The Qualities of a
Leader:
5. Competence
The fifth quality of a
leader is competence. It answers the
question: how good do you want to
be? In your work. In your character. In your relationships.
We talk
about the need for leaders to inspire the troops, but that’s more than just
giving them pep talks. Give them the pep
talks. That’s good. Then there’s the inspiration that comes when
someone is honestly impressed by either what we know, what we do, or what we
are.
So we
go back to our original questions:
How good do you want to be in your work? Do you
want to be good enough, or do you want to be the best? Being the best means two things: On the one hand, we are often compared to
other stores, other departments, or other regions. But that may only be a measure of our
competitors. Would you rather be the batting champion in the minor leagues, or in
the top ten in the majors? The best quarterback in college or a
starting quarterback in the NFL?
Of the 18 stores in the Midwest
Region, do you care where you stand in comparison to them? Where are you content to be? Do you want to be first, or are you content
to be fifth? Becoming first may be
unrealistic or so far unlikely that you’re not going to lose any sleep over
it. But then we said that being the best
in your work can mean two things: being the best compared with the others, and
being the best that we can be. Do you really want to do better than you are
now, or are you content to just do the job?
I grant you, when I get out of work, I am tired. There’s not much left, but I can’t work any
other way. You do your best. If I can’t be the best overall, I will be the
best I can be.
The
second question is: how good do you want
to be in your character? What
good are you doing if you are the best grocer, the best merchandiser in the
world, but you’re a complete jerk personally?
What good is it if you can build a display, but you can’t build your own
life? That display you built will
come down in two weeks, but what you are will be with you forever. That display can be knocked over by one ten
year old child, but what you are, you can keep building on it and building on
it.
Nobody
wants to follow a jerk.
The
third question is: how good do you want
to be in your relationships? When
you want your people to go that extra mile, sometimes they are going to have to
want to do it for you. For our people to
do their very best, they have to want to do it for themselves, they have to
want to do it for the company, and they have to want to do it for you. All these three factors will enter into the
situation at one time or another. Are you working to build relationships with
your team? I don’t mean going
fishing with them or drinking beer after work, but do you actually talk with
them about things other than what to do next or what they are doing wrong? Do you actually listen to them and care about
what things are on their minds? And do
they know that you actually care about them and their welfare?
Competence goes beyond words.
It’s the leader’s ability to say it, plan it, and do it
in such a way that others know that you know how ---
and know that they want to follow you.
p. 30
When was the last
time you gave a task your absolute best
even though nobody
but you would know about it?
p. 36
