The Leverage in Every Position

Imagine every position in your organization filled by a 10/10 superstar. The best of the best in every single role. That's the theoretical maximum for the organization.

Every position can impact the company negatively or positively. Some more than others. Think of that ability to impact the company as the leverage inherent in each position. A student intern position has a little leverage. An HR person has more. A project manager even more. The more leverage inherent in a position, the more critical it is to fill it with a very high performer.

No position has more built-in leverage than a leader position, no matter the title or tier, supervisor or CEO. In general, local leaders tend to have the most leverage because they're usually the most relevant to people. But all leader positions have a far greater capacity to influence the company than any non-leader position. In fact it's not even close. So it's critical these folks all have very strong leadership skills.

Leaders exist in an organization to multiply the positive impact of the people they lead. Not just manage, multiply. Management is just a minor, highly overrated subset of leadership. And nobody wants or likes to be managed. People want to be led. They want the very thing leaders are there to help deliver - self-actualization. (see Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs). People want the time they trade for money to include some personal growth. Tangible progress toward becoming all they can be, and more. When people progress, companies progress. It's central to every leaders job to make that happen for each person they lead. You know, take care of your people and they'll take care of you. Hooo-ahhh!

Unlike every other company position, those wielding leader titles personify the company, 24/7/365. Every title-holder being closely watched, weighed, and compared against the qualities people might wish for in their leader. The image each projects, by words, actions, character, values, personalities, trustworthiness, etc., defines them and defines the company that made that person its representative.

More than any other factor, leaders determine whether people want to work there, want to remain there, and whether they care or don't about the company and its mission. And not just any people. People = the company.

True leaders give people reason to care. And people who care arrive early and stay late. They do the QA/QC, collect the A/R, get invoices out fast, get signed contract amendments first, and do their best work. Not because someone told them to. Because they want to. They tell their friends to come join. Their enthusiasm is visible and wins over clients. They protect the company from all kinds of risks. The more people care about a company's success, the more success it enjoys. Leaders determine how strongly people care, or don't.

Because they have that much direct influence on the company, leaders strongly influence (if not determine) business outcomes, e.g., profit, mission success, and the slope of the company's growth trajectory. Sounds extraordinary to put all that on leaders until you try to name anything else that impacts the company more. Yet most companies never define leadership, never incentivize it, and never expect their leaders to be any good at it. Ironically the leadership bar is lower than any other position, yet it has the most leverage by far. So, the opportunity to gain a competitive advantage with a strong leadership program is where the action is.

In the toolbox of options available to a CEO, optimizing leadership (not management!) at all levels is far and away the most powerful tool in the box, and the only way to ever get anywhere near your theoretical maximum. Prioritizing anything else seems....

Hope you have a great weekend!

Dave Bennett

Feedback: dave@goodnewsfriday.com

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