You’ve Got to Practice Leadership

Leadership is the topic most addressed in this blog. Leadership is certainly an important topic. However, it’s also something I am fascinated with personally. I am interested in learning what great leaders do to become great leaders. I am interested in what makes leaders fail. All this interest is because I am on a journey – a leadership journey. I am constantly practicing to become a better leader.  My guess is you are too.

Doug Conant, former CEO of Campbell Soup Company agrees that practice makes perfect. Mr. Conant recently published a book titled, “Touchpoints”. I am putting the book on my 2012 reading list.

An article about the book I recently read indicates that Conant believes its vital for leaders to understand what the people they are leading are thinking and what they need in order to accomplish their organization’s goals.  Conant re-connected his team during the worldwide financial crisis of 2008 by walking around and talking to his employees.  Through this process, he learned what his employees were thinking.  He was able to re-focus the organization based on these findings and engage his employees in their direction.

Conant believes great leaders don’t focus on themselves but on those they lead.  He suggests leaders should ask themselves three simple questions.

1.  What does the organization need?

2.  What can others do to help it?

3.  What must I do to make certain we are on track?

The answers to these questions may be complicated and they may even evoke additional questions.

My guess is many leaders don’t get it right the first time either.  But, if leaders are willing to practice, practice, practice, eventually they will git it right.

Are you on a leadership journey?  Are you practicing to become a better leader every day?  Feel free to share some of the leadership lessons you are learning with the folks reading this blog.