in a position where they feel continually overwhelmed, not being able to bring value, have a lack of work, being tasked with too much and not being able to get their work done, or even worse, so overwhelmed they are not able to lead their teams. It is a delicate balance.” Spannuth added, “To help keep that balance we use a good measuring tool to communicate team and individual progress. If your Key Performance Indicators (KPI) are being met, then you are doing the job that is being asked of you. At times, we need to remind our dedicated managers, ‘If you aren’t busy then you are most likely leading your team well. If you have free time, you have time to evaluate and create ways to be better and make our company better.’ These ideas and the ability to reflect can’t and don’t happen if you are overwhelmed with daily tasks. Having time allows you to serve your employees and be a responsive leader to issues as they arise.”

“Being a fast paced, high growth company is not always easy to manage unless the company’s leadership has a well-developed and communicated plan. It is the best way to inspire others to grow themselves and their area of the business,” Spannuth said, and continued with, “If we want our managers and leaders to know how to use their spare time effectively and efficiently, we need to inspire them to bring good ideas to the table. We can only make that happen if they have a clear path to, and a solid understanding of, the ultimate or five-year goals. The further out, and the clearer the goals, the better the team is at creating effective ideas and making good decisions.

Along with the solid mission of the brand, the team at Unique Snacks is deliberate in the application of their core values. Decisions are made around being good stewards of the community and being humble and kind.

And, to carry the concept of non-negotiables a step further, Spannuth challenges other family business leaders by asking, “Do you trust your employees enough to raise your kids?” This is a particularly profound and pointed question as Spannuth’s son is now engaged in the family business as the seventh generation. Spannuth went on to say, “As you bring in your next generation, how do they learn the company, culture, and how to be a good manager? Without good culture, examples of servant leadership, and standing by our first Core Value ‘High expectations of integrity and Ethics,’ how could we honestly expect our team members to guide our children with their behavior, performance and all other aspects of being a responsible employee? At Unique Snacks, it speaks to the top leadership and culture of our team. This child, my child, is not here to take your job. You have the opportunity to help train and grow a young team member into a great leader, and that speaks volumes of who we are individually, and as a company.”

In closing, Spannuth added “in our leadership roles, are we giving the proper tools and growing the next generation of leaders? When we infused the core values into their personal life and work life, it matters more than we can see at the time. Be real, be kind, and be the reason your team lives a better life in and outside of your company.”

Bonnie Sussman-Versace – business leader, entrepreneur, and principal of FOCUSED, LLC is dedicated to developing leaders, enhancing cultures and improving performance for business growth and prosperity.