Building a Culture of Leadership in Successful Businesses

Having a culture of leadership is an important element to success, at least if you want that success to be maintained over the long term in today's Australian economy.

It was once the case that a company looked to one leader to inspire them by his or her example, much as a rugby or football coach could take a team of average players and lead them on to a championship victory. Those days, sadly, are nearly gone. Business moves so fast these days with so much data to keep track of and so many new products and services continually emerging that there simply cannot be just one leader in many companies. Instead, a company needs a whole culture of leadership within itself which promotes those who take initiative to make things happen for the company when called upon to do so. Each department within a company, in fact, requires a leader or leaders of its own.

This new business culture is an important one to adopt, given the fast growth and global ties of the New South Wales economy as the state and the country of Australia move on into the 21st century. As the economic plan of NSW itself states: "a strong economy allows us to provide the excellent services such as healthcare, education, and policing which the public expects...we are...innovative people who want a society built on fairness, equity, and collaboration...(a) society built on these principles will be more productive, wealthier, and fairer."

This is also the way the 21st century company should be run.

STEP ONE: BUILD TRUST AND A SHARED VISION

The top management at every company needs to make sure that each and every person within the organisation is on the same page if they are to proceed. All persons must agree on the same goals and objectives for the company. When everyone is working towards the same ends, then conflict within the organisation is minimised. People who feel that they are building something of value will naturally be motivated to maximise this success. This will bring out their natural talents for leadership, which is good for the company as a whole.

In a company with a shared vision, where everyone trusts each other and there is nothing to fear from conflicts of interest between individuals or departments, innovative business solutions are conceived and the calculated risks that can take a company to another level are taken.

This can be a difficult goal to achieve, however, because people are used to always competing in business. Top management needs to guide people into sharing their personal, human side, such as by having people (themselves, too) share their personal histories with their groups and teams and eventually perhaps in large company-wide meetings.

STEP TWO: EXPLORING THE POSSIBILITIES

Now people must be introduced to seeing new possibilities the way leaders habitually do. To achieve this, most people need to be shown how to think outside the box of their habitual, calcified ways of thinking and assumptions. One highly effective method for achieving this is to get people to privately write down and reflect on personal answers to key stimulating questions. These can include questions such as, "where do you envision yourself in one year? In five years? In ten years?" and "imagine your retirement dinner, what do your work colleagues from throughout the years say about you at this event?" Questions about what things are good or bad, better or worse, about the company as well as questions concerning possible unintended consequences or unforeseen events should also be asked and individual answers written down.

Management should then sit down and look carefully at what people have said. This should be shared with team leaders and department heads and then on down to everyone, who can then think more about what has been learned through this exercise.

STEP THREE: ESTABLISHING A PLAN OF ACTION

Now that the entire company is on the same page and everybody within the organisation is working towards a common vision of growth and success for the company, a plan for success can be plotted out. Each department will have its own goals to meet. These all will help the company on its way to the common goal which all will work to achieve. Top management will both steer the ship and act as cheerleaders for the company as it moves forward to ever greater success.

With such a leadership culture in place, a company will become more productive, forward thinking, and successful.

About the Author

About the author: Rha K. Cardinale is an expert at transforming companies and developing a culture of innovation. Visit "Great Leadership" website for more advice on building innovative teams

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