A positive leader’s ever-expanding vision for the future of his or her organization is an energizing force. In this, as in so many things, positive leaders are relentless.
If you are a leader and your vision has grown stale, your organization is in trouble and you need to do whatever it takes to recharge and revitalize yourself. The future of your organization depends on it – it depends on you. An important part of that revitalization is revisiting the mission of your organization and your vision for its future. These things must be fresh, dynamic, and incessantly communicated. So often, one of the symptoms of a leader who has become complacent is that they stop talking about the mission, vision, and values of their organization.
Put this quote on the wall of your office and at other high visibility locations throughout your facilities:
The point at which an idea, process, product, service, relationship, or organization can no longer be improved is the precise moment in time that it becomes obsolete.
There are no leaders that can afford to become complacent and there are no organizations, whether for profit or not-for-profit; whether manufacturer, assembler, or service provider that can afford to become stagnant.
The pressure to survive in the economy of the next decade will be extraordinary with systemic and environmental changes happening with unprecedented speed and scope. Whatever one’s venue, entities that cannot adapt will be unable to compete and will surely disappear. No, the word “adapt” is inadequate. Entities that cannot be relentlessly transformed will surely disappear.
This new reality places an exceptional premium on leadership. Many leaders feel overwhelmed by the challenges of leading their people and organizations through incessant change and relentless improvement – continuous improvement doesn’t cut it any longer. In fact, we must remove the word “continuous” from our vocabulary and replace it with “relentless.” Relentlessness is the key.
Positive leaders neither live nor work in isolation. Positive leaders recognize that every member of their organization is a partner and bears a share of the responsibility for this “relentless improvement process.” Positive leaders enlist the full participation of their people and they create incentives for creative thinking and for an ownership mentality. They encourage all of their people to become positive leaders.
Two organizations with which I am familiar each had a custodian whose daily commitment to excellence and to the people of their organization, made a real and measureable difference to their organizations.
The first was a custodian of a high school. Not only did this man consider it his mission to create the cleanest possible environment for the teachers, staff, and students but he also considered it his mission to be a positive influence on each and every student in the school. He spoke to students at every opportunity; he learned as many of their names as possible; and he paid attention to what they said and did. Even more importantly, he was attuned to their emotional needs. If a student appeared sad or depressed, he made a point to talk them to make them feel special. If a student was celebrating a success, whether athletic or academic, he was ready with a high five. Most important of all, he smiled at them and he seemed to sense which students could most benefit from such positive affirmation.
The second custodian worked in a distribution warehouse. Although he was less talkative than his counterpart in the above example, he conveyed his concern and appreciation for the people of his organization with his attitude and his commitment to the job. He also learned many of their names but most important of all, he kept the facility spotless. This facility had the cleanest possible restrooms and break room and any spills or messes that occurred spurred his immediate response. Most impressive of all were the floors of the warehouse. These floors shined to the extent that almost every visitor to our facility would comment. One new customer even cited the cleanliness of our facility as one of the deciding factors in choosing to do business with our company. Most important of all, every employee in the company took pride in the facility in which they worked because of the efforts and leadership of this one individual, a custodian with no formal authority whatsoever.
Positive leaders can make a difference no matter what their title, pay grade, or credentials because they envision something special. Leadership is about attitude and about accepting responsibility for the best possible outcomes. It is a role each and everyone of us can play.
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