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Great Leaders Set The Tone!

Writer's picture: Christian J.  FarberChristian J. Farber

Being a leader in a small company is different than being a leader in a big company. I have been both. I have found nowhere is solid leadership more important for the survival of the company, than in small companies.


Famed management guru John Maxwell says, "Leadership is not about titles, positions or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another."


Business sage Peter Drucker says, "Leaders don't start out asking, ‘what do I want to do?’" They ask, "What needs to be done?" Then they ask, “Of those things that would make a difference, which are right for me?"


I find it surprising that these two great business thinkers started defining leadership through the lens of what it is not. Choosing to back into a definition is both tricky and says a lot about the topic of leadership. We all have a definition or opinion on what leadership is, or should be. When corporate culture fails often staff will say "we need new leadership" or "there was poor leadership," hopeful that a new leader will emerge out of some business school, which values leadership, to save the day.



That likely won't work. Why? Because leadership can't be taught! Recent studies serve up the opinion that leadership can be learned though which leads me to the following conclusion: It's in the DNA.


For more than 20 years I have been managing marketing, sales, relationship and support staff. Recruiting the right players is the most important thing I do. Yes, it comes before taking care of customers and closing deals.


Why?


If I hire the right people, they will do these important activities at a level that I know I simply cannot. My skill is finding the right players and giving them the right processes and supporting them with technology then setting them free. I set the tone, create the vibe - a culture within the culture - that supports the mission but allows my teams the flexibility to set their own course, succeed, fail, triumph and learn. This happens so much easier in small companies than in bigger ones.


This topic rides a slippery slope and here is why. Re-read the prior paragraph with a critical eye and you will see what some in business refer to as soft topics or skills. Culture, vibe, tone, and being "set free" are not common business terms...they don't translate directly to spreadsheets. But in combination with each other and the right DNA, they can be incredibly powerful to a business. The leaders I admire have all of these traits and more, and I have learned from them enough to raise my own leadership lid.



One thing I know is that with optimism, the yang of doing also comes its polar opposite, the yin of failure. Just try to emulate these traits, and it will ensure failure. Follow leaders like this in a shared environment, have the courage to try new things and be willing to fail, and you have a chance at success. Perhaps that is why Maxwell and Drucker chose to back into the definitions of leadership. It's just not that concrete or predictable because it requires something as individual as DNA. The grey matter that makes you who you are.


A friend of mine recently sent me a copy of the help wanted ad at the top of this post. Ernest Shackleton, an Antarctic explorer, received responses from 5000 men with this ad and his reputation. The book Endurance recalls the story of the yearlong saga of being ice bound and is said to "define heroism." Think he wasn't a leader?


Lastly, Andrew Carnegie wanted to put on his gravestone, "Here lies a man who knew how to put into his service more able men than he was himself." That defines a man who wasn't afraid to take risks, a leader.


My Best,
















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About Chris

Christian J. Farber

After a thriving corporate career, Chris now enjoys retirement at the Jersey Shore. As a prostate cancer survivor, he's committed to educating men about the disease and covers various topics like Alcoholism, Multiple Sclerosis, and Career Success in his featured writing on platforms such as The Good Men Project, Huffington Post, and Thrive Global.

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