When you exercise, your trainer always tells you “work from the core”. The reason we work from the core is because it transforms the entire body. In business I use this concept. Total success happens only when you work from the core.
Great work is done from the inside out.
Having a senior management or executive position does not automatically qualify you as a good leader. What determines your leadership capabilities is how you are able to find, groom and develop a good team. Rolling up your sleeves, getting into the grit of the mess and motivating people to change the way they see things, convincing them of the personal benefit that lies ahead – that is true leadership.
People will work if they believe in the goal and are committed to the process.
The result of any accomplishment or failure stems directly from what happens at the core of an organization. C-Suite executives are not the only one’s tasked with the responsibility of ensuring organizational sustainability. More often, these executives are the face of an organization; in their respective positions they rely on their leadership team to execute and deliver on expectations. Senior management may come and go, however good leadership endures the test of time. With solid leadership in place, an organization can withstand would-be disasters stemming from CEO’s moving from one organization to another.
Great leaders focus on three core internal objectives: Execution, Team Building and Effective Communication.
Execution. Leaders don’t need the spotlight. Being on the cover of a magazine or doing interviews with the media isn’t what leadership is about. If you are busy doing all those things, who is running the company? In Larry Bossidy’s Book – Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, he says: “To build an execution organization, the leader has to be present to create and reinforce the social software with the desired behaviors and the robust dialogue.” Execution generally comes from middle managers, supervisors, and line managers. These are the people who get things done; delivering on expectations handed out from the top-down.
Team Building. Leadership is about creating an open platform and welcoming environment where employees feel comfortable expressing their opinions and knowledge with one another. Learning how to trust co-workers and support one another is essential. Leaders provide opportunity for employees to engage with each other and they have a special way of utilizing the competencies of others to foster a cohesive environment.
Communicate the Vision. Managers and leaders communicate differently. While a manager may command a task, a leader will make a request. Leaders explain the purpose of the task and the value it can create for the producer. A manager issues the order and deadline requirements. It is the leadership team that delivers on those orders by utilizing effective communication paired with motivation and employee engagement practices. Effectively communicating the vision of the organization to an employee brings them into the conversation. It allows them to see the personal gain achievable with their help. Bottom line – if employees are not sold-out to the vision, they will not consistently produce quality work.
In sum, great leaders work internally; individually and collectively. They see a need and meet it with empathy, understanding, patience, motivation and strategy. The success of an organization is the direct result of good leadership developed from the core.
Mary V. Davids is the Founder and Managing Member of D&M Consulting Services, LLC. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management and a Master’s Degree in Human Resource Management. Mary has over a decade of experience in cultivating employee engagement, enhancing employee motivation and workplace performance, leadership coaching and training & development. She also serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors for the South Florida Chapter of the National Association of African American’s in Human Resources. Book Mary to speak at your next event or hire Mary for leadership & professional development consultation today. Follow Mary on twitter @MVDavids.