Leading Yourself and Others: It All Begins With You
by Doug Brown
Since 1985, many of the largest organizations of their kind in the world have tapped into Doug's consulting expertise and experience. As a management and sales consultant, Doug works side-by-side with an organization's senior executives and teams of thought leaders on issues of strategic importance. Together they quickly distill what strategies and tactics will be necessary to achieve their desired business results and metrics, whether via top line sales growth or bottom line profitability. Business leaders who relish intellectual stimulation and don't shy away from being asked 'tough questions' will get the greatest benefit as a result of working with Doug. Organizational leaders who are willing to question their own underlying assumptions and proactively embrace change truly appreciate his thought provoking approach. To stay grounded in reality, Doug insists that everyone bring all of their business acumen and common sense to the table. He then finds a way to leverage it to their collective benefit. As a result, they experience a tremendous return on their investment.
Leaders can be a varied and diverse group of people with as many different styles of management as there are corporations. Leaders represent the elite among the many managers and officers found in corporate America. However, for all their diversity, there is one thing all leaders have in common - true leaders get results.
We have all seen instances where someone has risen to an occasion and accomplished something extraordinary. People we recognize as leaders tend to do this consistently over time. Why, then, do some people emerge as leaders and others do not?
One belief is that some people were born to lead. Others do not ascribe to this philosophy as they believe it lets us "off the hook" of our responsibility to develop ourselves. One thing is certain; leaders have many of the same noteworthy characteristics in common. Some of these attributes include: vision; integrity; good communication skills; persistence and a willingness to take calculated risks. Examine this partial list and ask yourself: How many of these characteristics are inbred, and how many are attributable to attitude? Therein may lie the answer to the question of whether leaders are born or made.
According to research, the average person uses only 3% to 25% of their potential on a daily basis. Imaging what would happen if you tapped into that other 75% to 97%!
Perhaps the "leaders are born" argument is so pervasive because the characteristics, attitudes, and personality traits which contribute to leadership are formed at an early age. If you think about it, much of what we are exposed to at an early age is intended to keep us safe and to contain our behavior rather than to encourage us to expand our horizons and take risks. Childhood is, in essence, an exercise in thwarting our potential (at least until such time as our intellect catches up with our capabilities.) Adolescence is supposed to be the time in which we undo this conditioning, but some of us never fully emerge from such ingrained behavior. This sheds new light on the question of how much potential we are wasting (or avoiding) as adults.
We should look at success as the continual achievement of our own predetermined goals. If we are not as successful as we want to be, our first instinct should not be to examine all the external roadblocks to our success. The first step toward the realization of our goals should involve asking ourselves this question: Which parts of my personality are taking me closer to success and which parts are taking me further away?
The good news is that our attitudes are not set in stone. With work, we can become the change we would like to see in our lives. Begin by defining who you are compared to who you believe you have the potential to become. Be honest with yourself, then give yourself permission to change.
True leaders define what they want and then go for it. They refuse to accept the status quo. If leaders do not like the circumstances they are in, they create new ones. For a real leader, failure is not something to fear, it is just another opportunity to learn. The primary difference between leaders and followers is state of mind. Where many of us see obstacles, leaders see opportunities.
Think of leading others in this way: Leading is a way to help others help you to achieve your goals. Consider these skills as essential:
- Bring out the best in others
- Include people in what's going on
- Create an environment in which people can excel
- Give people a mission to accomplish
In First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, authors Buckingham and Coffman describe their research to determine what makes managers great. They found that managers in organizations with high productivity, profit, retention, and customer satisfaction had created workplaces where employees:
- Know what is expected of them and that their opinions count
- Feel their work is important and have the right equipment to do it
- Know their supervisor cares about them as a person
- Often receive recognition for good work and feedback on their progress
- Have co-workers who are committed to doing quality work
- Have opportunities to learn, grow, and do what they do best everyday
The authors found that the employee's immediate manager was the critical player in building a strong workplace. On retention in particular, they found that turnover is usually a "manager issue" according to exiting employees. Food for thought for all those in a position to lead and inspire others.
Finally, it is important to recognize that successful leaders understand the difference between external and internal change. External change involves things outside of ourselves or our organization: The economy tanked; interest rates are going up; the labor market has dried up; fuel prices are skyrocketing; people aren't buying. Internal change comes from what we choose to do about those external changes that affect us. Remember: external change is a fact; internal change is a choice. The choices we make may indeed be what defines us as leaders - today and in the future.