Sometimes being a leader can seem like a lonely job. The very
nature of leading means that there are few people around who can advise you
about whether or not you’re doing something correctly.
Which is why good leaders look to other leaders, especially those
who have already succeeded. Who better to tell you what works in business
than someone who has seen it work first hand? Here are a couple of pieces
of advice from successful business leaders.
Listen first, then act. This advice comes from Cordia
Harrington, President and CEO of Tennessee Bun Company. Cordia came from
a family where her families lived month-to-month and it was a treat to visit
the local McDonald’s once a month. But she found success first in real estate,
then construction, then by becoming one of the first female McDonald franchise
owners in history, and finally by becoming CEO of The Bun Company, a
conglomerate supplying buns and English Muffins worldwide to McDonald’s and
other distributors.
According to Cordia, listening first to the issue, making sure you
understand it, and only then trying to coach is one of the most valuable pieces
of advice that she has ever been given.
Listen to both sides of the argument. Brian Lees, Massachusetts
State Senator and Senate Minority Leader had this information from his mentor,
United States Senator Edward Brooke. Listening to only one side of an
issue, or only to the people who share your views, means that your own opinions
aren’t as well defined as they could be otherwise. On the other
hand, listening and talking to a wide variety of people and listening to their
views is essential to becoming a good business leader- one who understands all
the issues in play.
Be curious. As Einstein once put it, “I have no special
talent. I am only passionately curious.” According to Mary Jean Thornton,
former Executive VP and CIO of the Travelers, she has been successful because
she learned to stay intellectually curious, which has allowed her to better understand
the present and to challenge both herself and her people in her
organization. This has helped all of them end up closer to their original
business for the firm.
Know the answers to the questions your staff wants to know.
According to Kevin Nolan, president and CEO of Affinity Health Systems, every
employee in any organization wants to know the answers to three
questions: “Where are we going?” “How are we going to get there?” and
“What is my role?” Knowing the answers to these questions helps keep your
organization moving forward in the right direction, and helps keep everyone who
works for you on track for success.
