In a conversation with a client recently we were discussing what are the attributes of successful leaders? I believe that there are four key ones.

The first attribute is adaptability, which means that a leader must be able to lead in varying environments whether it be a crisis, a boom, moderate success, ambiguity. A leader must be able to understand and then adapt to the environment around them.

The second attribute is being perceptive. Leaders must know what is going on around them, the different personalities of the teams they lead, the different agendas people may have and how the leader is perceived by others and use that information to determine how to best achieve their goals and objectives.

The third attribute is being decisive. This means balancing the desire for consensus with the required speed of decision-making. It also means that in most cases some action is better than no action.

The fourth and final attribute successful leaders have is being humble. We often read about leaders who give most of the credit to the people around them when things go well but shoulder most of the blame when things go awry. A leader needs to recognize that he/she needs smart people around them and that they can’t do everything on their own.

I will also let you in on a little secret. Great leaders aren’t always at the top of their organizations. There are many great leaders we have never heard of yet show all of the attributes I have just discussed. Do you know who those people are in your organization?

Miller's Monday Morning Message
presented by ACM Consulting Inc.

Andrew Miller on strategy, operations, life balance and everything in between

Toronto - July 25, 2011 – The recent tragedy in Norway reminds us to take pleasure in every moment. The senseless killing of almost 100 people, mostly teenagers, leaves us in mourning and asking a lot of questions. Why did this happen? How could we have prevented it? What will we do differently to ensure that it never happens again? Life is full of high moments and low ones and my heart goes out to those who are grieving lost family members. But life is going to be full of challenges and we need to develop ways to cope with those challenges. That means not only enjoying the good moments, but also figuring out ways to heal ourselves in the not-so-good-moments. Over the next few days, we will hear great stories of leadership and heroism, but the real heroes will shine over the next few months and years as they emerge from this tragedy as stronger, better leaders. It is when challenges present themselves that true leaders step to the forefront.
 
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© Andrew Miller. All rights reserved. 2011.

Miller's Monday Morning Message
presented by ACM Consulting Inc.

Andrew Miller on strategy, operations, life balance and everything in between

Toronto - July 18, 2011 – The phone hacking scandal at News Corp just got a whole lot more interesting. The scandal has penetrated through many different organizations and forced the resignation of Les Hinton, CEO of Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, as well as brought the names of a few prominent politicians into the fray. The scandal has now claimed more victims - News Corp's CEO Rebekah Brooks, who was arrested this weekend, and Paul Stephenson, London Chief of Police, who resigned yesterday. Even though both claim no wrongdoing, this new development can only prompt one question - who's next? This scandal seems to get worse as each day goes by. If you are a CEO reading this, what lessons can you learn? Here are just a couple:

• Know what your staff are doing - As CEO, you are ultimately accountable for what happens in the organization, so even though you cannot be involved in the activities of every employee, you need to know what is going on in the company.
• Surround yourself with smart, trusted advisers - The most successful companies have very strong senior management teams. Surround yourself with people who will not only challenge your ideas and develop great ones of their own, but also share the same morals and business ethics as you do.
• The risk-reward principle - For every big payoff, there was someone that took a huge risk behind it. Be comfortable with the risks you are taking and determine if the possible outcome is worth the potential risks that may come to fruition.

In a scandal like this one, there are numerous places where blame can (and will) be placed, and probably all of it is justified. This presents us with a view of an organization where illegal snooping and phone hacking were pervasive. Remember this case study before embarking upon a morally questionable initiative.
 
To request an interview or more information, please contact:

Andrew Miller
416-480-1336
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
http://www.acmconsulting.ca
 
Follow me on Twitter @AndrewMillerACM

© Andrew Miller. All rights reserved. 2011.

Golf's Ryder Cup pitting European players against US players shows us what it takes to be successful as a team. In a game where individuals usually compete against each other, the Ryder Cup forces the world's best golfers to be part of a team and they can only be successful if the team is successful. The U.S. team has the two best golfers in the world on the team, does that mean that they are going to win? Only if teamwork prevails. So what are the business lessons we can learn from the Ryder Cup? That successful teams (organizations) support each other through good and bad. That putting the strongest people together does not always guarantee success, those people need to be able to work well together...ability does not always equal success (although it helps). That every successful team needs a great leader to inspire them and provide direction, as well as make smart decisions. That teams can feed off of the success of other teams within the organization...using momentum to increase the level of success for everyone. And finally, that the more cohesive the team, the more success it will have. Who would have thought we could learn this much from watching a simple golf match?

Yesterday, I was privilieged enough to attend a lunch event where Frank McKenna was the keynote speaker. The event was hosted by Leadership Sinai, a group of young professionals committed to volunteer leadership and philanthropy and advancing the mission of Mount Sinai Hospital, and sponsored by TD Commercial Banking. The event was amazing. We had a great turnout and Mr McKenna was an amazing speaker. He told many great stories about some of the great leaders who he has had the pleasure of knowing and also talked about some of the characteristics of a great leader. What were they, you might ask? Hard work, collaborating with a great team, having passion for what you do and giving praise as often as you can. These are great leadership lessons from a great leader and we should all remember them to improve our lives and our businesses.