Leaders: Making it happen

Corporate CEO's, managers and small business entrepreneurs are desperately searching for the same thing. Do you know what it is? They spend great amounts of time and energy searching for what seems to be as elusive as cupping water in the palm of a hand.

What is it? Leadership! In talking with hundreds of business decision makers every year, the story is always the same. Each says, in one way or another, that they have a huge need for better leadership within their organization. Lack of leadership is the downfall of every organization. Does this echo a story you are familiar with?

Leadership does not necessarily mean standing in front of people barking orders or being the one who is always in first position while charging up a hill. Leadership should run through the veins of each person within the organization, whether you are a top-ranking executive or a front line employee.

I hear, over and over again, these top character traits of leadership that are in high demand: The ability to take personal initiative, to foster a unified team, to communicate well with others, and to execute what needs to be done.

A leader is someone who is proactive rather than reactive. Waiting for others to direct behavior is the opposite of initiative. Volunteering your ideas and stepping forward when something needs to be done are great examples of personal initiative. Followers wait for people to tell them what to do - leaders don't.

Effective leaders don't divide; they unite. Creating a unified team is the job of every leader within an organization. The person who works well with others is an invaluable leader. The person who sets aside his or her own personal agenda for the greater good is priceless. Leaders are also great at uniting others because they confront and resolve divisions and conflict that inevitably crop up. Ultimately, leaders create a "can-do" encouraging spirit that uplifts others. Their words and actions strengthen cohesiveness and cooperation. Maybe that's what Helen Keller was teaching us when she shared, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

Leaders are master communicators, too. They understand that people are different and need to communicate in different ways. Great leaders have an awareness of each person's unique contribution. Leaders know when they need to be compassionate, when they need to be firm, and when they need to listen so others can speak. The best leaders you know are the ones who listen more than they talk. That is why Benjamin Disraeli reminded us that, "Nature has given us two ears but only one mouth."

You know this to be true. The best leaders engage in effective communication with customers, coworkers and management. Leaders win the support and committed involvement needed to achieve goals through effective communication.

Homer, the great Greek philosophical leader of ancient times, wrote: "Leadership is to be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds." The art of execution is perhaps the most pronounced attribute of an effective leader. A person who is driven toward results and gets things done is unequivocally in high demand. A customer service representative who fulfills the needs of a customer is practicing effective leadership. The same is true with the person who meets or exceeds a sales quota or the person who accurately ships an order to the end-user. The motto of a leader is: Let's make it happen!

Leaders are not born; they are trained. Every person who is an effective leader will say that they were trained, coached or mentored. Leaders are created through cultivation. Follow Eleanor Roosevelt's advice, "Character building begins in our infancy, and continues until death." If you want people in your organization to be leaders you must invest in leadership development training.

Many times when other companies are offering the same products and services, the only way to differentiate is through superior human skills. The bottom line is that a more productive employee is a well-trained employee.

Mega-corporations understand this and willingly invest in providing training for their employees, especially management and top ranking executives. Over the years large corporations have even created their own in-house universities to further develop employee performance.

Skills in time management, strategic planning, leadership, communication, sales, and teamwork are learned behaviors. Multi-million dollar organizations have realized that any skill, from tying your shoes to driving your car to managing your time to being a leader, requires training.

These skills give companies an advantage over their competitors. If you doubt this, simply think of a company that does not set goals, wastes their time, communicates poorly and lacks leadership - you'll see a business that is failing or is out-of-business.

Today, just about everyone has access to the information that can help you become a better leader! The library has it, books, magazines and newspapers contain it, training programs present it, self-development audio programs share it, Internet sites are booming with it. Access to this information has never been greater. What is stopping you from advancing your leadership skill set?

Our front yard, northern Nevada, has dozens of resources to choose from to develop effective leadership within an organization. All it takes is personal initiative in the form of opening a phone book, or doing a Web search, or getting a referral from a friend to find a list of leadership training and coaching companies. Interview several of them and determine which would best serve your leadership development needs.

Organizations that don't provide leadership development training can expect to get average results. Is your organization mediocre? If so, you have the power to change. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric and a leadership guru, said it best: "An organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage."

Best of success to you!

Jeffrey Benjamin is the co-author of "Real Life Habits for Success" and the founder of Breakthrough Training. He hosts Breakthrough Radio every Saturday at 9:30am on KBZZ AM 1270. Contact him through www.breakthroughtraining.com.