Build Your Brand on Leadership

Today I read Tom Peters' post "The Decent Thing to Do Is the Smart Thing to Do" and it occurs to me that while this is a no-brainer, we see so many people - and companies - out there that just don't get it. Tom's point is that leadership (which I loosely define as "demonstrating love for others") makes good business sense. (If you're one of those unfortunate non-leaders that thinks "love" and "business" shouldn't be in the same sentence, you should stop reading now.)

We were taught as small children to be kind to others. To share. To help a friend. To treat others with respect. To love others. We were taught the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have done unto you." We were taught leadership from the beginning. (Thank you, Mom & Dad.)

Think about those people you gravitate to. Think about the best "managers" you've had in your life. Did you like them every day? Probably not. Did you respect them every day? Probably so. I used to love and hate going to jazz band practice. Mr. Warnke pushed us so hard - he expected so much of us. Oh I would get mad at him! But we didn't want to let him down - because we had such respect for him - so we did the best that we could and as it turned out, we exceeded our own expectations. I don't know that I could explain how my respect for Mr. Warnke came about, but I do remember him showing us his heart on many occasions, whether it was seeing him light up when a student blossomed or hearing his voice crack when he shared with our band that his son's puppy had died. Mr. Warnke led with his heart. And we were arguably one of the best bands in the state, winning contest after contest.

I'm sure everyone has a similar story and I would be willing to bet that many of those stories are about a manager (actually, leader) at work. Peters shares a quote from Boyd Clarke, "I have always believed that the purpose of the corporation is to be a blessing to its employees." (Download peters_ramble.pdf) This is, to me, the ultimate measure of a company. Do you feel blessed to work for your company? In today's world, a company that doesn't add value to its employees is certain to fail. The quickest way to add value? Employ leaders. Grow leaders. Get rid of those who aren't leaders.
 
Is the point then to have a joyful company full of employees who feel blessed? Kind of. The point is actually the bottom line. Leadership in an organization bears fruit: efficiency, loyalty, innovation, service, productivity...more customers, satisfied customers, loyal customers. To have a brand that embraces leadership at every level is to have a dominant brand.

By the way, I recently attended a celebration in our state's capital, where my hometown band marched in the parade. As I cheered with the rest of the crowd, here came the Miller Rustlers marching band, with Mr. Warnke marching with them, beside them. Though I hadn't seen him for over 12 years, I stood and waved and called out to him. Upon seeing me, he came over and gave me a hug. Mr. Warnke still leads with his heart.