On December 12, 2019, Dave Crumrine offered a blog entitled “Don’t Forget To Lead.” Shortly after Dave’s post, I ran across an article that talked about things that leaders do. I thought it would be good to complement Dave’s article with a couple of additional reminders. The underlined portions are general thoughts from Bill Murphy, Jr., a contributing editor at Inc.com. You can sign up to read his daily emails at https://www.understandably.com/.
Great leaders connect daily work with big goals. Tying what you do every day to your organization’s long-term goals helps keep the organization’s purpose in mind. Interstates has created a new long-term growth team, and our investment deployment team should help us with this visibility.
Great leaders think of people as people. People aren’t just a job title or to be thought of as tools to be used to reach an end goal. Each person has unique gifts and should be valued for their individual contribution and skills. In Interstates’ new structure, we want to shift everyone into a role that allows them to work within their skill set, do what they are passionate about, and accomplish what the organization needs.
Great leaders hope to earn respect; they don’t just want to be liked. Leaders make fair and ethical decisions based on the best information they have at the time. Even if a good decision isn’t popular at the time, they will be respected for making tough decisions in the long run.
Great leaders are thrilled when their team members achieve great things. Servant leaders are not threatened by others’ success and are more concerned about the team winning than receiving personal accolades.
Great leaders empower people through honesty and transparency. Being vulnerable as a leader and sharing all the information, rather than just the “need to know” information, allows people to cover and move for each other. Ultimately, this allows for better decision-making by all the members of the team.
Great leaders understand that if the team falls short, he or she is responsible. Extreme ownership does not blame the team or any individuals if the team falls short. We win together and we learn together as one team.
Great leaders are more concerned about results than the process. Process is important, but if it is not producing the desired results, changes need to be made.
As we start a new year, strive to be great as you lead the Interstates way!
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Jack Woelber, Interstates President
