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Article
A Recipe for Leadership
By
Jim Dunham
Senior Consultant Industry is made up of people of diverse cultures, interests, and experiences who are stirred together for success. But people still need leadership! They need someone to buffer all their fears and anxieties—someone who can lead in a way that makes things happen, who brings positive ingredients to the swirling winds of change, who demonstrates quick and cool thinking, who delivers results, and who operates well in ever-shifting conditions.
Mom, God rest her soul, was a wonderful cook. When asked how she made a certain dish, her standard reply was “Don’t know exactly, but it has a pinch of this and a dash of that, and all the ingredients are put in a pot and stirred.” The same is true of leadership—ingredients are important, and with a pinch of this and a dash of that, we have seen organizations soar. Yet, if an ingredient is left out or too little incorporated, the organization under performs or goes out of business.
My recipe for leadership would include:
 | A pinch of self: The reason it is just a pinch is that a leader today has to know who he or she is and must avoid the ego that can accompany success. A leader must be able to look in the mirror and understand the importance of strong self-worth. In
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey writes, “I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.” It is important to understand that you have to take responsibility for yourself before you can lead.
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| A dash of skill: Vision is not some esoteric idea that floats in a cloud and comes to only a few. Vision comes from hard work and education, but not necessarily a college degree. Vision comes about through reading, thinking, and exposure to new ideas and trends. You must have a picture of where you are going, because that enables and energizes everyone to get there. A leader has to believe that it can be done.
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Leaders need to be aggressive in setting goals for an organization. Not the micro-management goals you often see, but goals that stretch and challenge an organization to go further and higher. It’s the leader’s job to challenge standard incremental thinking. If you don’t push the organization, it won’t push itself.
A leader must focus people on the results. If you have supplied a vision and goals and have driven these things throughout the organization, hold people accountable for progress every day in some way.
The ability to delegate is crucial to the success of an organization. Think about it: every day, we ask employees to hang up their brain and ideas and do what we say when we say it. That’s why so many people look forward to leaving work at the end of the day—to return to a place where their abilities and desires are appreciated. The people who report to you might not do something exactly how you would do it, or write it how you may write it, but if they believe in what they have done they will make it happen.
| Add good people until the flavor suits, then stir: When you stand in front of a large group, do you see a single mass or do you see each individual with his or her dreams, needs, and aspirations? A good leader will see the individuals and will help them reach their goals.
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Be there with them and among them. Leaders who hide behind closed doors or are always away cannot connect with the people and will always have trouble creating visions and goals.
Surrounding yourself with a good team is critical. Look for positive attitudes. Coach them on the business, not just their jobs. Provide education and training. And challenge them to think and use what they’ve learned. Development takes time, but it pays off.
Directions: Combine these ingredients into an organization, stir until it simmers, then serve hot to the marketplace. It is guaranteed to delight! Don’t ever lose sight of the main ingredient in leadership—it’s not the pinch of you or the dash of skill, but the large measure of good people. Without people, there can be no leader.
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