LPHR Magazine (March 2013) | Page 81

LEADERSHIP WHY SHOULD I GROW AS A LEADER? Take away Leadership and Continous Quality Improvement: What do you have left? Without CQI, an organization cannot understand its values; model what they stand for; be successful; feel valued or appreciated individually; create an environment that’s a great place to work or shop. Leaders don’t accept mediocrity and a focus on CQI ensures they are leading at the forefront. LPHR 3/13 Leadership development takes committment and focus. The higher the leadership, the greater the effectiveness. When we think about qualities of great leaders, we see some commonalities. Artibutes such as Character, Integrity, Committment, Communication, Competence, Sense of Discernment, Generosity, Initiative, Listeners, Passion, Positivity in Attitude, Problem-Solvers, Relationsh ips, Responsibility... just to name a few. In fact, most leaders genuinely care about people. They understand that “people don’t care about how much you know until they know how much you care”. Growing as a leader helps you to better recognize opportunties and solicit the input of others in the process. This is an invaluable resource that allows leaders to have a strong sense, or a “pulse”, or their teams. When you create an action plan with the members of your group, you build a solid sense of committment and find that people are always willing to pay the price in going above or beyond to achieve shared goals. Leadership ability is the lid that determines a person’s level of effectiveness. The lower the individual’s ability to lead, the lower the lid on the potential. The higher the leadership,the greater the effectiveness. Where leadership shines, individuals take closer notice to the inputs and outputs that make an organization successful. W. Edwards Deming taught us, “Either your business is improving or your business is going out of business.” It’s this simple. The book, The Southwest Way, is about using the power of relationships to build high performing teams. We see their formula for success in action... Everything boils down to “Shared Goals, Shared Knowledge and Mutual Respect” in the Southwest Airlines culture and their results are proof of how it helps them stand out in the airline industry. MARCH 2013 | LPRH.CO