Ultimately, business success rests on your ability to lead and leadership is about shaping the way forward, not managing the ‘here and now’, hands on, day to day ‘stuff’.

If you’re a business leader I have 3 quick and easy questions for you to ask yourself on a daily basis to help you to stay focused on leadership but first of all ask yourself …

… Why?

When you’re a leader, getting the job done is not the most important thing – why you are doing it is what matters most. Think outcomes, which involve customers and relationships, not outputs … Never lose sight of what your customers value. Ultimately, all customers want a quality product or service but they value the way in which it is delivered. The more you connect with your customers, the more you can understand what it is they want – and it isn’t always what they say it is.

Every leaders 3 daily questions to self …

 Am I leading or managing?

Many of the business owners I’ve met are constantly in the weeds and often this is because they have built their businesses from nothing, have a massive sense of ownership of every aspect of the business. Often they struggle to develop their own role and adjust their behaviour at each stage of growth, to ensure they are flying at 20,000 feet with an eye on the road ahead, trusting those they have brought alongside them to manage the here and now.

Do I inspire or do I motivate?

A good way of checking whether you’re leading or managing is to ask yourself, do you inspire? or do you motivate? Leaders need to be able to inspire and get people behind their vision. Leading is about defining the destination and creating the parameters within which managers are able to motivate, and get people focused on the job in hand to achieve goals.

Am I making things possible or making things happen?

Application of what I refer to as the 80/20 rule helps to keep you at 20,000 feet, and is a barometer for checking that you’re spending 80% of your time with people and 20% on ‘stuff’ – you can’t lead from behind a desk!

These 2 books by Simon Sinek are brilliant, ‘easy reads’ …

  • Start with Why?
  • Leaders Eat Last

If you would like to discuss becoming a more effective leader, please email me at: bev.lockwood@unlockedltd.com or give me a call at 07747 456351.