Over the last three months, we’ve discussed what can be done to face up to the factors and trends that are affecting us and our ability to improve the business design and our team, in order to realize our potential growth. For example, addressing the speed of technological change and using it, engaging our customers or prospects through knowing more about what they’re going through, their wants, and especially their needs.

Knowing their changing buying behaviour; adapting our offering so it matches up to those wants and needs, so we can retain and attract more clients and beat back the ever increasing competition; describing our improved offering in a compelling and resonating way, so we can entice present clients to buy more and get the attention of prospects; creating an innovation team process, so we’re constantly adapting and collaborating with clients instead of arrogantly telling them what to do; attracting, retaining and building people who become skilled team ambassadors of our offering; building a change process; building a higher value/higher fee special team who have the required expertise to beat back price pressures; having a ‘go to market’ sales strategy and sales process that follows the trusted advisor model desired by clients today; and providing personal and success driven development to more than just the top executives or owners so everyone can become trusted advisors and future leaders.

All these actions are not necessarily new or unknown, yet the difference between moving the business forward with these actions or not, is leadership. Good management will produce efficiency. To be more effective, no change is possible without exceptional leadership.

All leaders are different but, generally, leaders usually have the following traits:

Leaders drive effective management practices.

• They not only see what has to done but arouse the team to do it.
• They’re strategic – not just operational in nature.
• They direct by articulating a picture of the desired state of the business, engage everyone to see current reality, do it with a positive, encouraging energy, creating a sense of urgency, always have action plans in place that move the organization towards that picture, are focused on building productive winners, delegate, coach and schedule time to be with their team.
• They realize that, left alone, a team won’t change.
• They organize the business by putting in place the elements of the business that support the offering – such as better scheduling and matching appropriate talent with the clients needs and aspirations.
• They’re builders. It’s tough tearing down and building at the same time, so they’re inspirational communicators.
• They excel at speaking, impacting groups, and at human relations.

From my 50 years experience in helping companies grow and coaching business people to change and improve, I can attest to the fact that anyone can get better at leadership behaviours. There seems to be an enormous leadership gap in firms but it isn’t terminal. We aren’t trees – we can and do change. It can be made incredibly complicated by academics and those who sell information, but a structured leadership process along with a supportive but objective coach in a supportive group, usually produces incredible results and could be the best investment of resources you make in 2016.

Again, you can improve the leadership of your team and yourself but you are probably like most teams.

1. You can’t see how you act. Others can. You may not see the need. Some kind of testing or an experienced coach can help determine what you need.
2. You confuse management with leadership. Effective managers are useful but, to advance a business, leadership is the ticket.
3. You may confuse education and information with behaviour change. Leadership development must be experiential. We don’t put much into action without establishing performance goals, practice, rehearsals and coaching.

How about your team’s leadership? Who is trying to cause change but often isn’t heard? Who needs to be involved in some sort of leadership development? How about yourself?

What are you going to do? Again, do!

Have a great week!

Kevin D. Crone
Chairman
Dale Carnegie Business Group
kdcrone@dalecarnegie.ca
(905) 826-7300 / 1-800-361-2032
www.dalecarnegie.ca
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