I’m not anti-guru, but as a guy with several decades of
technology leadership experience, several engineering degrees, and an MBA, I’m
not about to start writing self-help books.
I do want to bring up the idea of courage vis-à-vis leadership.
World War I Ace Eddie Rickenbacker defined courage as “doing what you’re afraid
to do.” You always (ALWAYS) need to do what’s right, especially when it’s
extremely uncomfortable.
What do I mean? Some examples:
Dealing with bullies. Yeah, you know what I’m talking about. It
could be a subordinate, your boss, or a colleague, but these are the clowns who
have learned how to make people without courage bend to their will. That’s good
for them in the short-term, but it’s bad for the company. It may go down like this: you follow up on a
report from a subordinate and he tells you to back off, he’s working on
something else, and he’ll get to your report when he’s ready.
You can’t ever (EVER) back down. I’m not talking about
getting into a fight, shouting match, etc. Keep it professional, but you must
stand your ground, or else you won’t be leading.
Dealing with tough situations. You’re the boss, and you can’t
delegate your accountability. Make hard decisions grounded in integrity and the
values of your company. Don’t take the expedient route, or you’ll be – in effect
– training your staff to also take the expedient route. Don’t think you can
keep it secret – they’ll know.
Hiding. If action
needs to be taken to correct an unpleasant situation, don’t hide. Everyone’s
looking to you for leadership; if you shirk your responsibility, you’ll lose
the respect of your employees.
I’m not the guy to help you find your courage, but we’ve
helped thousands of business owners and leaders around the globe create incredibly
effective businesses through coaching, mentorship, access, and expertise. Give
us a call (202) 640-1908 or send us an e-mail to chat about your business!
Ingar Grev
Comments
Post a Comment