A Shift in Leadership Focus

A Shift in Leadership Focus

Earlier this week, I met with a client that is the President/Owner of a large Real Estate enterprise. His business, like many others, has been challenged in the current market due to the global financial crisis. The effect on his business has been a decrease in revenue and profitability, as well as an increase in uncertainty in the market. This seems to be the case with almost every business owner I speak with today.

The challenge for most business owners is that they look at where their business is today and compare to where they’ve been in the past and wonder why things aren’t working like they used to. Newsflash: The change in the economy has changed the rules of game, the easy money is over, and we must look at business from a different point of view in order to navigate through the minefields of this economy. From my point of view, there are two critical shifts in mindset that are necessary:

1. What worked in the past, may not work in the future – To achieve something you have never achieved before, you have to become someone you have never been before; you must learn things that you have never known before. In order to not only survive but thrive in this economy, you must be open and willing to learn and expand the tools in our tool belt, and you must also be open-minded to the new ideas that enter your peripheral vision.

2. Focus on the cause and not on the effect – The effect of a slowing economy on business is a decline in revenue and profitability. What is the cause? Or a better question may be, “What can I do differently in my business to increase revenue and profitability?" Or, "what are the critical drivers that influence these effects?”

There are a number of ways to create these critical shifts in business, most of which are strategies, tactics and methodologies to adjust to market forces. As a FocalPoint Certified Business Coach, I am well-equipped with an arsenal of such strategies, tactics and methodologies to help business owners in this challenging economy. Having said that, I believe the most important element for success in this economy is that business owners fully embrace their role as leader of the organization and do whatever it takes to step-up to meet the challenge of that role.

As the leader of his organization, the owner of the Real Estate firm I previously mentioned has changed his role from CEO to CMO (“Chief Morale Officer”). We’ve determined that the most important role he serves in his business today is to inspire, support and encourage his team to get out in the field and make things happen. In their organization, they’ve determined that talking to clients by e-mail and phone aren’t getting the job done, they must get out and meet clients face-to-face in order for them to engage in business. In his new role as CMO, he is more hands-on and he finds his team more engaged because they know he is in the trenches leading them. They have changed the way they are doing things to create the outcomes they desire.
Most businesses will have to do things differently than they’ve done them before to survive in this economy. If you are a business owner:

1. What will it take for you and your team to remain inspired and create the results that you want this year?
2. Where do you go, to talk to someone who is as bright as or brighter than you are, to help you get what you truly want from your business?
3. Remember…nobody does it alone! A barber doesn’t cut his own hair nor does a dentist drill his own teeth!

In these challenging times all businesses need support, so find someone who can help you look at your opportunities from a fresh point of view and help you lead your team where you want to go.

This article was written by Gil Lederhos, a leading FocalPoint Business Coach. If you'd like to contact him, or comment on this article, Click here

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