Courage, connection, creativity, commitment set leaders apart

As history has shown, the best of leaders often emerge during times of crisis. Four "C"s set leaders apart and drive their success as well as the success of their companies: courage, connection, creativity and commitment.

Courage

In a world where there is a continuing threat of international terrorism, it takes courage to be a leader.

Kidnappings and the murder of executives in distant parts of the world continue to occur, seldom drawing front-page headlines. After Sept. 11, many considered just going to work in a high-rise office building to be a frightening experience.

Additionally, scandals and the outright greed of many chief executives have prompted legislation to hold corporate officers personally accountable for accurate financial reporting. Corporate executives or board members must constantly remind themselves that they live in a fish bowl.

Executives work long hours, many putting in 60 to 80 hours a week. Sometimes, executives are on the road five or six days of the week. Those with international responsibilities are in the air for long periods, attending meeting after meeting in country after country. Is it any wonder that as many as 70 percent of executives want help balancing work/life issues?

Connection

In the rapidly changing global economy, effective leaders understand that success depends on interdependence and cooperation, not independence and conflict.

With this understanding, comes an increasing acknowledgment that people and the quality of their relationships hold the largest key to the financial success of organizations. Business is conducted through relationships, and the quality of relationships at work influences the quality of business results.

Successful leaders learn to conduct mutually enhancing relationships with other leaders, governments, organizations, employees, customers, suppliers, stockholders and many other stakeholders with various interests and concerns.

Both in and out of business, there are different kinds of relationships and different ways to conduct relationships. One kind of relationship unilaterally advances an agenda, and relationships are valued as a means of accomplishing one's own ends.

In another kind of relationship, there is mutual value of each participant's concerns, and relationships are a means of fostering development and enhancing all of the participants. Successful leaders promote the latter kind of relationship.

Many companies have attempted to become people-centered organizations that promote teamwork, but some have not evolved from the old paradigm of domination of others, exaggerated self-sufficiency, aggressive competition among each other and disconnection.

These companies are not reaping the rewards of enhanced productivity and profitability that can accompany an organization with leaders who develop strong relationship proficiencies that support trust in themselves, their employees and their organizations.

Creativity

The business market today is tough. It is often assumed that a salesperson should work 10 prospects in order to close one sale. In better times, the salesperson would expect to close three or four out of 10.

In almost every opportunity, an organization will face numerous competitors and be under tremendous pressure to significantly reduce its price. The customer expects the organization to deliver a complete solution, bringing together whatever partners or products are necessary to solve the customer's unique business problem.

The customer also expects the organization to be easy to do business with and to utilize technology and the Internet to readily provide the latest information. In other words, it is a buyer's market. The companies that are successful today must be creative in how they package, price and deliver their products to meet the customer's needs.

Creativity in sales and marketing is essential to a company's success. Leaders create environments that support these positive outcomes.

It takes a confident leader with courage to go against traditional corporate thinking and create an environment where its team can be successful. The leader must utilize all of the creative talent of the team to bring creative solutions that the customer will pay for.

Those companies that are not creative are simply not getting the sale.

Commitment

Many companies today are working hard, but not smart. Employees who do not feel they can make a difference within their organization are just going through the motions. They are doing their job the same way they always have and not really trying to improve their performance.

Successful executives must be committed to improving their own performance and that of their team. They must be open and honest in their communications, listen attentively for creative input and be committed to implementing changes in their organization to improve their competitiveness in the market.

Commitment is best measured by actions, not words.

It is a difficult challenge to be successful and one that takes courage, connection, creativity and commitment.