Lone Wolf to Lead Wolf-The Evolution of Leadership

Privately held clubs range in size form very small "Mom & Pop" operations with income as low as 0,000 or less, to huge multi- million Dollar distributors with locations all over North America. Wholesale distribution also has some mega-distributors with sales fluctuating from billion to as much as billion. The majority of wholesale distributors are house owned.

Family owned organizations, both small and large, with succession issues, house establishMent and second and third generation leadership issues have been subjected to the evolution of leadership. These organizations are often founded by an aggressive, extremely talented entrepreneur. Many of the ideas of leadership that helped build the success that the club enjoyed in the past is not the type of leadership that will say that success through generations of ownership. Contrary to some "leadership authorities" belief, the Machiavelli theories on leadership just don't apply today. Niccolo Machiavelli is carefully by some a leadership guru who lived while the renaissance period and is often quoted and written about today. Machiavelli believed that "Men are more ready for evil than good." "A leader's goal is one of power and domination."

The Evolution of Leadership

Times have changed, leadership has evolved. The days of the "Lone Wolf" leader at the top who dominates with power are gone. Flourishing conspiratorially held organizations have gone through the leadership evolutionary process. They understand that today's leader must generate convert in the club to meet the needs of their customers, to meet the needs of their employees and to meet the needs of their vendor partners. It involves a singular life cycle change. This convert varies agreeing to the generation of leadership.

More often than not, the "seat of the Pants" based on intuitive judgMent leadership style of the founder with extremely autocratic methodologies won't work in today's company environMent. Today's environment demands a carport administrative structure that requires a convert in the nature of past leadership practices. Plainly put, it's an evolution from a extremely reactive, autocratic individualistic style to a more empowering, people worker oriented proactive style. It's about going from a "Lone Wolf" leadership style to a "Lead Wolf" leadership style that has confidence in the employee's ability to make things happen and empowers the employees to get the Job done.

Founders and even second and third generation successors may find it difficult to make the transition from the "Lone Wolf" to the "Lead Wolf" leadership style. When this happens, possession may put personal needs ahead of company needs and the club is not managed in the best interest of its customers, its vendors and its employees. Organizations that are still run in the "Lone Wolf" style have an owner at the helm that has a strong dominating personality that is likely to be a poor listener. This "Lone Wolf" syndrome is easy to recognize. The same problems seem to arise over and over. Store share deteriorates, cash flow problems exist, there may be a foresight but no plan exists to accomplish that vision. Anxiety may set in and the owner becomes defensive or even paranoid and resorts to blaming others for the lack of success or pending failure. Without exterior intervention, administrative coaching, a solid board of directors or even an advisory group, the company may end up being sold or worse yet the company may go into a death spiral. (e-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for the narrative "The Death Spiral" and the "Leadership opinion Provoker" Checklist)

The Lone Wolf Leader Still Exists

This doesn't mean that there aren't some "Lone Wolf" leaders that still exist today that are successful. Remember, they have a strong entrepreneurial spirit that makes them dynamic and decisive. They often have a clear foresight and these traits can drive a company for some time. However, I submit to you that the "Lone Wolf" leaders that have not evolved today cannot maximize the success of their organization. They will not leverage the contentious benefit that has come to be the life line of their survival. The strong traits that brought them success in the past quickly come to be liabilities in today's environment. They don't believe in empowerment. They don't believe in long range planning. They are reluctant to create structure, policy and policy because it inhibits the ability to shoot from the hip and it slows them down. They mistakenly believe that shooting from the hip is part of their contentious benefit because it worked so well in the past. They can make reactive crisis-driven decisions with puny or no help from their administration without recognizing that they must recognize and precise the root cause. If they do have a board of directors, they are hand picked friends that basically do anything they want and challenge very little. They count on only those that seem to be the most loyal and they motivate by fear and guilt. Sure, they'll hold staff meetings but it's more of an practice in power to narrative on accident intervention or Plainly to chew people out. They have strangeness in letting go of the past.

Evolution has Created the interrogate for Lead Wolf Executives

Successful growing organizations have gone through the touch of change. In fact, these organizations recognized the necessity to generate change. That is what leadership is verily about; the ability to generate change. These Flourishing organizations have advanced their employees along the way. The Lead Wolf executives have earned the respect and trust of their employees by demonstrating respect and trust in the employees themselves. Most employ a servant, situational leadership style that is based on an empowerment platform. They create time to come leaders; make proactive decisions based on calculated risk. They employ root cause diagnosis even if they don't formally call it that. They employ best practices and make staffing decisions based on responsibility, competency, training and capabilities. They create a real board of directors that provide value to the organization, challenge the administrative staff and hold them accountable. The Lead Wolf executives recognize and believe that leadership is an invitation to greatness that we enlarge to others. Flourishing leaders understand that they must give back what they have learned. They come to be mentors.

The Evolution is a growth & learning Process

Owner executives that have evolved to the Lead Wolf style of leadership have gone through an personel growth and learning process. They have appropriate the fact that they may not have all the answers. More importantly, they recognize that they don't have to have all the answers. Many have found a mentor or an administrative coach exterior the organization. Changing a leadership style is not the easiest thing in the world to do. Coaching becomes a very useful resource. This evolutionary process includes:

o Enhancement of their instinctive curiosity and a strengthening of their focus on being a buyer driven organization. Aid and ability come to be a way of life within the club and it is used to support their contentious advanTAGe.

o Taking their foresight and redefining it as an end game which challenges their administrative team to generate a strategic plan to meet this end game. This plan incorporates growth and profitability as well as other specific goals and objectives.

o The recognition that employees are the most high-priced asset and backing up that recognition by the willingness to spend profits in the improvement of these employees.

o Empowerment that is accompanied by the resources valuable to corollary and responsibility for results.

o Utilizing a board of directors as a reserved Supply while sharing administration challenges seeking policy and guidance. Incorporating contingency planning and scenario planning as a regular exercise.

(e-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for Board of Director information together with a sample director application form and qualifications)

Wholesale distribution organizations increasingly are characterized by a large and incredibly involved set of independent relationships in the middle of extremely diverse groups of people. That is what the evolution is about. To be successful, the Lead Wolf administrative determines how to get active involvement, innovation and creativity out of their employees. Success depends on more than just "best practice" success drivers. Success demands a excellent level of leadership--a level that requires deep commitment. This commitment will not flourish in workplace environments that are still dominated by the Lone Wolf--"slap & point" or the "carrot and stick" method of administration often used in the past.

The Lead Wolf Executive

Lead Wolf executives get results. They are high impact leaders. They are consistent, explicit and brief and they command a proximity when they walk into a room. They have enough charisma to turn the dullest occasion into a high-energy event. When they move on, others want to go with them. They have a following. Their openness and honesty generate a legacy which people admire and look up to. They gain commitment and raise trust.

Creating change, managing while turbulent times, or fostering growth all depends on equilibrium and the Lead Wolf type of leadership. No one person can make a company successful. It takes a lot of people, but one person with a command of leadership, utilizing the Lead Wolf style can replacement enough influence, creating enough leadership surrounded by the administration group to certify success. administration must outline out how to get more active involvement and creativity out of their employees. Questioning of the status quo and the generation of new ideas is a mandate of success. That success depends on a excellent level of performance, a level that requires deep commitment.

Most of us are not born leaders. We are not adept at communication. However, a good percenTAGe of us long to come to be leaders of men and make deep connections in our careers that lead to commitment, a commitment to success. For house owned organizations, leadership is passed on from generation to generation. To accomplish objectives, each generation must understand the following basic ideas of leadership.

o Honesty

o Integrity

o Respect

o Trustworthiness

o Sincere concern of others

o Willingness to take calculated risk

Once these ideas are learned and practiced, leverage of these leadership skills to create the administration team is the next step. Lead Wolf house executives that have gone through the evolution of convert understand this and they are clear as to what their responsibilities are.

"The true test of a Flourishing leader is that he leaves behind the conviction, the will and the comprehension to carry on."

"Leadership is easy, just find a bunch of people going in the same direction and jump in front of them"--------Willie Nelson

The Lead Wolf administrative understands the importance of making emotional connections with the administration team that surrounds them. They must encourage these people to open up, share dialog and characterize dreams. They must teach and mentor. It's not as easy as Willie Nelson would have you believe. Leveraging their leadership entails advancing their personal agenda by advancing the agenda of others. A good leader is not intimidated by the success of others. They encourage others to corollary and help them fulfill their wants and needs. Leveraging leadership helps decide the incommunicable factors in communication. comprehension inferences and assertions come to be a key component to comprehension people. Lead Wolf executives have high questioning and prospering skills that allow them to drill down to real facts and issues. Leveraging their leadership allows Flourishing leaders to create emotional connections, which diminish fear and intimidation. This encourages enthusiasm and cooperation and that is what being a Lead Wolf leader is all about. (e-mail rick@ceostrategist.com for the Leadership opinion Provoker Checklist)

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