Visions of Leadership

Right about now, you've made the discovery that if you intend to push your company beyond its current plateau, you will have to change the way you relate to your work. You have doubtlessly concluded this next level mandates you to let go of things like hiring, product design, perhaps even day-to-day sales - many things you handled in the past - and focus yourself on your role as CEO.

There are three stages to making the transition from chief cook and bottle washer (CC&BW) to CEO (source of the management and direction of the business).

They are:

• Understanding your highest value contribution to your company and focusing on that role.
• Recognizing your position as a leader and owning the job.
• Delegating everything else, and holding others accountable.

My last article, Time Well Spent, deals with transition one. This article will examine transition two - recognizing your position as leader and owning the job. Next month I will cover the third transition, Giving it all away.

As CEO of your company - you are no longer the "head of everything". It is up to you to provide leadership. That's the job. No ifs, ands, or buts. The sooner you recognize it the better. Being the leader entails certain responsibilities which cannot, under any circumstances, be delegated.

By the way, much has been written about the qualities of leadership. But leadership is not about qualities, such as "strength of character" or "integrity". While those things are useful, if you aren't already imbued with "a winning personality", it can take half a lifetime to develop one.

The core responsibilities of corporate leadership - which you cannot delegate - include:

• Owning the vision and the strategy to realize the vision;
• Communicating the vision to insiders and outsiders;
• Enabling others to act to realize the vision;
• Developing new leaders.
In The News:

---

Reinventing Failure: Designing Success

I am fascinated by problems. I like to think of... Read More

Leadership Styles and What We Need For the Future:

By definition a leaders leads a team to take action... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 5, Dominant Participants

While dominant participants contribute significantly to the success of a... Read More

Are You a Leader or a Manager?

President Ike Eisenhower once demonstrated the difference between leadership and... Read More

Mentor? Who Needs A Mentor?

Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious... Read More

Stepping Into Leadership and Being The Source Of Your Success

Why is it that we often wait until we have... Read More

The Seven Secrets to New Age Leadership

Did you ever notice that In our American culture, we... Read More

Leadership In The Zone!

"You do not merely want to be considered just the... Read More

Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual

SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is... Read More

Leadership Skills Training Empowers Problem-solving and Visioning

Leadership skills training programs empower you to influence, persuade or... Read More

Mr. Shoaffs Simple Strategies to Success

(Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Sampler single CD)My first mentor,... Read More

3 Cs Leaders Must Communicate!

"Of every noble work the silent part is best, Of... Read More

The Goals of Leadership Coaching and Partnerships

Webster's Dictionary describes a "partner" as an ally or an... Read More

Introduction to the The Enneagram as a Leadership Tool

The Enneagram is a fascinating tool of nine orientations that... Read More

Fighting the Gravitational Pull of Positional Leadership

A little on leadership?Many people enter the leadership world through... Read More

Leaders Click It? Into Gear!

"Click It" Into Gear!Ever wonder how two people can be... Read More

Are You A Leader in the Chrysalis?

Let's get this straight at the outset?Leadership skills can be... Read More

5 Tips to Help You Win Big & Become a Village Hero

A few years ago, I returned to my impoverished village... Read More

Stand Out as a Leader, Do 5 Things Better! Number One: Improve the Quality of Your Decision Making!

The manager administers, the leader improves; the manager maintains, the... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 1, General Strategies for Unproductive Behavior

It happens easily. You're conducting a meeting and suddenly a... Read More

Celebrating Successes: The Power Of Compliments

Years ago, when I was new in management circles, a... Read More

A Whack Up Long Side The Head Of Human Resources: The Leadership Imperative

When we perceive the simple center in the seemingly complex,... Read More

3 Dynamic Techniques To Boost Your Executive Leadership!

Here's a really simple way to measure the strength of... Read More

To Be An Effective Leader, Do A Check-up From The Neck Up

Before we can effectively lead anyone, we must take an... Read More

Leadership Challenges: The Walls In Our Lives

We have all experienced walls or challenges in our work... Read More

5 Power Keys For Leadership Success!

Did you know that you can successfully handle most leadership... Read More

Premature Articulation

Ask anyone about what makes a good leader and they... Read More

Leader is Not a Title

There is a steady flow of information in the form... Read More

E=MC - Is It In Me?

How many times have you seen the E = MC2... Read More

Evil, Hostile Grumpy Listeners? Think Again

I hated Kyle Sisk*. A notorious bully, Kyle punctuated my... Read More

In Leadership, The Eight Ways Of Right Action (Part 2)

In Part 1, I said that leaders who can't have... Read More

Transformational Leadership

"What is leadership?" When this question is asked most of... Read More

Make the Most of Your Mentoring Relationships

Mentoring is one of the best ways to learn, to... Read More