Great leaders don’t solve problems. They see to it that problems get solved. When people come to us with their problems, some of us can’t wait to jump in and tell the person who owns the problem how to fix it. Nothing could be worse for three reasons: 1) the person who owns the problem may very well dump all their problems on you in the future, or 2) you may offend them because you are indirectly telling him or her that they don’t have the intelligence to fix things on their own, and 3) Once you, the manager gets involved, you immediately assume responsibility for the problem and the consequences of the advice given. Consider the fact that the person who owns the problem is in the best position to fix it. Attracting and Retaining Strong Leaders Great leadership needs to start at the top, which is why I’m a huge proponent of leadership training. CEO’s are a special breed – they take risks, push themselves hard, can smell the blood of new business, and know how to negotiate and close deals. And then they get back to the office and must deal with egos, attitudes, under-performers, complainers, and a host of other issues they would rather ignore, or don’t know how to deal with and, thus, wears on their patience. Failing to deal with these issues erodes a healthy culture. What Now? As the CEO or owner of your company, you need to surround yourself with people who have the same level of passion, determination and drive to win as you do. The only way to drive such a culture is by practicing and perfecting strong leadership skills.
Register now for the January 19th IBAW meeting. Ideal for Upper Management & HR.