Leaders Develop Others

Your leadership responsibility is not solely to the financial bottom line. It is to people and to the organization. One of the keenest legacies and biggest contributions a leader can make is to develop others. Whether that is personal mentoring, encouraging someone to continue his or her education, or providing the tools to learn.

Clay Mathile, former owner and CEO of the Iams Company, learned that developing others through education and opportunities for growth and promotion, paid huge dividends for the company. Clay grew Iams from a small regional pet food company, $500,000, to $1 billion before selling it to international conglomerate Proctor & Gamble in 1999.

He established Iams University for the employees and then distributors as well. Developing others leads to better results, people with more confidence, more skill, and a better outlook on life. The bottom line follows.

Leaders are Learners

There are many things that define a leader and being a continuous learner is one of them. Leaders seek out knowledge, go out of their way to learn about subjects beyond their industry or field. They research ways to be better at what they do, to better understand the business world, and learn about human nature and learn from past leaders. They read almost constantly to keep their minds alert and open to new ideas. It helps them also to be better risk takers.

It can be one of the quickest ways to increase your effectiveness. No one is good at all things, we are just not wired that way. To pick up a good book on leadership, attend a workshop, listen to a mentor or trusted advisor, points you in a direction you would not have necessarily known to go, one that pays huge dividends when as a leader you become more effective.

Leaders face reality

So many times when I talk to a business owner or someone in a top management position, I hear them explain away mistakes or lost customers due to poor employee performance. One such incident cost the business a $30,000 job from a referral. The owner didn't express concern at what he heard about how the employee had treated the referral. The referral was not even going to get bids on the job.

What the owner did not face was the great need to make sure his customers and potential customers were being treated with utmost courtesy and professionalism. The employee was trying to protect/shield the owner from the customer! The reality is he didn't know to what extent he was losing business to inappropriate behavior by his employees. It was relatively easy to fix with training and follow up, putting in policies and practices.

Other times, business owners need to face the hard reality that perhaps a product line is not profitable, a senior manager is not longer 'on board' with the direction of the business, a new hire is a wrong fit, or some other major malfunction. It is tough to face the hard issues and tougher to act to correct them.

However, in the long run, it is actually easier to act on the tough decisions and face reality when your business is suffering, losing market share, or rolling out products that are no longer relevant.
It's easier because it sets the organization on the right course, infuses enthusiasm and excitement for employees, and creates a new reality that turns the business around. Getting through a difficult situation with effective strategies and decision making strengthens the leader and the business.