Not long ago, following a speaking engagement, I enjoyed a corporate dinner event with the client and heard some great words of wisdom from the CEO. Earlier in the day, I had observed that the morale and energy of the group was unusually high — even after a long day of training classes at a conference.
Hearing the executive’s perspectives and observing his attitude and relationship with his managers helped me connect the dots about the company’s culture. He was a leader who really understood how good relationships get better results.
These ideas aren’t new, but sitting in the midst of a highly successful team and listening to their leader outline the “secret sauce” to their success was inspiring to everyone in the room, including me.
1. Get the right people. This is the starting place for success.
2. Get the right people in the right roles/jobs. When a person’s talents, interests and passions are matched to their work, the person is less stressed, more energized and more likely to add value to your mission.
3. Communicate and clarify. This is fundamental to cohesive teamwork. Make sure that all are aligned in purpose and goals.
4. Collaborate. Teamwork really comes through as people share ideas and support each other. When you have trust and work together, you have the synergy that can make one plus one equal three.
5. Innovate. With talented, energetic people collaborating, you get new ideas and improvements that make you more competitive, allowing one plus one to equal more than three. This is how to compete successfully against other organizations that have the same resources.
6. Grow competent healthy leaders. To do everything, you must have leadership that gets it — supervisors and managers who create an environment that facilitates the steps above.
The thing that impressed me most about this leader was his healthy balance of confidence and humility. There was a freedom and authenticity that was engaging and energizing. I can see how this company is a leader in its industry.
In Chapter 14, “Free the Captives,” of my book, “Leading with Honor,” which describes my time and leadership lessons learned as a Vietnam prisoner of war, I talk about our release and return home. One of the key roles of leaders is to free the captives by helping people become all they can be.
Listening to this CEO speak, I got the strong impression that he gets it. I had the sense that there was a lot of freedom in the room. Even though they probably had not thought of it that way, it simply felt good to others and me. Great leadership always makes a difference.
Ultimately, you depend on people for your profits. Do you have a winning recipe for releasing the power of people? If not, take a look at the secret sauce above and identify steps on how to take your team to a higher ROI.
