I recently read an article from a top business magazine in which a successful former CEO was asked what the best business advice they had ever received. After some thought he shared the story of a breakfast meeting with a group of business leaders in Dallas at which one of the gentlemen, a folksy kind of fellow, plainspoken, who noted to no one in particular during the meeting that, “When everything gets really complicated and you feel overwhelmed, think about it this way. You gotta do three things. First, get the cow out of the ditch. Second, find out how the cow got into the ditch. Third, make sure you do whatever it takes so the cow doesn’t go into the ditch again.”
While the folksy “cow quote” above covers just about every situation, I also have learned that one of the best ways to learn is from studying the advice and examples of top business leaders. This can be through books, articles, blogs, RSS feeds, or personal experiences. I thought I would share some ideas I have gleaned concerning managing when defining a problem and moving forward.
- No Control – when you don’t have control over an issue don’t waste your time fretting over such things. Leaders have a tendency to take control of things in order to be effective; however, there are things that pop up occasionally that you don’t have control of and requires adjustment. When this happens, don’t waste your time … do what you can and move on to more productive matters as quickly as possible.
- Delegate – good leaders know what and when to delegate. Easy or repetitive matters should be delegated to others. A leader holds on to those that are challenging, difficult, and most worthwhile to the situation. This is how they continue to grow and lead.
- Focus on your function – in a challenging situation, it’s important to manage the function, not the paperwork. Always keep in mind what you are to manage and stay focused on accomplishing that first. Don’t be distracted by paperwork or “the thick of thin things.” Results are all that counts.
- Manage By Wandering Around (MBWA) – Tom Peter’s taught this concept in his book In Search of Excellence … and I am a strong advocate of this tactic. It’s important for a leader to get out of their office and be amongst the people (the doers). This is how and where you find out what’s really going on within the organization. Furthermore, you will learn that it’s often easier and quicker to leave another work area (office) than to get someone to leave your office.
- Listen Intentionally – we’ve all heard that we have two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk … and that’s good advice. If you let them … if you really pay attention … you will find that your peers, your employees, your suppliers, your customers and your friends all have something of value in what they have to say … and they want to share … especially with the leader. You will miss many great opportunities if you mistakenly think others only want to hear what you think. You learn best from others … what you have to say you already know. So use listening as a learning opportunity.
- Other’s Mistakes – in line with the previous point, keep in mind that you can learn from the mistakes of others. As one of my mentors told me, “You won’t live long enough to make them all yourself. So learn from others and don’t repeat theirs.” Which leads us to the axiom “Leaders are Readers and Readers are Leaders.”
- Make your Smartphone your BFF – learn your Smartphone well … use it to the max. If used properly and efficiently it will become your best friend forever (BFF). It’s your calendar … so put any appointment or meeting in it immediately … including an appropriate date to prepare for it. It’s your rolodex … it’s your email partner … it’s your Internet connection. Don’t change devices every time a new and improved model comes out. Take the time to learn your device so you can maximize its use … to maximize your efficiency … your results. This is your connection to everything! Can’t emphasize this enough!
- Two Dashboards – create and develop a Dashboard to keep up with the key result areas (KRA) of your business. This is vital for you to stay on top of your functions. I suggest you take it a step further and have a second Dashboard for your personal life … your health, emotional, spiritual, and family life are important to your business life … give it the same attention.
- Be THE Example – to be a good leader you have to lead by example. Don’t look for your people to put in extra time if you leave early every day. Don’t fly first class or stay in four-star hotels if you expect your employees to stay in mid level or budget motels.
- Show integrity and honesty – always! Seek excellence.
© Phil Hoffman 2016. All rights reserved
I Am Phil Hoffman 