“Leadership (managing) as the pinnacle of human achievement: The greatest life opportunity one can have; mid- to long-term success is no more and no less than a function of one’s dedication to and effectiveness at helping team members grow and flourish as individuals and as contributing members to an energetic, self-renewing organization dedicated to the relentless pursuit of excellence.” – Tom Peters, The Excellence Dividend
Over the years I learned to truly value people, stay focused on the goals and journey, and enjoy the excitement of unique experiences that come from every customer and business interaction. As the quote above states, leadership is one of the pinnacles of human achievement that requires your very best to enable others to be their best and achieve great things together. I try to live that every day.
The following bullets summarize my leadership philosophy and outlook.
• Leadership is a privilege.
• All relationships start with mutual trust. Knowing that we are acting without hidden motives and are committed to transparency leads to constructive feedback and accountability.
• Integrity is non-negotiable. Do the right thing, without fail.
• Always attempt to see things from others perspective. Try to understand not only their point of view, but their world view, environment and mood that informs their point of view.
• Operationally, deliver with focused execution following thorough strategic and business planning, but strategy must be subject to change as the business environment demands. Be nimble. (Hard lesson from the Nokia days!)
• Measure how you execute, communicate the progress against simple clear targets, celebrate not only successes but also improvement.
• Remove obstacles to let people do what they do best, and delegate the responsibility fully. Create an environment in which people can perform to the best of their abilities.
• Culture precedes performance. It’s not only what we do but how we do it.
• Treat every customer project as the most important project you have, it is for them.
• Make decisions and encourage everyone to do so. It is rare to get all decisions 100% right or wrong.
• Learn so you can coach and mentor. Those around you will grow, and you will too!