People are the most important part of any organization or company. I’m not just talking about customers. I mean the people who are actively working for you, representing your company, bringing customers in and closing them and even your friends and family.
A great leader needs to understand that the team around him at all levels is his or her greatest asset. In order to maximize your “people” asset, you can’t just manage them, you have to inspire them. Lead your team to take ownership of their own careers and see the value of the company’s success.
It is not the policies and procedures that define an organization, but its purpose, not initiatives but inspiration, not mandates but its mission, and not management but leadership. Great companies, organizations and countries are fueled by their leaders, not by their managers. Managers control ‘activities’ and leaders focus on ‘possibilities.’ Management is meant to control policies and procedures, while leadership provides the purpose, passion and influence!
The concept of leadership conjures up images less confining than those associated with management. A leader has the ability to move others to higher levels of activity and achieve goals that were once thought out of reach. The best leaders leverage the desire for personal accomplishment, overcoming of limitations, accomplishing those things not yet done, and even capitalize on a sense of duty! The manager tends to limit himself to the use of monetary carrots or punishment.
A leader needs to know the individual strengths and weaknesses of his or her people. They have to know what to utilize and what they need to train better. Which is why I created my sales IQ test. By allowing a leader to fully understand how their people are thinking , they are able to get the most out of their people.
Leaders know that the most valuable people are not driven by worldly things, but more by lasting personal motivations, like duty, obligation and a sense of responsibility. For any company to be great, the leader must continue to inspire, fuel the mission and provide impetus for the group. No amount of management can make up for a shortage of leadership. While managers can be leaders, great leaders are so vital to an organization it is probably best that they leave managing to others so they can lead. Not everyone needs managing but even leaders respond to leadership!
Be a great leader!
