A Leader's Job

 

I had a great relationship with my first boss but could not have fully appreciated how foundational her influence was on my future leadership. Della Clark deserves so many superlatives so for me to go on and on does not even do justice to her impact in Philadelphia and beyond. This post is a narrow slice of her wisdom, as impressed upon a then 22 year old kid.

Many times Della would articulate for me what a leader's job was, and without fail she would exemplify this day in and day out with how she carried herself and what she focused on. I consider most of this transferable to any organization of any size, and for sure it has shaped how I approach my current job as a president in a consulting firm.

1. Set the direction. Articulate where we aspire to go as an organization, and then get and do work that is consistent with that aspiration.

2. Invest in people. Recruit good people, take care of them, and set the standard in how you carry yourself and what you expect of them.

2. Run the business in accordance with #1 and #2. Finances? Operations? HR? Marketing? All led from the lens of the vision you've articulated and the prioritization of people in fulfilling that vision.

Leadership is hard and not surprisingly it is scarce. Thankful to have examples in abundance in my first job in life, to help me do my second and current job.