Thursday, June 18th, 2009
SIX THINGS LEADERS NEED TO DO
Yesterday, at the AAA National Practice Management Conference in Denver, Sam Allred of Upstream Academy, talked about my #1 topic, CHANGE.
The title was, The Role of the Leader in Effecting Change. Sam’s message: Change… It can’t happen if the leaders don’t change. Or, as my friend Bill Reeb puts it in a much more colorful way: The fish stinks at the head!
Sam shared Six Things Leaders Need to Do (when you become a partner):
Give up The Right to Remain Silent – when you become a partner, you must speak up at THE meeting (the partner meeting) – not nod your head and then go door-to-door after the meeting talking to the other partners. Not speaking up, in the proper forum, creates artificial harmony.
Keep an Open Mind – I relate this one to “seek first to understand and then be understood.”
You Give Up The Right to Make All Decisions – Sole-practitioners have this right. When you make the decision to be part of A FIRM, you give up that right.
Learn to Make the Proper Commitment – Saying/thinking, “I will stay out of the way” is not making commitment. It’s a case of “grudging compliance” vs. “spirited commitment.”
Willingness to Get Outside Your Comfort Zone – You cannot stand still. Becoming partner doesn’t mean you “made it” and now you can coast.
You Become A Leader for Change, Not an Anchor – You are helping row the boat, not sitting in the back and throwing out anchors when something doesn’t go your way.
“When a team outgrows individual performance and learns team confidence, excellence becomes a reality.” – – Joe Paterno
Pictures from the conference above. Is that you with Rita?
(Rebecca Ryan, Gary Ellinger, Brenda Sleeper, Donna Cimino)
