I once heard an economist in Washington, D.C. speak about the attributes that make a great business leader. He shocked me when he said, “Most business owners today are a joke and very few understand the fundamentals of business.” He continued, “Without understanding business fundamentals, one could never be a great leader.” What a know it all! After listening to him for almost an hour, I couldn’t take any more and went on my way.
That was 12 years ago and since that time, I have coached and worked with a significant number of business owners. While I would never say they’re a joke, I would say there are many business owners that will never experience the type of success that I now believe that economist was describing.
Going through his comments, it was easy to hear his “economist” discipline. As I’ve gained more experience over the years working with owners, I have come to understand just a bit more about what he was saying. His point was that great leaders would always strive for excellence. They would never ignore best practices or fundamentals and most likely they would be a master of business execution.
Being a great leader vs. just being the leader by default assures any business that their leader wants to succeed more than anyone in their industry. Understanding business fundamentals can be a strong competitive advantage if you apply the joke stats from above.
Since I work mostly with business owners and their sales organizations, my interest was to analyze his comments as it associated to sales leadership and their resulting success. I will tell you that finding a great sales leader in our industry, and for that matter, any industry is extremely difficult. When I started to think about business fundamentals and lay that up against the requirements and need for any company to have a great sales leader, his words became clearer to me that a default leader could be a joke, as far as what great leadership could do for any company.
Where does great leadership come from? Are you born with it, can it be taught? All through history you can see great leadership from many places. Who would deny that many of the great people in our country’s history possessed fortitude, knowledge and the fundamentals, which helped propel or expose their greatness? I truly believe that great leaders come from people who are first great followers. They are someone who at a certain point in life decided that they wanted more than to just ‘dance to the daily music of everyday life.’ I also believe that there are some people, even in leadership positions, who remain followers forever.
Weren’t all great presidents first just an ordinary citizen? Weren’t most great generals first just a soldier? All great teachers begin as students! But not everyone is called to ‘greatness.’ I think that great leaders come from those who have the drive and determination to be great. They strive to be great in everything they do. What’s more, every great leader can always describe the birth of their leadership desire, by reciting the name of that influential mentor, teacher or leader who ignited their inner desire to lead. Some great followers do become great leaders.
Great leaders do not just excel at one thing. Every great leader I’ve met wants to be great at everything. If you’re a great leader, there are those who are watching you and learning through your example. However, if you’re just a great follower thrust into a leadership position, those observing you won’t reap the same benefit. Great leaders don’t like to fail, but are even great when they do. As difficult as that may be to understand, they display an amazing resolve despite defeat and although uncomfortable, they, through their desire to not fail again, learn from their failure and redirect the future to prevent that experience from reoccurring.
The fundamentals that the economist spoke about had more to do with life than business. Those that he called a joke were most likely one of two types; those who chose not to be great, or those that quite possibly are missing the DNA for greatness and would forever remain a follower. You can’t make a zebra into a black stallion!
In our industry, a dealer principal or business owner may not be great. There are those out there who have decided to just fill the default leader role. Do you ever wonder why some dealers experience amazing growth and success and others deal with constant turnover and strife?
Great leadership creates leaders within the organization at every level. A great business owner will nurture and create a great sales leader. A great sales leader will nurture and create great salesmen. Great salesmen will nurture and create great relationships and interactions with the service and admin teams and so on. When I perform sales assessments at the beginning of a consulting engagement, we evaluate all levels, from the top to the bottom. It may surprise you to find out how often the biggest problems reside in the business owner’s mirror.
I see this profile all the time; it’s very likely that their company will never be great. As great leaders create great leaders, mediocrity or default leaders create the same.
Another disastrous combination can be when a great leader works for a follower owner or senior management. Occasionally this works out, when management recognizes the potential of that employee and properly positions them to deliver greatness and leadership. But, most of the time, especially in the SMB space, it creates a serious threat situation that ultimately leads to a turnover or worse. An employee in this situation can use their mastery of leadership to help and guide the senior management but often their abilities and potential are not received well and so success goes unrealized.
Great leaders thirst for the win, but it doesn’t come easy. It may look easy to an outsider, but I assure you, a great leader is constantly learning, changing and measuring their effectiveness and results. They question everything, especially the things which they do personally.
You may ask yourself, what does all of this leadership and business fundamentals talk have to do with the day-to-day execution of the average office technology company? I think it’s easy to see that we’ve left “average” in this article and everything we’re discussing has to do with pursuing greatness and excellence in leadership. So for the business owner, where do you start?
First, you have to discover if you’re a leader or a follower. Second, if you’re leader, are you a great leader? If you’re a follower in the leadership role, are you willing to find and hire a great leader to lead your company? Success can only come if you’re honest regarding your personal capabilities and the intent to fix them. This step alone can launch amazing results in creating a ‘stallion-run’ company. I speak about a stallion not in male or female terms but as it relates to the leader of the herd. Once a great leader is engaged, you will feel a difference in your company and so will everyone else.
How do you know if you have great leadership in your company? Your company is growing and securing new business. Customers are contented and very happy with their relationship with you. Your management team is energized, competent and successful. They’re nurturing their teams to greatness and although problems do arise, their handling of each issue is done with respect and competency.
A great leader recognizes the value of each employee, which easily flows through them to your customers and prospects. You may not win every prospect but when you do lose, EVERYONE in your company will feel the loss equally. They know and appreciate what you do for them and readily reciprocate in their performance. A whatever-it-takes attitude fills their hearts. Don’t make light of this; it’s not a Kumbaya moment you’re after, it’s ongoing respect and performance in a perpetual business engine. When you possess the elements of great leadership you’ll create a strong, competitive profile. The best candidates and prospective customers will be attracted to this and want to do business with you.
Why is it so hard to understand that you reap what you sow? You’ve heard it said a million times, “We’re really great when we’re in front of the customer!” Why aren’t we great everywhere?
