The Complete Works of Wolf Road

Chapter 42: Be a good leader wolf (1)
Most people think that the alpha wolf in a wolf pack is a strong and huge wolf, but this is not always the case.Sometimes the alpha wolf does not rely on its own strong body, but on its own wisdom, which is the wisdom slowly accumulated by wolves in the process of survival.

It is precisely because of the extraordinary wisdom of the alpha wolf that he leads his wolf team to constantly fight against the sky and people, in order to survive in a complex environment.

It is impossible for an enterprise to develop and grow without a good "leading wolf".An excellent "leading wolf" can lead the enterprise to glory, and a mediocre "leading wolf" can lead the enterprise to the abyss.

1 Cultivate good traits and establish a successful image
Over the past few decades, a great deal has been written about the methods, tools, and techniques of management, teaching readers how to manipulate others to achieve their own ends.However, little has been written about the leadership traits that are the true basis of leadership.Certain character traits and qualities are necessary for a person to lead and issue orders properly.

Generals are wise, trustworthy, benevolent, brave, and strict... Military strategists use wisdom as the first priority, because the wise can be flexible; the believer keeps people from being confused by punishment and reward; Take advantage of the situation and don't hesitate to patrol; the severe ones punish the three armies with prestige.

There are many unknowns in running a business.Wisdom is therefore important, enabling a leader to clearly discern the company's strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities necessary to formulate strategy.Courage is also important because without it, a leader cannot combine wisdom and bold action to gain an advantage when the time calls for it.Honesty and kindness are equally important, because in essence, leading a team, department, division or company means achieving success through other people.

Discipline is also necessary, because without discipline there is no way to ensure successful execution of the strategy.All of these traits are signs of a strong, active, well-developed character.

Just as honesty and kindness are important, leaders must also demonstrate control, confidence, and winning.This kind of self-confidence cannot be a false appearance on the surface, but must be a real self-confidence based on wisdom, honesty, kindness and courage.If a leader hesitates a little about trait-based leadership for effective leadership in turbulent times, his followers will have a lot of hesitation.

The U.S. Army has a strong interest in developing leaders with traits. "Military Leadership" in "The Field Manual" was written specifically to tell military officers what leadership is and how to be one.This is true for the military, and even more so for businesses.

And what business doesn't want its operators and managers to have all these qualities?

Companies led by leaders who possess these capabilities and keen business acumen are bound to be extremely successful and a boon to society.Its products and services will be successful, its relationships with customers must be excellent, and its ethical behavior must be a model for other companies and organizations.

A good leader not only possesses the above-mentioned qualities, but also possesses the self-discipline that is consistent with personal values, and his behavior must also be consistent with these values.It is also important that good leaders do not exhibit character flaws that are damaging to the organization, such as indecision, deceit, timidity, selfishness, and so on.

Unfortunately, while there are examples of good business leaders throughout the ages, the number of business owners, operators, and managers who lack good qualities far outnumbers the number of good leaders.The reason for saying this is that since the Roman era, there has been a saying that "once sold, it will not be returned or exchanged".It went from the poor treatment of employees in the early stages of capitalism to the labor struggles of the early 20th century.The current corporate problems, such as the Bhopal incident in India and the Exxon Valdez tanker incident, as well as the mishandling of company layoffs, continue to occur.In order to achieve success, improve its image, and increase its contribution to society, an enterprise has the responsibility to make its managers, managers, and employees possess good qualities, and invest resources to help them develop such qualities.

2 Effectively implement the strategic intention of the enterprise
For your employees to understand your intentions and execute the strategy, they must understand the overall strategy and their role within it.

In order for their work to be effective, employees must first understand how their efforts fit into the overall picture.Similarly, the divisions within the company and the functions within each division must understand their mission and how they fit together.

Unfortunately, managers often have blurred or unclear boundaries when assigning tasks to organizations and individuals.Two product divisions produce similar products for the same market because no one at the top decides which division is best suited to serve that market.Two functions in the same business unit are doing the same job because their leaders don't work well together or they don't trust each other.A manager assigns the same task to two employees, thinking that if the task is given to two people, at least one of them will be able to complete it.All of this leads to waste, confusion and low morale.

If the goal of business is to maximize profits, what company can afford to have two divisions produce similar products for the same market?In a business unit, how can the two functions properly work together if employees in one function think that someone from the other function is intruding on their area of ​​work?How can a function organize and perform well without a clear mandate?How can employees work with speed, enthusiasm, and efficiency when they find out that there are others in his area who have been assigned the same job?
From the 20s to the early 80s, General Motors was very unclear about the division of missions.When Alfred Sloan created the division structure at General Motors in the 90s, he envisioned each division producing a specific product for a specific market.Chevrolets are made for those just entering the workforce or for the average person, but for those who have made a career out of it and established themselves, the new Pontiac may be what they've been looking forward to , then Oldsmobile, and then Buick, or maybe even Cadillac.

Over time, however, the tasks assigned to the divisions were not respected, the lines became blurred, and each division began to build wider automotive lines.The differences between cars made by different divisions have disappeared, and names that used to mean something like Buick and Cadillac don't mean much anymore.Corporate headquarters lost clear direction and control over divisions.Each division tried to supply all products to all customers, and the result was wasted resources, reduced differentiation, customer confusion, and loss of market share.

In order to avoid this situation, the company must first determine its overall strategy, and then set clear missions and markets for business units to reduce product overlap and confusion.Afterwards, these boundaries are tightly controlled so that clarity and focus of purpose can be maintained.

A similar situation can also occur between functional departments.Division leaders reorganized functions and created new ones without even figuring out how they fit together.They believed that after the reorganization, people in each function would be able to collectively determine the workflow that would get the job done.This is a way to lead to disaster.People in these functions waste their time fighting each other as they try to protect their turf and their jobs.Just as a company must first define its strategy before it can organize its tasks, in reorganization a leader must first design the process before setting up the organization.

Once you have defined the strategy and assigned tasks, it is important to ensure that this information does not "stop" at your desk, but that everyone knows this high-level plan of action and their place in it.This requires developing a communications plan.

3Leadership through actions, not words
The best way to demonstrate your leadership skills and to show your character is to set an example with your actions, not with your words.Leading by example means that you lead not primarily with words but with actions.Vision, purpose, and day-to-day communication are important, but they must be followed and supported by matching actions to be meaningful.Nothing sends a truer, clearer message about you to employees than your actions.

"Words are cheap," the old adage rings true.To the annoyance of many employees, they believed in the new plan their boss was selling them, only to quickly find that the original plan disappeared as soon as the newer plan was rolled out.They often see that the company's leaders say one thing and do another, so they take a biased and sarcastic attitude towards any remarks made by the top.Employees thus learn to observe the discrepancy between what their leaders say and do, and to take cues from what their leaders do.If you, as a leader, say strategy is important but spend all your time doing tactical work, your people will focus on tactical work as well.If you claim that listening to your customers is important but never take the time to meet with them, your employees will ignore them too.So by spending your time on things that really matter, you can easily ensure that your employees will do the same.To earn the trust of your employees, you must walk the talk.

Herbert D. Kelleher, CEO of Southwest Airlines, is an excellent example of consistency between words and deeds.A big factor in Southwest's success has been its ability to keep its costs lower than other airlines.In Southwest's first national TV ad, Kelleher openly declared: "Southwest Airlines will not lose the price war. Our operating costs are low, so we can offer you on a regular basis." Low fares. It's not a gimmick, it's not our self-promotion, it's something we believe is in our character, in every seat, every flight and wherever we fly place."

Kelleher followed through on his public statements by paying careful attention to even the smallest costs.He personally approves every expense over $1000.He said it was done "not because I don't trust our people, but because I know that if they know I'm paying attention, they'll be more careful".

Herbert D. Kelleher also claimed that his employees were his greatest asset.Yet unlike CEOs who say the same thing and then dismiss thousands of employees, Kelleher really thinks so. "Southwest Airlines has its customers, the passengers; I have my customers, the employees. If the passengers are not happy, they will not fly with us; if the employees are not satisfied, they will not fly." Will deliver the product that passengers need. People in leadership positions support the workforce, not the other way around.”

(End of this chapter)