Every leader has things they need to pay close attention to.
Things that, if ignored, can slowly damage the business, the team, and the culture you’ve worked hard to build.
So the question is:
What are you protecting?
1. Don’t Fall Victim to the Peter Principle
Don’t promote people simply because they’ve done a great job in their current position.
Promote them because they have the ability to succeed in the next position.
A great salesperson doesn’t automatically make a great sales manager. A great manager doesn’t automatically make a great leader.
Too many people are promoted until they reach a position they are no longer capable of handling.
Promote for where they’re going—not just for where they’ve been.
2. Protect the Process
The team with the best—and most consistently followed—processes will win more often than the team that simply has the most talented people.
Good processes remove guesswork.
Great teams don’t just have a process manual sitting on a shelf somewhere. They follow the process. Every day.
Consistency beats occasional brilliance.
3. Protect the Team
It really is about the team.
You need people who are willing to play together, support one another, and work toward the same goal.
A talented person who refuses to be a team player can cost you more than they contribute.
If someone isn’t on the team, you can’t afford to keep them on the team.
They will eventually destroy morale, productivity, or both.
4. Never Lose Sight of the Customer
When you take care of your customers, you build your business.
But there’s something else happening at the same time:
Your team is watching you.
They are learning how you handle complaints, problems, difficult situations, and unhappy customers.
They will usually follow your lead.
Set the standard.
5. Hold Your Vendors to the Same Standard
Don’t demand excellence from your employees while accepting mediocrity from the people and companies you do business with.
Your vendors affect your customers, your employees, and ultimately your reputation.
Saving a few dollars isn’t always a bargain if it costs you quality, time, or customer satisfaction.
Cheap can become expensive in a hurry.
6. Defend Your Culture
Your culture is too important to leave unprotected.
You cannot continually bring people into the organization who don’t share the mindset, values, and standards that made your culture successful in the first place.
One bad hire may not destroy your culture.
But enough of them will.
And one day you’ll wake up and wonder:
What happened around here?
7. Don’t Let Legacy Thinking Hold You Back
“That’s the way we’ve always done it.”
Those may be the six most dangerous words in business.
Just because something worked yesterday doesn’t mean it’s the best way to do it today.
Learn from the past.
But don’t live there.
Stop looking backward for all the answers. Look forward.
8. Learn From Mistakes—But Don’t Keep Repeating Them
Mistakes are part of growth.
We all make them.
The problem isn’t making a mistake.
The problem is making the same mistake over and over again and calling it experience.
Learn the lesson.
Make the adjustment.
Move on.
A mistake repeated is no longer just a mistake. It’s a choice.
9. Never Stop Training
You cannot train too much.
People sometimes complain about “redundant training.”
Really?
Training doesn’t become redundant until everybody gets it right every time.
And last time I checked…
The team isn’t perfect.
Practice, repetition, coaching, and reinforcement are what create consistency.
10. Protect Your Passion
Don’t let negative people steal your passion.
Don’t let setbacks drain it.
And don’t be afraid to show it.
Passion is contagious.
So is a lack of it.
Your team will take their cues from you.
If you want them to care, they’d better see that you care.
Guard your passion.
Protect it.
Feed it.
Because when the leader loses their fire, it usually doesn’t take long before everyone else does too.
So…
What are you protecting? That’s all I’m gonna ask. Tommy Gibbs