When I was 26 years old something very fortunate happened to me. I was hired for a job I really was looking forward to. But the fortunate thing is that my boss was a truly outstanding leader who taught had so many impacts on me that I will never forget.
In fact, some years later when we both left the company we were working for, we became business partners and best friends. He has passed away, but I still think almost every day of the many ways he enriched my life. But at 26 I benefitted from his mentorship. Here are a few of the things he did which helped me to grow professionally.
He never questioned my ability to do whatever was in my area of responsibility and to do it as well if not better than anyone could.
He had faith in me and showed it every opportunity he got. If I messed something up, he took the responsibility but he also talked the situation through with me so I would see where I went wrong.
He was constantly coaching me and his other staff members, but it always felt like we were just discussing things as equals.
He always had time for me when I needed his advice.
He generated a feeling of pride among everyone who worked with him. He celebrated every success and didn't dwell on failures.
He never held anyone back from opportunities for promotion and development even if it meant he had to let go of a valuable resource.
It always felt to his staff that he used the power of his position to defend his staff, not to dominate them.
His actions showed that a real leader has four categories of tasks. And to ignore any of them makes one an incomplete and inadequate leader.
He was:
an expert in the field
a great organizer
an entrepreneur who thought about the organization’s effective use of resources
an outstanding developer of his people.
That’s what I call a great leader.
Herb