Why is developing our leadership ability so important? Because it controls our level of personal success. Talent alone doesn’t make us successful. Formal education, nor experience, define our success. It’s our leadership ability that is the catalyst that transforms talent into results; human potential into performance.
The McDonalds brothers had two successful restaurants and made ‘all the money they needed’, by creating a highly efficient operating system and adeptly responding to changing consumer market demands. But that’s where the McDonalds story would have ended, had Ray Kroc not come along. Ray Kroc bought the franchising rights and built McDonalds into a success story on quite literally a global scale. (It’s important to understand, the McDonalds brother were happy to sell Kroc the franchising right, because they knew it wouldn’t work – they’d already tried.) But Ray Kroc’s leadership skills, his leadership lid, were far superior to the McDonalds. He partnered with other leaders, and built teams of leaders, not just employees, etc. He used a totally different approach to grow McDonalds Corporation than the brothers attempted. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Developing our leadership skills unleashes our ability to influence those around us and create positive change.
I have the opportunity to work with a number of businesses in what I call the ‘talent industry’ (consulting, contracting, and staffing companies). In that industry leadership is paramount. Because once a company has hired an employee, found a client with a need, and brought them together they’ve proven they know ‘how to do the business’ – they are competent. From there, their size/growth, profitability, reputation and all other major aspects of their business are completely determined by the leadership ability of their senior management. How much they provide beyond just ‘the person’, how much they invest in their people, how valuable their ‘solutions’ and ‘capabilities’ become, are all determined by their leadership abilities.
To grow our business, we must all continue to grow ourselves. And the most important and most valuable skill set to have and to develop is our leadership ability. As John Maxwell says, “Everything rises and falls on leadership”. The question for us, is “do we have an effective personal growth/development plan?” Because if not we’re left to succeed by merely working even harder or putting in longer hours. Is that really the best plan?
