“The essence of great leadership is influence, not authority. “ Ken Lear
My first question to any employee is forget everything about the company—what do you really want to do with your life? What’s the dream?
Good employees had good answers.
My role then became helping them to their goals. It didn’t matter if their goals where not exactly in line with my company goals. What was more important was my company goals were aligned with their dreams.
I run creative companies. They thrive on dreams. But all great companies do.
People don’t switch off their lives when they walk in your door. They have a purpose for being in your company. Understanding that purpose helps you to cast their role in your company properly.
Productivity comes from productive people. You can’t slog your way to productivity. You have to move forward at pace. And that pace comes from personal goals.
Leadership is an action word. Leaders need to lead. But great leaders know how to lead with messages shaped by the aspiration of their employees. Weak leadership threatens, strong leadership persuades.