I had the opportunity to hear Bob Scribner, owner of Executive Advantage, a highly respected HR firm located in Columbia, MO., (573-2436) talk about leadership recently. What Bob shared with us had a strong impact on me so I'm going to share a bit of what he had to say with you.

TRUST & RESPECT

Bob started his talk with the idea that, as a leader, earning the trust and respect of your people is critical. That means, to lead effectively, you must be consistent. He said trust is the foundation of respect and trust is developed from character coupled with core values including: integrity, accountability, empowerment of others, willingness to take responsibility, a desire to increase your ability and the abilities of your people, and a strategic mindset.

Drawing four circles on the chalk board, Bob filled in the details in each circle as he spoke.

CIRCLE #1: PURPOSE

The first circle was PURPOSE. Bob told us that trusted leaders are dream-makers. Helping people imagine what could be requires vision coupled with the ability to see the desired end result.

CIRCLE #2: MANAGEMENT

A manager that earns the trust and respect of his team MANAGES in a way that creates the strongest possible infrastructure for the business. The six P's: Place; People; Product; Price; Promotion; consumer exPerience, must be as strong as they can be. Further, each member of your team should be empowered to do what needs to be done to improve of each of  the "P's" and each member of the team must be held accountable for the actions they take.

CIRCLE #3: PROFESSIONAL

The PROFESSIONAL leader acts as a futurist, imaging what will happen and what needs to happen, and devises a course of action that will lead to the desired result. To achieve that result, the effective manager improves his skill set while investing in each member of his team, enabling them to improve their skill set, too. A good leader, Bob said, serves as a mentor to his people.

CIRCLE #4: LIFESTYLE

Bob's discussion of LIFESTYLE returned us to the concept of core values and the importance of being consistent as a leader. You positively influence your team when your core values include operating with integrity, accepting responsibility, empowering your people, holding yourself accountable for your actions-and holding your team members accountable for their actions-while improving your abilities to think strategically and the ability of your team to do their job. Demonstrating these critical core values earns you the trust and respect of your people which, in turn, gives you the ability to lead them to the desired result.

As always, sell a bunch!
Mark