We have used this space to talk about leadership many times in the past, and no doubt, will continue to talk about it in the future.\u00a0 It is, after all, a critically important topic.\u00a0 If you go to the business section of a bookstore or a library, you\u2019ll find the shelves are packed with books on leadership.\u00a0 There are endless opinions about the characteristics of a great leader and the components of great leadership.\u00a0 And all this dialogue about leadership stems from one inescapable fact: no organization . . . political, military, civic, business, religious, educational, or any other kind of organization . . . can succeed without it.\u00a0 It\u2019s the glue that holds an organization together and gives it purpose, direction, and energy.\u00a0 Yet despite its enormous importance, most privately held businesses devote little or no resources to developing leadership skills among their managers who are in, or will soon be in, key leadership positions.\u00a0 So collectively, we small business people must believe:<\/p>\n
False, false, and false.\u00a0 For more on this, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cManagement is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 ~ <\/strong>Peter Drucker<\/em><\/p>\n As we have said, there are thousands upon thousands of quotations on leadership uttered by famous leaders, but Drucker\u2019s is as good as any, so let\u2019s go with his.<\/p>\n The problem with Drucker\u2019s quotation . . . a problem shared by most of the other quotations on leadership . . . is that it implies we already know the \u201cright things\u201d to do.\u00a0 But we don\u2019t.\u00a0 When we\u2019re in uncharted territory, and we come to a fork in the path, which direction is the \u201cright\u201d one for us to choose?\u00a0 This is where leaders really earn their keep, when they must lead the way down a path that is not very well marked.\u00a0 Still, where do these leadership skills come from?\u00a0 Are good leaders born with them?<\/p>\n A few are, but most are not.\u00a0 That is, some people seemingly have good natural instincts that guide them when leadership is required, but they are in the minority.\u00a0 For most of us in the world of small business, particularly those of us who are younger and less experienced, we\u2019re suddenly thrust into leadership situations unprepared, and we just have to figure it out as we go, tripping and stubbing a lot of toes along the way.\u00a0 Unfortunately, some of those trips and stubs can be both costly and damaging to the organization.<\/p>\n This is where training or coaching or mentoring comes in.\u00a0 Before we throw them into the deep end of the pool, we really need to take our up-and-comers who are in line for a leadership role and give them some basic leadership tools to work with.\u00a0 For instance:<\/p>\n So yeah, good leadership is more than saying a few motivational words and telling the team to \u201ctake that hill.\u201d\u00a0 A lot more.\u00a0 It takes some very specific skills that most of us did not learn while we were still in the womb.<\/p>\n Then how do we train our people in these skills?<\/p>\n Check with junior colleges in your area.\u00a0 Many of them offer courses in basic leadership that are both effective and affordable.\u00a0 Or, it might even be more cost-effective to take a \u201ctrain the trainer\u201d approach by sending just one of your leadership candidates to the class and let him or her train the others.\u00a0 Or, if you have more experienced members of your staff who are already skilled leaders, ask them to establish mentoring relationships with your up-and-comers.\u00a0 Of course, there are also consultants who offer themselves as leadership coaches, and while that may be the most expensive option, it might also give you the best result.<\/p>\n The point is, if you just throw would-be leaders into the deep end of the pool and let them flounder around trying to figure it all out, they may become discouraged, lose the confidence of the people they\u2019re supposed to lead, and lose an opportunity to play a starring role in your company.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let that happen.\u00a0 Good leaders are just too hard to find.\u00a0 A little training, coaching, or mentoring will do wonders and will pay big dividends.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We have used this space to talk about leadership many times in the past, and no doubt, will continue to talk about it in the future.\u00a0 It is, after all, a critically important topic.\u00a0 If you go to the business section of a bookstore or a library, you\u2019ll find the shelves are packed with books<\/p>\n\n