ABC's Of Leadership - M Is For Mission

By E. Elizabeth Carter

A leader's mission is to direct an organization, so it can achieve profitability. Although this seems like a simple statement, the reality as we know is much more complicated. A leader needs to oversee a maze of issues while staying ahead of the organization's competitors. On top of it all, if one bad move is made, this mistake can be broadcasted across the organization, the nation, and the world in seconds.

An interesting article recently published discussed that great leaders spend time every day learning. It may come from books, newspapers, webinars, or other sources, but they see the value in taking the time to learn something new every day. By doing this, it provides them the opportunity to consider different options or explore new paths that they had not considered before. As a recruiter for over thirty years, it amazes me when candidates tell me they don't have the time for professional development. Even if a person spends half an hour a day learning, this in turn is 3 1/2 hours a week which equates to 182 hours a year!

Learning keeps you young too according to my grandmother who lived to be 103 years old. She was an avid book reader and also read the newspaper every day. She explained to me many times that consistent learning expands your horizons. As an example, you can be reading about a place you may never visit but you still feel like you had visited there at some point in your life.

Leaders need to stay abreast of developments in other industries that may not affect their own business today, but could possibly cause an issue for their business in the future. After reading the biography of Steve Jobs, I thought about all of the different businesses I currently lead and how I could integrate them for many of my clients. Collaborations can be created as well to leverage two very diverse companies. Some collaborations that have been very successful include Nestle deciding to sell Girl Scout cookie candy bars and Dunkin Donuts selling Baskin Robbin flavored drinks.

When was the last time you dedicated time to learn and really focus on your own personal development? Have you had an Aha! moment after something you read or listened to on a podcast, etc.? If so, how did you incorporate this new idea into your business?

Other "M" words to ponder - manage, magic, mature, mentor, moral, motivate, and marketing.

Article Source:  ABC's Of Leadership - M Is For Mission