Soldiers watch what their generals do.
Last week I wrote about the phenomenal culture at Jackson Property Services and I’ve seen many others that work too.
Dale Norton and Peter Coles built Romans on a defined platform of focus and getting things done. David Pollock at Greene & Co created a family, albeit a highly competitive one, that was great fun to be involved with. Karl Tatler takes his family values very seriously with his eponymous firm, whilst Karl Judd leads Ashtons with a quiet yet steely determination to be the best that they can be. And all these leaders, and others I’ve worked with, whilst very different in many respects have one thing in common: they lead by example.
That’s not to say they do every job or are even capable of doing so – I’m not referring to the leader that always has to take charge and be at the front. No, what the best leaders I’ve worked with all do are the following seven things:
- Each is a hungry learner. Even in his 70’s Pete Jackson is still thirsty for knowledge as I experienced when he grilled me about digital marketing over lunch recently. Dale & Peter invested £200,000+ each year in developing themselves and the Romans team. David Pollock was always experimenting and trying new things, he created a real innovation culture. Both Karl’s have been members of the Property Academy’s Mastermind and Summit Groups and have constant improvement programmes in place for their people.
- All these leaders turn up for work every day on time, i.e. early, and with a positive mindset whatever the conditions. Their enthusiasm is infectious, the right team members are visibly lifted by their leader’s presence.
- All are brave enough to take decisions and to hold their hands up on (the rare) occasions they get it wrong. They encourage people to push themselves out of the comfort zone by doing so themselves.
- Each seeks to catch people doing things right and gives out praise in a 10:1 ratio to criticism.
- They enjoy life, and work is a key part of life – i.e. they enjoy their work. Having fun is part and parcel of business, “work hard, play hard”.
- Properly considered risk taking is the norm – very few people enjoy a constantly cautious business, most thrive on the excitement of trying out new things.
- They run a meritocracy – it’s not about how long you’ve been in the job as is the case in many businesses – talent is rewarded and promoted.
Soldiers watch what their generals do – I only want to work with the best generals and I’m not alone. As a leader you’re the single biggest attraction magnet for your company/branch/team, how well do you score for each of the seven traits?
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