1. LEADER BY TITLE ONLY
By Jim Huddleston, Partner; Crawford, Huddleston & Co., LLP
A career unfolds over decades. Sometimes we look up and take a fresh view of where those
decades have taken us. If we find ourselves with professional, managerial responsibility, it’s either
because we own the company or the guys who do have entrusted it to us to run. If we own it we
may feel that we have no oversight, no “audience” to second guess our decisions, our actions or
inaction—maybe that’s why we chose this direction in our careers. It’s good to be king.
If we control a company we don’t own, then we serve the ownership. That
ownership may be thousands of stockholders . . . it may be our fathers. In any
event, it’s clear who is looking over our shoulders—or at least who has the right.
All managers should try to be effective leaders—or have the stewardship to step
away and let someone else serve the ownership. In the end, leadership boils
down to looking after others and in doing so; we put our selfish interests aside.
Presuming our company’s goal is profit; we should ask, “Are we looking at revenue types to see
which ones should be emphasized and which phased out?” Are we looking at expenses to
determine which are creating an impact and which should be curtailed? With respect to our
employees and vendors; which activities should be outsourced and which vendor-activities should
be in-sourced? If someone asked, can we PROVE that we’ve actively, regularly looked into these
things? Is the fact that nobody has asked (or is likely to ask), the reason we have not?
Leadership feels different to different kinds of people. To some, it’s a burden. For those, they
should find another type of contribution that better fits their temperaments. They should do that
voluntarily before someone moves them aside. For others, authority feels like a birthright. They
have always seen themselves as superior and they have little capacity to follow. These guys will
cause a train wreck—it’s up to the rest of us to get off and get away as quickly as we can.
A third group views leadership as an opportunity, a challenge with an ever closer expiration date.
This group is aware of the stewardship implications and personal privilege of authority and takes
that role seriously. He/she makes careful but timely decisions impacting others—decisions that
might, they realize, be made smarter and faster by someone else. This kind of leader is humble,
vigilant and never loses sight of the top line (sales), the bottom line (expenses) or the interests of
the people that work together. Real leaders are innovators; guides, not race winners. Is that you
and me? After we’re gone, which of our innovations will be remembered as our leadership legacy?
More information at www.crawfordhuddleston.com