Running a company is tactical; do X, and Y will result. Being a successful leader requires you to juggle all the demands of business, while also finding a way to stay inspired and educate yourself on everything happening in the industry.
I like reading Jay Baer’s work. He makes me think…he makes me consider…he makes me create…he introduces me to new ideas.
And he certainly got me thinking over my morning coffee with this article when he wrote…
I’ve read and reread this excerpt about a dozen times so far. And to paraphrase from The Grinch that Stole Christmas, I puzzled and puzzled until my puzzler was sore.
I’m not convinced that running a company is tactical. There are certainly elements of the role that are tactical. But there has to be vision and strategy and mission and more…oh my! Right?
And is a successful leader a juggler? Sure they need to deal with a lot of different things but is leading just about keeping a lot of different balls in the air or is it more?
I’m going to be honest here. I’ve met a lot of “leaders” that have a lot of stuff in the air at the same time. But they don’t get a whole helluva lot accomplished beyond juggling. A lot don’t make decisions but they are great at passing the ball over to someone else with a rather foggy vision that sounds like “…make this happen…”
Now, as I reread that paragraph, I realize I just described someone that isn’t much of a leader. Perhaps in a leadership role but lacking the skills?
Anyway, back to Jay’s comment…I think running a company requires strategic vision and tactical execution. As the owner, my hope would be that the focus in more on the strategic and vision…and that the tactical is done by those you (or others) hired to write, design, publish, distribute, manufacture, etc.
And I would also hope that a leader does the same. They lead by example. Here’s the vision and why it’s important…now, how do we best leverage our strengths and resources to make it happen? Great…then let me roll up my sleeves and help get it done!
What do you think?
