Davinci Virtual

Last week I wrote about leadership book by David Cottrell, called “Monday Morning Mentoring,” a guide to developing leadership skills, and effectively managing teams/groups. I imparted several key leadership learnings in that blog post, with the promise to finish up the lesson this week, and reveal with the “real” secret to leadership truly is.  Today, along with the big secret, I want to share with you one more leadership lessons from Tony.

Lesson 3: “Tough Learning”

In this lesson, Jeff comes to Tony with some unsettling news.  The annual corporate surveys were distributed for his company last week, and the feedback he received from his team members was less than stellar - and even more importantly - came as a total surprise to Jeff.  After speaking with Tony for several hours, Jeff learned that along with the feedback holding some room for improvement with Jeff, there were also a lot of great points that showed Jeff’s strengths, that Jeff had overlooked because he was so upset about the negative points.  Tony showed Jeff that he had to look at feedback as an opportunity to learn and grow, and that getting defensive and not accepting what others felt about him only made the situation worse.  In the end, Jeff needed to understand that criticism should be used as a learning tool to better one’s self and their team.

The Big Secret

Along with the three I have shared with you, there are many more important lessons in Cottrell’s book that  should definitely be read and understood in order to grow into an effective leader.  At the end of the book, Tony finally imparts the secret of leadership to Jeff (actually there are two secrets).  1.) Until you learn to accept total responsibility, no matter what, you will not be able to set up a plan to achieve your goals.  2.) Success is the result of making better choices and recovering quickly from poor choices.

All in all - the key here is responsibility.  Take responsibility for your actions (good or bad) and when a bad decision occurs, take a deep breath, and then develop an action plan.  Don’t play the blame game, or pass along the mess to someone else.  It is only through experience (both positive & negative experiences) can you become a successful leader.  The process worked for Jeff…and when I implemented the lessons in the book, it worked for me as well.  Hopefully these little tidbits of information can help you!

Building business in challenging economic times is absolutely possible. The critical issue is a willingness to evaluate your products and services with absolute objectivity and a new knowledge of the marketplace.

Let’s start with evaluating your products and services. If you have been in your current position, or are the owner of your own company, it can be easy to slip into status quo mode. Making the same products and providing the same services is part of how a company maintains stability and focus on their mission. But difficult times require creative, out of the box thinking.

Now is a great time to reach out to your customers for product development and improvement ideas. Look for low hanging fruit, ideas that could be implemented with little effort for great results. Also, keep an eye open for patterns, which might indicate market changes or trends. While you’re asking for their feedback, take the time to let them know how valuable they are to your business.

Next, scan the marketplace, take a look at competitors and new, successful businesses. What direction are they taking? Evaluate their ideas and compare them to your customers’ suggestions. Create a list of minor and major changes that your company could make in response to market shifts. Gather your staff or supporters around for a brainstorming session and see what arises. Be open to new information and ideas.

Take the results of your market research and brainstorming and evaluate it with a critical eye. Be flexible and responsive in order to create opportunities for company growth. Think twice before making large changes with high risk. If, after thorough research and planning, that kind of change makes sense, embrace it and move forward. The key to your success is in flexible thinking and nimble responses…now is the time for objectivity and excellent market analysis.

Part II of this series will explore building your customer base in niche markets.