Page 111 - Roy W. Rice - CEO Material How to Be a Leader in Any Organization-McGraw-Hill (2009)

92 • CEO Material: How to Be a Leader in Any Organization

■ Make choices, minute by minute, that make you better in your work.
■ Treat your people as associates/colleagues, not subordinates.
■ Have organized thinking, and you can take a problem or
opportunity and sort it out logically.

Being the smartest, fastest, and best in some specialty does not make
you a leader any more than being in front of a parade does. People choose
who they will follow. The ones they pick treat them with respect, which
translates into when something happens, their first thought isn’t, “How
does this affect me?” but “How will this affect my people?”
Although this book is about your own personal and professional
development, true success in such development only occurs if you put
that aside and understand, appreciate, support, and encourage the ambi-
tion of others.

Lead Like Others Need, Not Like You Need

Keep in mind that people are not like you are (for good or bad). You have
to know your audience and know your constituents. It’s shortsighted to
think that since you are ambitious, insatiably curious, honest, hardwork-
ing, willing to take risks, and eager to produce results to move the orga-
nization forward that everyone else is too. They may be more interested
in job security or spend more time on a hobby. Others (even with similar-
sounding names, hairstyles, modes of dress, and job titles) can have dis-
similar upbringing, socialization, education, work experiences, goals,
motivation, and techniques.
Lead like others need, not just like you need. To find out, ask and
observe to get to know what motivates them.
One CEO told me the story about a church choir leader in New
Jersey with the same choir members for 14 years. The members are not
paid anything; they have many obligations and have to extend lots of
effort to be part of the choir. So why have they stayed with it for 14 years?
The choir leader says, “I started out having the church choir be my own
mission, but I soon realized that I had to help choir members fulfill their
mission, not mine.”