In my last blog I wrote about competitive change and its effects on our Industry. This profound topic of change permeates all aspects of business. This blog will focus on evolving leadership methods. Effective leadership can steer a company toward a successful future. It can also keep its workers interested and invested in the health, profitability and the direction of the company.
So where does great leadership start? Many creative and sustainable leadership qualities are found in entrepreneurial companies. In an effort to follow their lead, other enterprises have taken these proven qualities andsliced, diced and repackaged them. The goal was to drive creativity and force change—just like successful entrepreneurs have done throughout history. This process and the resulting adaptations have helped individuals and departments remain energized by challenging convention internally and competition externally.
I believe one of my most important duties as a CEO is to manage change on a wide range of fronts: competition, technology and staffing. Internally, I know I must continually challenge weaknesses and not be satisfied with the status quo. Today, it is more necessary than ever to challenge convention. The pace of technology, margin-challenged competition, plus management and workforce issues means constantly examining the horizon for signs of brewing change that demand creative solutions. In effect, we must react to external changes by implementing internal ones.
It is no surprise that leadership can be complicated. Driving a company like ours requires great inner strength, discipline and flexibility. We must look at options we may have rejected or not considered in the past. And, that means changing old behaviors, starting at the top. For when leadership begins to change its way of thinking, the rest of the organization finds it easier to follow.
Like many others in our industry, as I grew my business I enjoyed certain perks. Most important of all might be just doing things “my way.” For instance, in the past we dictated actions. Today, we model behaviors. The reputation of my company is molded by me. I can tell my staff about the way I want them to interact with our customers and hope for the best, or, I can demonstrate a posture of assistance and caring that is so much easier to emulate.
Don’t get me wrong, we are still innovators and market leaders, but the way we as a company, and me as its leader now make decisions is both constrained and energized by the rapid role of change. For this “chief change manager,” self-awareness is the requisite skill. Being unprepared or having a negative perspective around change will obscure the details and only make decision making more difficult. Get the help you need to change your paradigm or hire the talent you need to complement your own. Change is here to stay! Be ready for it. Any comments out there?
