should master in order to get your company up and running, and to keep it going in the future. Among these are:
Understanding what being a leader entails.
Becoming a great communicator, in both speaking and listening.
Understanding your own core values and never compromising on them.
Being able to clearly state, and stand by, your vision for the company as well as its operating goals and ethics.
Understanding that setting a good example is the most valuable gift a leader/owner can give his or her company.
Recognizing that at some point in the future you will have to switch from being a student of leadership to a teacher of leadership.
Level 2: Creating Your Companyâs DNA
For the new owner, Level 2 is the point at which the business stops being purely theoretical and starts becoming real. Having made the decision to become an owner or expand your business, and chosen an opportunity, the owner begins to create the companyâs DNA. That is, he or she begins developing how the business will operate on a day-to-day basis, guided by the sales and profits forecasts and other information gathered at Level 1. This is an extraordinarily important step in the life of a business, not only because the preparation the owner does will be a major factor in how the company responds to his or her leadership, but also because it will be reflected in how successful the business will be, both in the beginning and in the long term.
Like Level 1, Level 2 begins with a mental image rather than a physical action, that is, in the mindâs eye. As with anything an individual wants to accomplish, the dream comes before he or she actually goes out and does it. For example, people who decide they want to lose weight start by visualizing how much healthier they will be and how much better they will look and feel. Then they define their realityâthat is, they recognize that they are, say, 30 pounds overweight, and decide this will be their weight-loss goal. Next, they determine how long it will take to achieve this goal, set up intermediate objectives and goals, and develop exercise and eating programs to fit the timetable. Itâs only then that they begin to take physical action.
Creating a companyâs DNA is a lot like choosing to lose weight. Owners also start with a mental imageâin this case, one of how they want their companies to operate on a day-to-day basis, how their employees and customers will be treated, how their employees will treat each other, their performance expectations, what the companyâs objectives and goals will be, and who will be responsible for them. That is, they visualize what they want their companies to be, create the steps to get there, assign accountability, and determine oversight and controls. This is a key point for ownership success, because the result of leading in the mindâs eyeâthinking through how they want their company and all its moving parts to work, separately and in unisonâenables owners to create their own destiny.
Of course, unless you have a one-man or one-woman operation, you canât operate a business entirely on your own. And that means you and your employees must operate as a team. There, however, is the rub. Most people believe teamwork and success go hand in hand, but thatâs not necessarily correct. In fact, a lot of teamwork isnât productive at all. Teamwork is productive only when there is a strong leader who establishes clear goals, orchestrates behavior, demands performance with accountability, and can put a little fear into his or her employees so they will consistently do what they need to do. This, ultimately, is how to establish a successful companyâa business that operates as a team and is led by an owner/leader who isnât afraid to make the tough decisions, and who knows the goal is not popularity but winning the market war and being a long-term success.
It is important to note, however, that while creating a companyâs
Understanding what being a leader entails.
Becoming a great communicator, in both speaking and listening.
Understanding your own core values and never compromising on them.
Being able to clearly state, and stand by, your vision for the company as well as its operating goals and ethics.
Understanding that setting a good example is the most valuable gift a leader/owner can give his or her company.
Recognizing that at some point in the future you will have to switch from being a student of leadership to a teacher of leadership.
Level 2: Creating Your Companyâs DNA
For the new owner, Level 2 is the point at which the business stops being purely theoretical and starts becoming real. Having made the decision to become an owner or expand your business, and chosen an opportunity, the owner begins to create the companyâs DNA. That is, he or she begins developing how the business will operate on a day-to-day basis, guided by the sales and profits forecasts and other information gathered at Level 1. This is an extraordinarily important step in the life of a business, not only because the preparation the owner does will be a major factor in how the company responds to his or her leadership, but also because it will be reflected in how successful the business will be, both in the beginning and in the long term.
Like Level 1, Level 2 begins with a mental image rather than a physical action, that is, in the mindâs eye. As with anything an individual wants to accomplish, the dream comes before he or she actually goes out and does it. For example, people who decide they want to lose weight start by visualizing how much healthier they will be and how much better they will look and feel. Then they define their realityâthat is, they recognize that they are, say, 30 pounds overweight, and decide this will be their weight-loss goal. Next, they determine how long it will take to achieve this goal, set up intermediate objectives and goals, and develop exercise and eating programs to fit the timetable. Itâs only then that they begin to take physical action.
Creating a companyâs DNA is a lot like choosing to lose weight. Owners also start with a mental imageâin this case, one of how they want their companies to operate on a day-to-day basis, how their employees and customers will be treated, how their employees will treat each other, their performance expectations, what the companyâs objectives and goals will be, and who will be responsible for them. That is, they visualize what they want their companies to be, create the steps to get there, assign accountability, and determine oversight and controls. This is a key point for ownership success, because the result of leading in the mindâs eyeâthinking through how they want their company and all its moving parts to work, separately and in unisonâenables owners to create their own destiny.
Of course, unless you have a one-man or one-woman operation, you canât operate a business entirely on your own. And that means you and your employees must operate as a team. There, however, is the rub. Most people believe teamwork and success go hand in hand, but thatâs not necessarily correct. In fact, a lot of teamwork isnât productive at all. Teamwork is productive only when there is a strong leader who establishes clear goals, orchestrates behavior, demands performance with accountability, and can put a little fear into his or her employees so they will consistently do what they need to do. This, ultimately, is how to establish a successful companyâa business that operates as a team and is led by an owner/leader who isnât afraid to make the tough decisions, and who knows the goal is not popularity but winning the market war and being a long-term success.
It is important to note, however, that while creating a companyâs
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