Bouncing Back

Like all of us, I've had some truly awful bosses throughout my career. Luckily, I've spent a greater portion of my time with the kind of leaders who have inspired me and filled my professional world with success. I'd like to share with you what these leaders look like and how you, too, can find such a fulfilling work environment.

Over my 20-year plus corporate career, I came to believe that certain business leaders who shepherd their organizations to exceptional levels of success might be using just a little bit of magic. That's right ... magic! Now, while I don't really believe in business magic, I have seen where certain individuals can bring a combined set of skills to their leadership positions that result in a level of organizational performance far greater than the sum of the organization's parts. This combined skill set seems to inexorably bring about a level of organizational performance far beyond mortal levels or beyond what you might have believed possible. Who are these great leaders and what are their secrets?



First and foremost, these great leaders are not political! These leaders have one primary and broad-based goal -- that is, to do the right thing for their organization. In general, this means to pursue the success of the organizations according to the goals set for it. But on a more subtle level, doing the right thing will also be reflected in how this leader treats customers, employees, and suppliers. This leader's underlying sense will be that using a win-win approach with every level of stakeholders will always lead to greater net results for the organization. Thus, the daily life in such an organization, in both its internal and external interactions, will feel positive, ethical and satisfying to all involved. Now, just to clarify, these leaders will usually be savvy enough to play the right politics when absolutely necessary. But they will reserve the use of such distasteful activities for efforts such as keeping their more political peers or superiors from interfering in the operations of the organization.

Second, these great leaders believe in delegating both work and authority. They are self-confident enough to pick great people for their team, define specific objectives for their employees to accomplish, and then give these professionals the authority to get the job done. For example, I had one great boss who always seemed to be staring out his window, yet he was supremely effective in accomplishing the organization's goals. You see, he was actually spending his time thinking about how to solve the bigger problems that rose to his level of authority. He was not frittering away his time by checking on us or doing our work for us.

Finally, these leaders have excellent people skills in both their communication style and in displaying a warm, charming or approachable demeanor. Not only is it easy to understand what this boss wants you to do, but you'll also really like him while you're doing it. This final characteristic of great leaders might be the underlying quality that creates the magical aspect of great leadership. When we really like our leader and know exactly what is expected of us, most of us will rise to the occasion with incredible levels of drive and motivation. The synergy of an entire organization working at peak levels will soon create an environment where successful outcomes will seem to be greater than the sum of their inputs.

While I'm sure there are many more factors that make great leaders in business, these three factors have been the most visible to me during my career. So when it's time to look for your next new job, you'll know what kind of leadership qualities to ask about during your interview:

How are customers, employees, and suppliers viewed here?...

How does delegation of authority work in this organization?...

How accessible is the boss and what is he like to talk to?...

Although many people won't tell you what's not working in their organization during an interview, you'll be able to clearly see the truth by what is not said. Because, if the organization is run by a great leader, employees there won't be able to keep themselves from gushing about how great things are. After all, who wouldn't love working in an organization that is goal-oriented, responsibility-driven, warm and friendly, and super-successful! I hope that everyone has at least one chance in their careers to experience the magic of a truly great leader.