The company with the most leaders wins
Everyone is looking for a competitive advantage, more now than ever. And when queried, CEOs will always include “our people” high on their list of competitive differentiators.
This is true - great people are hard to find - and keep. And, if you have great people, they will attract more great people, creating a sustainable and growing competitive advantage.
We all know this is easy to talk about but hard to do. There is an approach that I have observed and attempted to replicate that is both simple and effective. I call it Practical Leadership. It is developing leadership skills by providing leadership opportunities on a regular basis. It is the practice of not only encouraging, but requiring the person that is best positioned to lead in a particular situation - due to knowledge of the situation, expertise in the domain, relational connections - be the leader.
This gives leadership opportunities and experience to people in situations where they can confidently step in and lead. And it improves the outcomes in critical business situations due to better data, decision-making, and execution. Also, people will own the results when they made the decision.
Making this strategy a reality requires intention and focus. I recommend the following 3 things:
Make this your explicit policy. Communicate it as a ‘way of doing business’, and in a variety of business scenarios, be clear up front regarding who will be the leader. Here are some examples:
AE/AM leading account strategy session
SC leading demo preparation
SDR leading first meeting preparation
Engineer leading outage response
CSM leading escalation risk management meeting
Avoid doing things that leaders do - too frequently - that undermine their practical leaders. A few examples (that I have been guilty of and often see occur)
Taking over the meeting.
Showing up late and taking over the meeting.
Showing up late and not participating at all.
Using questions to make a point versus to uncover information that is helpful to the situation.
Not being willing to be wrong, or being skeptical, even when presented with facts from experts on the situation at hand.
Develop competencies in core business areas that enable better problem-solving, decision-making, and effective and confident execution once a decision is made.
Communication: Effective leadership hinges on effective communication. Invest in training and development programs that equip every employee with the skills to express ideas clearly, listen actively, and engage constructively in dialogue. This foundation is critical for leadership to emerge organically across all levels.
Critical Thinking: Equip your team with the tools to solve problems creatively and make informed decisions. Critical thinking skills enable employees to navigate complex situations and lead with confidence, even in unfamiliar territory.
Build Business Acumen: Understanding the broader business context empowers employees to make decisions that align with company goals and strategy. A workforce that comprehends the 'why' behind their actions can lead more effectively and contribute to the company's success in a more meaningful way.
The net is that hiring great people is not enough, and is only the first step of many to enable you to say ‘our people are our greatest competitive advantage.’ But, adopting Practical Leadership can make the remainder of the steps a lot easer.
