Weekly Thought – August 27, 2024
Fred studied leaders to distill principles which could help others. As a lifelong learner, he consistently applied knowledge to situations for the benefit of developing leaders and organizations. This purpose gave him a strong reputation as a wisdom figure.
Strategy for Winning Leadership
Bill Glass, All-Pro football player of the 1960s, said he was never on a winning team that didn’t have high morale. But the morale came from winning; winning didn’t come from the morale. “That’s what people who are not in leadership don’t understand, Fred.”
It is important for a leader to generate some progress – some “wins” to show people. Browbeating them with their failures is a poor way to motivate. People need to see success, to catch a feeling of progress.
No matter what the circumstances, there is always some kind of progress to be made – and shared. The leader finds out what that is and leads in that direction. It may not be dramatic. But progress is imperative.
Charles Pitts, the man whose company built the Toronto Subway told me, “When you ride up to a site and find fifty or a hundred people standing there waiting for the boss to make a decision, you don’t call a committee meeting. You get them busy immediately. If you don’t know exactly what to do, you at least get them doing something that won’t hurt. People have got to feel the boss knows what ought to be done.”
A leader simply must have the confidence to lead. You can’t afford to get confused in front of your people. If you want to be confused, do it at home!
Every leader also needs to understand that early sacrifices have to earn a place in leadership. When you are young you can’t set out to be both a supreme court justice and a pro athlete. You have to pay the price of preparation.
Many books on the New York Times bestseller list offer the secret formula. Successful organizations understand the truth of what it takes. My friend, Glenn Baldwin, upon selling his very successful financial services company was asked the strategy he used. “Well,” he said, “back when I started twenty-two years ago, I worked very hard and had a good year. Twenty-one years ago, I worked hard and had my second good year. Then twenty years ago, I worked hard and had my third good year. The secret of my success was twenty-two consecutive good years.” The interviewer asked, “Is that all? Wasn’t there some secret?” Glenn replied, “there was no secret, no trick. I just put one good year on top of another.”
He created an energetic environment supported by vision, hard work, and progress. His people bought in and together they built twenty-two years “good years.”
This week consider: 1) How would I answer if asked for my definition of success? 2) Who represents for me a wise leader? 3) What would I say to a young leader about sacrifice?
Words of Wisdom: “A leader must simply have the confidence to lead.”
Wisdom from the Word: “The one who deals wisely in a matter will find success, and blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:20 NET Bible)