When business performance needs to be improved, it may well be wise to start the improvement process by first exploring the source of the leadership in that business. From my coaching experience I have found that in many instances where a business is not performing, the leadership direction is unclear and is not understood by the team.
Leadership is about painting a current picture of the future in the form of a vision. The common thing in all of the great leadership stories of the world is the ability to create that vision and then be able to share that vision with the people. Leadership is a powerful creative tool and when embraced by business owners, has immense impact on the success that can be obtained in that business.
Managers in corporations have been guided by this concept for some time and for ‘tomorrow’s leaders’ the following has been written.
“Every executive, every manager, to fulfil the role, must have a vision – a vision of where the organisation will be and what it will look like in the future.
They must create that vision and then share it with those reporting to them, if they are to gain a high level of employee involvement and commitment and attain a high level of productivity.” ‘Anon’
I like to compare it with a bus, and your employees and indeed your customers are all on the bus. And how can you expect the right people to get on your bus if they don’t know where it is going. It is the vision that tells them where it is headed.
So it is in business. To succeed, the business owner must paint the picture and be willing to share that vision with the team. It is from this beginning that so many success stories have evolved. It is in the absence of this beginning that so many businesses have failed.
Who is driving your business? It is in this area of business development that the small to medium size business owner will be challenged when the future direction becomes unclear because of rapid and continual changes occurring within the market place and the speed of the change generated by the technological age that we live in. Excellence in the level of service demanded by the customer today increases as you meet the level of his expectations of yesterday. Just think of motor cars and the standards of safety, reliability and durability that apply today versus even 10 years ago. And in relative terms the price has not increased in the same way. So the need to continue to deliver to the market place, a product or service that is better today then it was yesterday will challenge the visions that the leader will create and the team will receive. Low team moral, absenteeism and resignations are some signs that leadership has become engulfed and is in need of repair.
But your vision for your business is not just about products and services, or just about the size and location of your premises. It is also about the culture that you want to create or maintain as you grow. This derives from the values by which you want your team to be guided. How do you want your team to conduct itself in pursuit of your vision and goals? Those who do not share your core values should not be on the bus with you, and the sooner you articulate your values the sooner you can ensure that only those who share them come on the journey with you.
For further discussion on the above strategy or coaching services, you may reach me through the Epoch Times Goods and Services 24/7 Freephone number 1800-848-414.
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Monday, March 22, 2010
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