Leadership by Results

Do not seek balance in the short term Among other attributes of great leadership, one must consider results. That "You will know by their fruit" kind of evaluation. Of course, one must factor in numerous attributes in order to gain proper prospective on another's results. Few will have attempted exactly what you seek to accomplish. That "Your mileage may vary" thing. But still, learning about oranges when you sell apples may have great value. For example, I successfully applied the lessons of Open Source Software to create an eCommerce business in the late 1990s. Since 1981 I have been consulting with business owners and entrepreneurs. I have helped more than one generate millions of dollars of revenue. Capture market share. Put braces on their kids' teeth. And more. And yet, I feel that there is more than I can do; in fact, there is a lot more that I must do! The major complaint concerning "consultants" (think of that great movie Office Space) is simple: they tell us what to do, charge us a lot of money to have told us what to do, and then ride off into the sunset to cash our check. So what? Least you forget mister business owner, you are in charge. If that is the model you have adopted, then it is your fault. I know for a fact that there are alternatives. When I started consulting, I learned quickly that in order to be effective, I had to get my hands dirty. The responsibility for implementation in nine out of ten cases was mine to complete. However, in the mentoring environment (mostly where I do not charge) the client does the actual work. But that is rare. As Shane Falco in The Replacements told Coach McGinty, "I want the ball!" Consider one of my favorite expressions:

I can double the membership of most any Chamber of Commerce in the United States in just 90 days.

How? For that, you must pay me. But the not so secret secret is that I understand why more businesses do not join. Know too that I am one of the biggest fans of Chambers on planet Earth. They can be invaluable. Or a waste of time and money. Mister business owner, once again, you get to decide. Recall the exchange in the Old Testament where Naaman was told to "dip seven times in the Jordan" to be made whole? He did not want to dip in the dirty water. It was below his station in life.

And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? How much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? —II Kings 5:13

Results are not hard to accomplish. Taking charge is! That my friend, defines just one aspect of leadership. Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey Desk: 843.564.4.SKI P.S. Need help at your Chamber? Call me. (c)Copyright 2009, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey. All rights reserved.