7/25/09

Who is The REAL Team Leader?

Who is the REAL team leader?

If I suggested to you that YOU are the real team leader, would agree or would you be surprised? If I suggested that just because you are on the team, doesn’t mean you can’t be the leader or the star player, would you be surprised at that?

Ulysses S. Grant said, “Leading is easy; the hard part is persuading others to follow.”

Although I do believe that one person should be the overall responsible leader in charge, any successful team is full of leaders. Each of us demonstrated leadership in our own rite. When you were born there wasn’t a program at the hospital checkout counter that included “leadership.” But yet we all have leadership built solidly within us. Some of us choose to be more demonstrative than others, but we’ve all got it.

To be a leader, I personally believe you need 3 elements of expertise;

1. You have to KNOW YOURSELF and all of your abilities to perform
2. You have to KNOW YOUR TRADE, whether it is making a part, providing a service, selling a product or managing a company.
3. You must demonstrate CONSISTENCY in your everyday life. This might possibly be the most important point. 3 examples of this statement are;

A. I know a Senior Vice President of sales who is loved by all of her customers, but bombs with her staff and her family as well. She has alienated her kids and husband and I understand is now even contemplating divorce.
B. I am aware of another person who is a Sales Manager and is considered to be very social and typically the life of most party’s. But when he is at work he makes no effort to make friends or alliances and pretty much stays to himself. But put him in front of an audience and he throws a switch to the on position and turns back to being Mr. Wonderful.
C. I met a team leader in a manufacturing role that has all kinds of friends within the building. But once he leaves the building, he becomes the true definition of a loner.

Why be on a team and be a loner? If you “bill yourself” as a one person show, then you accept the responsibilities on your shoulders of all facets of your daily business and professional life. Why would you want to do that? Why not show your team the leadership skills you have within your circle of expertise and offer it as part of the whole program?

And if you are the team leader in charge, you have a greater responsibility than to just reach a stated goal. You must have the leadership skill to encourage each member to be their own leader and contribute at a level of excellence. In doing this, your team members will have a feeling of exhilaration that will be hard to beat. This will come not only from reaching your team goals, but because they feel great about themselves and the team members around them. Bring out the best in your team and the rewards will be abundant.

I am a huge Vince Lombardi fan and consider him a man I’ve tried to model my own leadership skills from. He took a mediocre Green Bay Packers team, instilled leadership, team skills and the desire to be the best and they went to two Super Bowls. It wasn’t about him; it was about the people around him. “HIS” team, the Green Bay Packers! He never accepted the accolades; he gave them where they were due. But when they lost a game, he accepted that lost as a personal one and vowed to help the team to learn from their mistakes.

In closing today, I again suggest that YOU are the REAL team leader. Have a tremendous week and call or write if I can help in any way. Your comments are always welcome.


Regards,

George Mancuso, CPC
Gman Business Resources, Inc.