Most Admirable Leaders

This is a very exciting moment for me as I have the privilege to praise and share with you who I admire most as an organizational leader. However, I have to admit that different people ranging from my parents, brother, grandparents, friends, college professors and mentors influenced me in many different ways and shaped me into who I am today.

As a kid, I grew up in a small war-torn country in the Balkans, Southeastern Europe. While trying to run away, I was facing many challenges – challenges that seemed very simple to solve but were yet complicated. At that time, I was 11 years old. I needed a strong leader – a leader who had a vision and was on a mission (to get us out of the country). I was looking for someone who was a good listener, communicator, and negotiator that would provide the necessary guidance, direction, and consultation while making a strategic decision in order to maintain the composure and competitive advantage. Yes, while one may argue that those challenges were “environmental challenges” over which I had no control, don’t you see the same challenges in your organization? Wouldn’t you want a leader in your organization that is a good communicator providing the necessary guidance, direction, and strategic decisions in order to maintain the competitive advantage while fully engaging the workforce?

In this challenging situation, I found three great leaders that had the competence to collaborate with one another and compromise on the strategic direction. Those leaders led the company (the family) out of the crisis and they were my parents and my brother!

Due to the fact that I was really young at that time of those challenges and because I didn’t have the true exposure to a real organization, those were my true leaders that established a long-lasting legacy and transformed the organization into “my” FORTUNE 10 Company.

Now that many years have passed and I have had the opportunity to experience “organizational leadership” firsthand as well as study about remarkable leaders with memorable impact, it is no secret that former GE CEO Jack Welch is the true business leader that I admire most because of how he transformed GE. One of the most remarkable achievements under his 20 years of leadership was that he increased the value of the company from $13 billion in 1981 to $500 billion in 2000. How did he do this? Management by LEADERSHIP.

Are you ready to manage and apply your great leadership style and who do you admire most?

Leadership Shortage

Does your organization have the leadership bench strength to staff its growth plans? Regardless what your answer might look like, I am a firm believer that your organization will have a leadership shortage in the years to come. In the next decade, most growing organizations will need more leaders as an increasing number of companies will face an unusually large shortfall in leadership due to baby-boomer generation retiring and leaving key senior management positions. “As for the looming leadership crisis, that so-called war for talent that we keep hearing about: No doubt as the workforce shrinks, organizations will feel the pinch.” http://www.talentmgt.com/recruitment_retention/2008/May/630/index.php?pt=a&aid=630&start=3019&page=2

You may have a succession plan or you may be looking to recruit someone from your sharpest competitor, however, a number of situations are making it difficult for organizations to fill key leadership positions. Even David Whitwam, Chairman, President and CEO – Whirlpool Corporation has the same argument.

“The thing that wakes me up in the middle of the night is not what might happen to the economy or what our competitors might do next; it is worrying about whether we have the leadership capacity and talent to implement the new and more complex global strategies.”

As organizations become more complex and global, the number of competencies required for success at senior levels is growing beyond the traditional business and leadership skills. Companies will be looking for visionary individuals who are able to collaborate and establish strategic business partnerships, manage change, see the big picture and deliver results. The ideal candidate in the coming years will need a broader range of job experiences. Will you be the next great leader developing credibility and establishing a legacy? Only time will tell...

From Credibility to Leadership

In our first class session, we discussed a Leader’s Legacy. A Legacy is defined as: “Something handed down from an ancestor or a predecessor or from the past: a legacy of religious freedom” (http://www.answers.com/topic/legacy)

But how do you establish a legacy? How do you distinguish yourself from the best in class?

Leading by example, establishing new working relationships, becoming a strategic business partner, showing commitment, communicating, and developing trust are just the beginning for establishing CREDIBILITY.

Former General Electric CEO Jack Welch in his “It's Not About You” speech at Stanford Graduate School of Business said:

“The day you become a leader, it becomes about them. Your job is to walk around with a can of water in one hand and a can of fertilizer in the other hand. Think of your team as seeds and try to build a garden. It’s about building these people,” he insisted. “Only you will know the team.”
(http://www.gsb.stanford.edu/news/research/joss_you.html)

Many of today's leaders recognize the imperativeness to change their work environment yet still fail at doing this. Their failure is often a result of underestimating the requirements of successful leadership. The fact is that it is not all about technical or operational adjustments. It goes beyond that. It is about adopting new ideas, attitudes, and approaches – it requires strong LEADERSHIP.