“As the crow flies” not

  always the best route.

     Regardless of whether you own and/or operate your own business (or department, or classroom, or nonprofit, or military unit) you no doubt share one common key ingredient with other leaders: You schmooze!

     How much you schmooze is a function of:

1) the character of your organization and industry or profession

2) the nature of the people involved 

3) the nature of the tasks to be done 

     But the bottom line is that you must do whatever it takes every day to motivate others to get the job done that you need done.

     Schmoozing methods vary widely.

     In some cases (more so, for example, in military, quasi-military, medical/first-aid treatment, factory floor and fishing boat management, heavy equipment or high-risk construction and farming supervision roles), being direct and issuing direct orders is the accepted norm.

     Schmoozing, in these cases, usually only occurs once leaders and followers are “off the firing line,” so to speak (e.g., lunch, coffee breaks).

     Leaders need to be constantly on the alert for changing business, political, and economic climates that influence and dictate changing work habits and situations.

     Bringing a task team of creative professionals or consulting scientists onto a factory floor, for instance, may call for considerably more diplomacy and sensitivity than would typically be needed to accomplish the tasks at hand. Leading a SWAT Team, on the other hand . . .

     Giving outsource experts direct orders is not likely to foster a spirit of cooperation or generate meaningful results. On the other hand, the follow-orders discipline that keeps the plant safe and productive cannot be abandoned.

It takes skill to walk thin lines.

     Walking thin lines is where real leaders excel . . . 5-star generals, top transplant surgeons, fishing boat captains, counter-terrorism team supervisors . . . they schmooze. They know the who, what, when, where, why, and how of holding hands and nurturing, while simultaneously keeping one hand firmly on the controls. 

     It may take a little longer, and it may involve more mental (possibly even more physical) work to gracefully detour around a highly-charged situation than to directly engage it. So, what is all this speculation and pussy-footing have to do with leadership?

     It is simply a reminder that strong leadership is the product of good judgment, and that every set of circumstances every day calls for exercising fresh perspectives in judgment. But, hey, that’s why you get the big bucks, right? 

     Anyway, before you fly with the crow, ask yourself if what you are doing right this very minute is leading you to where you want to go. Maybe the order you’re about to issue will produce better results packaged as a schmoozy request? Hmmm, something there remind you of the way to catch more flies? 

www.TWWsells.com or 302.933.0116 or Hal@BusinessWorks.US  

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You. God Bless America and our troops. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]  Make today a GREAT Day!