The Leadership Success Combo
Grateful for life
It is a wonderful day and the greatest miracle just happened in your life. You woke up alive. As a leader you ought to be grateful for the gift of life. When you are grateful, your cup will always be full of good things. God will fill you with a fresh influx of knowledge and information when you carry a grateful heart. Since you are a leader, you should strive to learn from every situation. The most important thing you need as a leader is the right information so that the quality of your decision making is enhanced. Leaders are as good as their decisions.
The Legacy of Jack Welch
Bravo to great leaders, such as the legendary Jack Welch, who caused a paradigm shift in corporate America and ultimately in our world through his radical idea of closing all the businesses of GE which were not competitive. Most businesses would benefit from his great approach of concentrating in areas of strength rather than depleting resources in areas of survival. Optimal resource utilization is a key which every leader should master.
Leaders Must be decisive
If there is a weakness most leaders have, it is the guts to pull the trigger on what is not working. You see people you cannot flog a dead horse. Sometimes you have to get enough sense so that you do the needful. The Holy Book talks about the importance of fruitful leadership. It says every tree that is not productive shall be cut off and burnt. This also speaks to non-performers to pull up their socks or be relegated to the corporate dustbin.
Leaders are holistic in their approach
It is important that as a leader you have a strategy. Without a strategy, you cannot accomplish much. However, I will be dishonest If I submit that the strategy is all that is needed. It has to come as part of a combo. A good strategy will benefit greatly from having a good or great team. However, a strategy and a team will not automatically bring you leadership success. The third component is called action, although most technocrats love to call it execution. A good strategy, sold to good people and executed well will guarantee you success at any given time.
Leaders Build Winning Teams
As a person you ought to realize that there are three types of people on earth. The ones who wish things can happen, the ones who watch things happen and the ones who make things happen. As a leader I expect you to be one who makes things to happen. Your job as a leader is like that of a soccer coach. The purpose of a coach is not to play. The role of a leader is to harness all the expertise that is needed and make things work. As a coach you are not expected to get the ball behind the net. However, you are expected to put together a team that can be able to do so under your watch.
Leaders Build Intentionally
In leadership, you ought to equip your team well. A well-equipped team will go places and get the job done. As much as you are equipping the team to deal with resistance from renegades by re-educating them and re-aligning them to the big picture. Be patient with people because they are not things. Allow them to make mistakes but utilize them as serious learning moments. It is okay to make a mistake, but it is catastrophic to keep repeating the same mistake. That is incompetence and may need re-deployment or re-engineering.
Do Not Underestimate the Value of People
In order to succeed in leadership, remember your greatest assets and allies are people. Learn to apply the golden rule with them. Do unto them what you desire them to do unto you. Be demanding yet humane, focused yet considerate. Learn to communicate the truth without compromise, but always do it in love. Make it a habit to make more emotional deposits in the lives of your team members and very few emotional withdrawals. The secret is always in balancing the process to the performance.
Know the time to exit
When all is said and done, love to listen. As a leader you learn more when listening than talking. I see you going higher. I see you seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, ruling and reigning with wisdom. Even when you feel powerful and dominant, remain humble and remember Christ will always be the true benchmark of leadership. Like Christ always know when your time to leave has come. When that time comes, get up, stand up and say your byes. You will be a legend and icon forever. Master the law of leadership timing.
May the leader in you rise to conquer, the next level is the only acceptable level.
