Expanding a company is a process requiring constant change. One key quality for a leader is the ability to get back on track when something has gone awry
Sure, competency, reliability, professionalism, a positive attitude, and respect for others are the qualities that will get you into the leadership game. But what do you do once you’re a player?
If there’s one thing I’ve learned about leadership, it’s that leaders are always course-correcting. If staffers aren’t following directives, good leaders gently guide them back on track. To get your staff to follow you, tell them where to go and then course-correct when they start to stray.
Course-correct your entire company, and most important yourself. You’ll make mistakes, as will your team, your customers, and your board. And you’ll fix those mistakes by honestly taking stock and changing the way you do things.
Expanding a company is a dynamic process. You must constantly shift your strategy or approach as new competitors emerge, markets materialize (or fail to), and opportunities abound.
There’s only so much you can plan for, so if you expect to correct your course as you go, you’ll be better able to make decisions with less info than you’d like, and to adapt when conditions change. Let’s look at what happens when leaders do, and don’t, correct their course.
The Hidden CEO
A chief executive officer I know named Jason talked his board into taking the company public before it was ready. The second quarter after the initial public offering, the company missed its earnings target. Wall Street was relentless