Monday, July 20, 2009

To Boldly Go

The "leading" part of leadership is most important right now. Not false leadership (I am a manager therefore I am a leader) but the real fundamental philosophy behind the word "leader:" to do what no one else has done.

Leadership is about going where others are not, doing what others are not, thinking what others are not. Corporate America has become a hum-drum exercise in mediocrity: everybody doing pretty much what everybody else is doing. No one seems to be taking risks. No one (with a few exceptions) seems to be doing anything to stand out and be different. And yet everyone claims to be offering better service, a better product, a better price. But it’s really all just the same.

During this economic downturn, senior execs were so busy slashing budgets and expenses that they had no time to concentrate on how they could deliver better, innovate better, create better and be better. Why? Because they were cutting the very budgets that would have allowed that. They were cutting because everyone else was cutting.

If you're cutting, you're not creating. If you're cutting, you're not generating new ideas. If you're cutting, you're managing not leading. If you’re cutting because everyone else is cutting, then you’re following, not leading.

The leadership Attitude most required right now is to step out and be noticed and allow your people to step out and be noticed. It will fuel the barrage of ideas that follow. We, as an economy, need that Leadership Attitude right now. And we need to do it differently.

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