Leadership Principles continued

So far we have established some characteristics for exemplary leadership.  How does a leader know that he or she is making a good and sound decision?  There are some principles which can help make the best decision possible.

Think outside the box when you make decisions

Most corporations, large or small, private or public sector, have policies and guidelines on how everything from security to finances to client service will be put into place.  Even though these policies are often written in general terms, they are not interpreted except in the narrowest of contexts.  In order to protect oneself from liability, protect their job or protect the integrity of the company, managers generally make decisions based on those narrow interpretations.  What would happen if they thought outside the box?

Corporations are often as seen strictly as business lines and bottom lines.  The inevitable fact, however, is that businesses are human beings serving the needs of other human beings.   Government serves it citizens ultimately.   Factories produce product for human consumers.  The media seeks human viewers.  All business ultimately serve human needs and wants.  Human beings come with emotions, history and opinions.  Having flexibility within  the policies to go outside the box is of great value.  When I was a security manager of a major convention centre, I often said that my job was to take care of my staff.  It was their job to take care of the convention centre clients.   I provided my staff with the tools, the training and the information that they needed to do their jobs.  We wrote policy together, based on basic industry wide best practices, but left room for input based on our specific needs and the needs of our potential clients.  I put trust and value in my staff and in turn, was rewarded with loyalty and a high level of excellence.   We went outside the box where possible and where it would better serve the human beings involved.  To determine that one way fits all gets the work done but does not get the results desired.

Another example is of one inventor who wanted the major chain stores to carry his product.  No one would.  This was in the late 1960s.  So he began a marketing campaign saying that his product was available in each of those stores that had turned him down.  Consumers went in demanding his products and the stores were forced to call him, ask for those items and he was then able to demand a better deal for himself.   The company became a household name and was one of the most popular producers of  gadgets and other products in the 1960s and 70s.

Thinking outside the box simply means being open to the clients and the staff and having some built in flexibility which will enhance the experience of all involved.  Do not be afraid to try new things and new ways of doing things.  Without change and new possibilities, we cannot stand out in our fields.