Strong leadership is a combination of instinct and education. It is born from the inherent versus environmental precept. It is never all of one and nothing of the other, but a balance. Great leaders have a charisma: some of them innate, others through the development of skills that give them confidence. That charisma, or as we call it, that encompasses more than just charisma. It’s magic that keeps people going when it doesn’t make logical sense to do so. It allows groups of followers to weather storms, fight uphill battles, stretch their own limits beyond what was once thought possible, and live long after the leader is gone. (By studying the greatest leaders in history, such as Ganghis Kahn, Atilla the Hun, and Winston Churchill, we can gain an education on their secrets.)
Any great leader has an “It” checklist that looks like this:
1. There is a difference between leaders and managers. Managers make sure things run smoothly, leaders create change and follow through through vision.
2. Leaders create visions that others can believe in. Leaders allow followers to commit to decisions by giving them clear goals and expectations and letting them use their talents and strengths to get the job done.
3. Leaders understand and honor the words autonomy and empowerment. Leaders know not to do too much, but to provide their people with the resources and guidance they need to move forward on their own. Outstanding leaders lead the charge, mounted on their horses with the troops, but allow each soldier to draw his “bayonets” as conditions require.
4. Leaders see the whole of their company. Your cross-functional teams know how to work like a whole company. The best leaders teach their teams how they are intertwined and how each team carries a vital purpose to the whole, and how they fit into the interwoven mesh of the corporate blanket.
5. Leaders understand the need for key subordinate leaders. They know how to recruit based on unique valuable talents and remember to let those talents work for the group. They know that it is the weak leader who allows his own fears of loss of control to cloud his memory as to why those special talents were brought in to begin with.
6. Leaders have followers who not only believe in the mission of the organization, but have followers who are used to winning. Winners believe that goals and objectives can really be captured. Leaders hire people who know how to win and thrive on the energy generated by winning.
7. Leaders are curious. They are usually curious by nature. They want to know why and how things are done. They ask questions and are not afraid to explore unfamiliar areas to find solutions.
8. Leaders are instinctive. They follow their instincts. Their curiosity drives them to accumulate the necessary information they need so that when the time comes to make a decision, instinct will have the last word.
Leaders understand the saying that a rolling stone has no moss. Their organizations are not covered in moss. They know that the key to success is continual momentum. Momentum builds momentum. They take this forward from product development and morale-boosting reward programs to customer satisfaction efforts.
10. Leaders reside in the moment of today and tomorrow simultaneously. They are not shortsighted, they develop systems and institutionalize their best strengths to be successful today and in the future.
11. Leaders plan. They know that 90% of their time is better spent planning and 10% is spent on administrative work.
12. Leaders form associations. They don’t pretend to be lone rangers. They know that their success depends on their ability to strategically use other people. Successful leaders associations are win-win partnerships. They partner with anyone from customers, competitors, suppliers, and any source that delivers the results their organizations need.
13. Leaders are not incremental. They transform. They welcome change and use change to stay on top of their industries.
14. Leaders admit their mistakes. They know how guilt deals a fatal blow to morale and confidence. However, they do not tax and seek pity. They recognize, learn, and move on.
15. Leaders are masters of observation. They listen, watch and detect what others miss. They use subtle signals or observations to give them the upper hand when necessary.
16. Leaders institutionalize their values, visions, accomplishments, and strengths. They know how, through procedures and systems, to filter their strengths through the organization.
17. Leaders can leave physically, but not spiritually. Their legacies last long after they have left their employment.
18. Leaders don’t hold hands, they shape their organizations by shaping minds. They provide direction and guidance. They don’t believe in decision making by their key subordinate right hand.
19. Leaders give credit when it is deserved. They recognize and reward achievements and use the achievement boost to drive greater success in their followers.
20. Leaders do not offer positions out of the goodness of their heart. They create positions and fill them based on the objectives and vision of the company.
21. Leaders remain focused on the missions of the company and guide their followers to do the same.
22. Leaders are global thinkers. They do not underestimate the power of the global economy. They are constantly looking for ways in which they can expand or benefit from the global and are well aware of the dangers of turning a blind eye to global business markets.
23. Leaders know communication. They are skilled interpersonal and technological communicators. They know the ins and outs of dealing with diverse personalities and they know how email connects them to their front-line staff.
24. Leaders think outside the box, inside the box, and around the box.
25. Leaders are not afraid to take an unorthodox approach. You will never hear anyone say, “We can’t / we can’t do it that way.” They go beyond the “That’s the way we always do it” mentality and they go beyond the “That’s the best way to do it” mentality.
26. Leaders learn from leaders. They look for history, competitors, and mentors. They are not too proud to always learn from those they look up to.
27. Leaders know that there is always something more to learn. They are constantly feeding their minds. They know that the key to progressive transformation is found in ideas. They realize that success is not going to happen. They have to find new ways to make it happen.
28. Leaders give ownership when it is strategically advantageous to do so. They offer rewards and incentives, such as stock options, to keep key employees. They understand that rewards lead to new successes.
29. Leaders create teams to achieve goals. They know that the meeting of two minds can generate opportunities that only one mind can lose. They successfully manage their team interactions to achieve their desired ends.
30. Leaders develop creative ways to eliminate unnecessary bureaucracy or eliminate obstructing bureaucratic practices in order to accelerate vital activities.
31. Leaders know that to keep up and be innovative, they need to educate and train their staff. They provide training, education and workshops to keep the minds that lead in the best competitive way.
32. Leaders focus their people’s efforts on the customer.
33. Leaders understand that key employees are active. They are careful who is hired and appointed, and they understand the knock-on effects of putting the wrong people in the wrong places. Gary DiCamillo, CEO of Polaroid since 1995, has suffered from poor employee retention, loss of key people in sales and product development. Most of these human resources assets are reported to have been lost when DiCamillo took up his role as executive vice president with Judith Boynton, former Amoco controller. Key employees were baffled by the appointment and lost faith in DiCamillo for putting what they thought was an unqualified deputy leader in such a high-ranking position. Polaroid consistently lost $ 166 million since DiCamillo’s reign, from 1995 to 2000. [Source: Forbes 1-22-01 p. 69.]
34. Leaders know how to eliminate the wrong people.
35. Leaders are decisive.
36. Leaders have the courage to live with their decisions. *
37. Leaders work it out when things go wrong. They face problems head-on and deal with the problems at hand quickly and efficiently.
38. Leaders move forward urgently.
39. Leaders protect all assets that give them an advantage. They are careful to establish confidentiality systems and to grant licenses and trademarks of intellectual property, inventions and innovative concepts.
40. Leaders know that even the best product is not enough. Often criticized for not acting fast enough to develop derivative products for its PT Cruiser, DaimlerChrysler recently unveiled prototypes based on the blockbuster PT Cruiser. Why? The market will always ask for something new, better, more versatile, etc. The GT Cruiser Concept has a larger engine, the PT Cruiser Convertible Concept offers a sporty and fun touch, and the Panel Cruiser Concept is offered as a light-duty vehicle with its 119.8 cubic feet and wooden floor. The original PT Cruiser is one of the most sought after vehicles by buyers today; It is sold at full list price and is delayed for months at a time. The DaimlerChrysler possibilities are endless. What are they doing with the product to renew it, increase demand, and prepare to meet that demand?
Look at the list again. How can you better motivate your staff to perform at higher levels? Do you see what could be holding back progress? What might you need to improve on in your quest to run uphill and sixteen flags of victory? Chances are, you’re already doing a good job. The question is, what can you do to turn yourself from good to great? Thrive and enjoy!
© David and Lorrie Goldsmith