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Leadership as a profession or leadership styles
There's a belief that leadership isn't a job, but a calling. Today's business owners are talented autodidacts who have built their businesses on their own. But much is changing now: growth doesn't come from acquiring new customers, but from poaching them from the competition.
The ability to lead professionally is becoming a competitive advantage. And a lack of ability costs money. While a few years ago good leadership was a matter of luck, today it's about profit or loss. Fundamentals
Four tasks of a manager
The work of a manager encompasses four key areas that determine the success of a company:
Goals
Define the goals of the company in general and of the employees in particular.
People
Finding the right people to achieve goals
Regulate
Establish work rules for employees
Relationships
Controlling the relationships between employees
If we cover all four of these areas correctly from a technical standpoint, long-term success can be predicted. It's not necessary to delve into every process in detail yourself – carefully selected specialists are available for that.
Goals: Onward to victory!
The first task of a leader is to define the company's goals. In a spontaneous company, the boss observes how the competition organizes its business and starts doing the same. Problems don't arise immediately.
A regional company copied its competitors until it was on par with them. Then everything stagnated – there was no ready-made solution, and the owners didn't know how to set goals for themselves.
If we haven't defined the goals – what and how it should be or become – in advance, we take a very big risk. Experience shows that such a situation is highly likely to lead to an unpleasant outcome.
Humans: Gold made from lead?
Most executives believe there are no ordinary employees. But in reality, we can choose who we work with. We're not obligated to hire just anyone and then try to make them into gold.
As long as it concerns day-to-day work, we can and must maintain a normal situation – in which the demand for jobs exceeds the supply. Then we can select from the pool of people those who are a good fit for us.
If we are unable to set goals and tasks, we are forced to hire "specialists"—people who should already know what to do. As a result, we lose control of the reins, and they fall into the hands of these "specialists." Typology
Who works for us: Four thinking styles
People differ in two characteristics: imagination and limitations. This results in four thinking types, each with its own values and motivations:
1️⃣The Wise-and-Poor
Rich imagination, many speculative limitations. Value honor and respect. Work conscientiously when praised and supported.
2️⃣The farmer
Poor imagination, simple morals. Value material wealth and tangible things. Work conscientiously, but count every penny.
3️⃣The Outlaw
Poor imagination, no moral constraints. They value strength and power. They are only restrained by real barriers: fist, bullet, bars.
4️⃣The clever fox
Rich imagination, minimal limitations. Appreciate opportunities and freedom of action. Work around obstacles instead of trying to overcome them by force.
The most important hiring rule
Only hire the smart and poor
They are naturally controllable, capable of being loyal to the company, and able to work conscientiously.
All others – never!
Farmers don't allow any profit, outlaws create threats, and crooks parasitize the system.
Smart and poor employees will work for less money if they receive intangible benefits – praise, support, respect. In this case, the manager can create added value.
Employees are the company's assets: machines, cars, computers. We must treat them like equipment – utilize them, create appropriate working conditions, and benefit from them.
How to tell the wise from the poor
When selecting an employee, it is important not to base oneself on personal liking, but on the candidate's behavior:
→Manners and behavior
They behave reservedly, are polite and discreet. They only sit down when asked to do so. They hold onto their clothes until they are offered the opportunity to hang them up.
→Easily offended
An abrupt switch to the informal "you" or an incorrect pronunciation of the first name or patronymic bothers them. They won't show it, but they will be tense inside.
→Money matters
The salary discussion stresses them out. They might not ask themselves or might start the discussion at an inopportune time. They have poor knowledge of market rates.
→Free work
They agree to burdensome, unpaid work when they have nothing else to do. They complete it with the desired result.
→Pride
Proud of their achievements, reading, and education. They will gladly correct the boss if he makes a mistake.
Selection based on habits, not diplomas
If someone has habits that allow them to do the job easily and with enjoyment, we can teach them everything else. A capable person can be taught it in five hours. If the training takes longer, they're not the right person for us.
Poor approach
- We are looking for people with work experience
- Do they require special training?
- Take for the probationary period
- Educate and develop people
The right approach
- We are looking for the right habits and skills
- Select templates for the task
- Check immediately in practice
- teach technology quickly
Experience shows that there are many people in the world who are a good fit for us and are affordable. The key is being able to find them effectively. If an employee has the necessary information, it's not difficult to teach them the technological processes.
Formalization of the selection process
The selection process must be formalized. Create a table with a list of exercises and criteria for evaluating candidate behavior:
Define requirements
What must the person do to be successful? How can it be seen that they are doing so?
Create tasks
Develop situations that demonstrate the desired habits.
Observe discreetly
Evaluate the candidate's behavior when they are unaware they are being tested.
Record results
Action seen – checkmark. Not seen – no checkmark.
The more checkmarks a candidate has collected in the "completed" column, the better suited they are. This approach makes the selection process technological – it can even be carried out by an HR intern.
Key finding
5
Hours of training
Sufficient to train a capable person in everything necessary.
95%
Wise and poor
They make up the majority of the population – there is plenty of choice.
100%
Interchangeability
Every employee can be replaced without any loss of quality.
If we select employees based on their habits, we can set low requirements for them. Therefore, we can easily train them in the technology, which means we can replace any employee at any time.
Then we have a manageable company. We don't cling to the employee, they cling to us. The less we try to keep an employee, the more tightly they cling to their job.
What are the most important sections of the job description structure? →Ensuring the controllability of the organization
