Leadership Lessons from the Battle Road

The cost of managing vs. leading? 

Business leaders know that employee turnover is costly -- as much as 200 percent higher than holding onto your existing talent.  Well led employees tend to stay longer and work harder.  And, productivity falls off by as much as 50 percent when employees aren't well led. 

For Non-Profits, boards and donors support organizations that are well led -- organizations with vision and purpose. 

For education and municipal leaders, the fine art of being a community leader doesn't come automatically with election victory or appointment. Improving your leadership competencies will prove valuable as you increasingly have to work in an inter-agency environment. 

Police, Fire and EMS leaders can also benefit directly by studying the direct actions of leaders in crisis, and how they planned, acted, assessed, and improved their organizations.

 

You develop leadership skills to empower your employees.  You want them to use initiative, to handle risk, to build creative teams capable of innovation.  You need leaders, not managers.  Your ability to serve the community, add value to your customers — to do what your mission says you do — requires that you develop yourself and your staff.  And leadership can be taught.

There’s no formula — no single “leadership manual” that’ll show you the way.  And, it’s not about charisma, or natural talent.  It’s about values, and who you are.  It’s about setting your organization’s culture and climate.

Leaders know how to influence people by providing purpose, vision and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.  Leaders at every level make organizations responsive, adaptive and exciting.  Leaders are comfortable with the unknown, because they thrive on opportunity.  Get the most from yourself, and your organization’s talent: Learn how to lead.