Council and Leadership

As holidays approach and we face another uncertain year in business, companies must equip themselves with smart practices to position themselves for greater opportunities in 2010. These begin with those who lead the company. Here are 4 tips leaders must consider to keep performance and profit going right back up the chimney.
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There are always problems and often there is more than one solution to the problem. The task of leadership is to know the right path to lead an organization, while the task of management is to know the right way to trudge that path. As leaders, we know that the best solutions or the optimal outcome is not necessarily the easiest, the clearest, or even the best reasoned. Sometimes there is more than meets the eye.

Leadership quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
When I first heard about the term “creative problems solving,” I learned a valuable exercise. I was told to create a list of ten solutions to each problem you encounter. You may find that the first or second solution is optimal. However, learning how to exercise the mind and find nine more solutions, teaches you how to think outside the box, how to see every angle to a problem, and how to determine some very creative solutions.
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It’s gospel that you have to cultivate your personal brand, particularly if you have designs on the C suite. But because everyone has a brand nowadays (Tom Peters describes it as “your promise to the marketplace and the world”) simply having one is insufficient if you want to advance. You can’t just be known as “the guy who speaks Spanish” or “the programmer who can explain things well” or “that woman in legal who gets things done fast.” That’s nice—but there are a million of you, and in a globalized world, your company can find an alternatives to you fast. That’s why you need to establish yourself as a thought leader. Good employees and good executives are nice to have. Thought leaders are irreplaceable—and indispensible.
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