Being the leader in a multi-million dollar corporation, or in anything for that matter, is a tough job and not suited for everyone. It comes with a lot of baggage. It involves endless working hours, enormous stress, creates problems in your personal life, you name it; and when you are the person responsible for building the corporation from scratch, the baggage is even heavier! You have a personal bond with your company, which you just can't let go of.
Being a leader however, means sharing the responsibility of working towards a common goal. This means you have to let go of trying to do everything on your own, no matter how hard it is, otherwise you will drive yourself to the grave. By "let go" I mean delegate. Let others do things under your instructions and your watchful eye.
I will quote two great men whose words should be taken seriously by anyone anticipating on becoming a leader:
"Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it."
- Dwight D. Eisenhower
"The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it."
- Theodore Roosevelt
After 3 years of building my company and making it a success, this is exactly what I have done. It was not easy, but was something that just had to be done. I used to try and do everything myself. There came a time however, were this was just not feasible. I had no time to sleep and no time to spend with my loved ones. I basically became a recluse. For 3 years I was in my house working on building my company. You see, my company is Internet based so did not involve any human interaction and no need to leave the house. I had gained over 20kg and became white as a ghost! To this day, I get scared when I look at pictures of myself during those years. I lost any confidence I may have had and basically just forgot how to interact with the human race!
Luckily, the day came when I decided I was ready to let go. At this point I had over 30 employees whom I had never met. What I needed however, were enthusiastic people with the intelligence and determination to continue what I had started and not mere employees.
This is were a leader shows his true colours. Finding the right people and being able to motivate them to maximize the company's productivity is the key to success for any large corporation. Finding the right people however, is not easy, especially when you haven't interacted with people for over 2 years. I remember being the one nervous and breaking out in cold sweats at the interviews rather than the candidates. It is so funny when I look back at it :))
Being simply a leader is not good enough. You have to be a great leader in order to make your company a success. What makes a great leader? Remember, that no one wants a dictator as a boss. You must praise your staff for their good work. You must be civilized and offer advice and suggestions in a professional manner. If they do something wrong, let them know how to do it right. Blowing your head off at them will only make them dislike you and the company.
Also, you must not treat your employees as servants. By doing so you will make them despise you. You must treat them as equals. Ask for their opinions and follow them when they are right. This will lead to a positive working environment.
As a leader, you must ensure that everything in the company is running smoothly. See if the people under you are happy, if anything is bothering them, if they have other things to worry about, do try your best to help. It will be worth it in the long term.
Give bonuses for work well done. By giving bonuses you reward your employees for work done outside their normal working duties. This is were the following quote kicks in:
When you thought I wasn't looking, I looked at you and wanted to say "thanks for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn't looking." - Source unkown.
You need to be an example for your employees. Your employees will be after your position in the company and will try and emulate you. As such, you need to set the standard for them to follow. Being a leader, your employees are watching you and doing as you do, and not always as you say.
To be a leader you must have passion, authenticity, integrity, and ethics. It involves knowing who you are and what you want at the deepest level. To be a leader you must believe that limits to your abilities do not exist.
Share your knowledge, for once you step down from your position, it will be those that you shared your knowledge with that will take over. It will be them that determine the future of what you started. Teach your employees everything they need to know about the business. There is no greater gift than to give those you lead the chance to acquire your wisdom.
Another important aspect of being a great leader is that you should come across as one. Your colleagues must see you as a leader. You must be able to prove your accomplishments in life. Image, intelligence and reputation are vital. Once you can do so, they cannot question you or your decesions. Personally, having spent 4 years at law school, having won the UW Tax Law Award, graduating with distinction in my Masters Degree, becoming a Barrister, setting up a multi-million dollar company, and all this by the age of 26, I don't think anyone can question my decisions. All these things are important in setting a good example. Don't be ashamed of showing off your accomplishments. You worked hard for them after all.
Now comes an important quote from another great man:
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
- John F. Kennedy
Just because you may be the leader, does not mean you know everything. Being a leader means being a learner. For as long as you live, you will be learning new things everyday. You may have more experience in your business but never take it for granted that you know everything. Every new day brings a new experience. You must be willing to learn new things even if they do happen to come from people under you.
Well, I hope that will help you in your search for success and in becoming a great leader yourself one day! You must remember however, that you can wish on a shooting star all you want, but what will really make you a great leader is hard work, determination and sacrifice.
