Boating Industry

May 2015

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www.BoatingIndustry.com 28 | Boating Industry | May 2015 l eadership is a constant development problem for all industries. According to a study from Deloitte University Press, leadership is the No. 1 talent issue facing or- ganizations around the world, with 86 percent of respondents rating it as "urgent" or "impor- tant." So if you are struggling with finding good leaders for your organization or effec- tively leading your own teams, you are not alone. Thankfully, there are several experts and industry professionals who have tangible experiences with this very problem. To understand how to best become an ef- fective leader, it is important to start with what defines a leader, which is simple: a leader has followers. He or she has a nature of encourage- ment and wants to help people. "Leading is the effectiveness of … initiating action, making change and moving an organi- zation towards its agreed upon goals and ob- jectives," said Max Strother, founder and CEO of Maximum Innovations. Leadership in action How to develop leadership talent and become someone employees want to follow Maximum Innovations is a coaching and consulting firm that provides synergy services to corporations and non-profit organizations. Strother has consulted CEOs in a wide vari- ety of industries for over 30 years. Strother has worked with several dealers in the marine industry run by effective lead- ers, and the only thing these leaders have in common is that they sell boats. Strother said the shift between management and leader- ship is the movement from managing tasks to leading people to lead outcomes. "When it comes to leadership, it's about outcomes and not about activities," said Strother. "Leading is not telling them what to do – leading is helping everybody go to the same place together. And in a boat dealership, the outcomes are pretty straightforward." Dr. Michael O'Connor, executive vice president of Spader Business Planning, said leaders are people who another individual looks to for guidance. They are the influenc- ers. As an example, O'Connor pointed to dealerships with several team managers: The manager whose office has a constant flow of traffic is a leader, and the manager whose of- fice is empty is not. "You want to see who the real leaders are in an organization? You see who people go and talk to," said O'Connor. "You're not the leader if no one communicates with you or is connecting with you." Developing and training leaders Once you know what makes a leader, how do you create or become one? Strother says training is beneficial but it isn't the only an- swer, and no one can take a course to sud- denly gain leadership skills. "Leaders are developed. While training is a small piece of the puzzle, leadership devel- opment is a 'hands on' sport," said Strother. BY BRIANNA LIESTMAN Leadership remains the No. 1 talent issue facing organizations around the world, with 86 percent of respondents rating it as "urgent" or "important." — Deloitte University Press

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