Leaders

It has been said multiple times that leadership is not the same as management. Leaders set examples as well as teach others what they should do to succeed. While we are known by others for what we say, we are known even more by what we do and by how we treat others, whether the others are clients, prospects, family, or friends.

Leaders may be business managers or owners, and their actions in their business dealings reflect their personalities, their beliefs, and their basic culture. Their treatment of employees as well as clients, paints a picture of what type of person they are. If we observe what they do, as well as what they say, then we will know with whom are partnering in building successful relationships.

We all should listen when leaders speak about their management style. We should listen even more closely when leaders speak about the corporate culture of their businesses, about how their business was built, and about their relationships with clients, prospects, competitors, and everyone else that they know. They know what they are doing, and we must learn from them.

In addition to listening to the great advice that leaders tell us, we must watch what they do during the daily performance of their business. We also should observe what they do in their personal lives and learn how they build the relationships which will reward them with great and beneficial karma. Both their words of wisdom and our observations teach us how to operate our own businesses.

What else do leaders do to be classified as leaders? They not only lead through their spoken wisdom and by their examples of how we should treat others, they inspire us to be better and more successful leaders ourselves. Their encouragement, either directly or indirectly, can become the basis for our own success. It can change our lives and impact the lives of everyone whom we know.

What do leaders do that makes them so special? What do they do every day to make them and their businesses so successful? The fact that they build relationships with others is one of their secrets. Another secret of their success is that they treat others better than they are expected to do so, better than they need to, and better than a sale requires.

Leaders will perform at a higher level than is expected. They will provide more value than expected, more than they are required by the price charged. They will go the extra mile, not just get by. Leaders do not believe in the phrase: “Just good enough”? Leaders left that phrase for business people who will fail. They always strive to provide a greater value than they charge for their offerings.

Leaders will provide a great product or service for a fair compensation. Their clients also discover that more was delivered than enough to qualify as adequate for the price. In addition, if any problem presents itself in a sales transaction, leaders will more than make up for any inconvenience to their client. Aggravations suffered by a client will be compensated at a greater level than expected.

Who do you know who is a leader? Is that person an example as well as a source for advice? Is that person an inspiration for others? Watch their actions, listen to what they say, and see their inspiration. If they are a leader, you should build a strong relationship with that person and try to emulate what they are. You cannot help but reap the benefits of that relationship.

Please leave me your comments, or email me at Jim@JimTeasley.com, or call me at 360-314-8691. Please accept my apology for posting late last week. I was coming home from California on the normal posting morning, and time just got away from me.