Starbucker’s Six Keys to Great Leadership

It’s a new day in “Starbuckerland” - my flu has finally broken, the sun is shining, and I’m ready to resume sharing my 26 years of accumulated business wisdom.

It’s great to be back!!

Before I do that, one more thing - Happy 61st Birthday, Elton!

I’ve spent a great deal of time with my staff in 2008 talking about leadership, and the key tenets to keep squarely in mind as we “stay on the path to greatness”.

We’ve come up with 6 that we believe are the most important to remember, and practice. I’ve spoken about them in separate posts over the past three months, but here they are all in one place:

Starbucker’s Six Keys to Great Leadership

1. Bad News is Good News
2. If You’re Not Going Forward, You’re Going Backwards
   
3. Do First Things First
4. Avoid Nightmares in the Ivory Tower
5. Empowerment Means Freedom (Be an Enabler, Not a Disabler)
6. The Road to Greatness is Paved With Mistakes Well Handled

Let me put these keys in one powerful sentence :

A leader must make sure bad news flows as easily as good news, while insuring that progress is continual, the first thing on the “to do” list is always addressed and not put off, the sleeves are rolled up and examples are set, teammates are empowered to succeed, and honest mistakes are not only tolerated but used as prime opportunities for improvement.

Like any other craft, practice makes perfect, and these keys must be practiced, constantly. We must be mindful of how our actions as leaders have direct consequences on those we lead, and how, if the actions are centered around the positive actions we’ve outlined here, those consequences can and should lead to greatness as an organization.

On the contrary, if we work in opposition to these keys, those actions can tear an organization apart and lead to inertia, or worse yet, outright failure.

Want to be not just good, but great? Practice, practice and practice what you’ve learned today.

I’ve been at this for 26 years, and I’m still not there yet. But I’m sure lovin’ the journey!

And really enjoying the chance to share what I’ve learned.

Go for it!!