Not all great leaders will be recognized with a lengthy title, a big square on the top of an organizational chart or by recognition in the local paper for his or her community service. Some of your company’s best and most brilliant leaders might just work in the back of the building.
It’s true. It takes all types of people to make a business function and it takes all kinds of people to become leaders. And yes, we do need those extroverted leaders who want to set in meetings and make decisions that will impact the business and its employees for years to come. We need the leaders who aren’t afraid to teach others the newest sales and marketing techniques and aren’t afraid to talk to a room of 100 dealers, and we need those leaders who will travel up and down the road to spend nights away from their families to sell our great product.
However, we need leaders that will make things happen that we don’t even think about. Think about the crew in the production plant. They work in there, day after day after day. They know the processes and equipment better than anyone in the building. How many BioZyme® dealers have heard the name Dan Wierzba? Probably not too many raised their hands. Dan is the Director of the Plant. Last fall, he along with Nicholas Fansher, a bagging operator, created an automated Sure Champ® Cattle scoop dispenser with little cost or effort, that would ultimately save the bagging operator hours of time. That is leadership. They saw a need; they acted and accomplished something to improve efficiency. Nobody knows them from a fancy title or a big meeting, but they are leaders.
What if I wrote the name Jody Purvis? A few more of you might recognize her name; she does come to dealer retreat and talks to many of our dealers on the phone. She is the one that makes sure every dealer has supplies; literature, apparel, signage, etc. She makes sure that Action Awards point orders are filled. She works with the BioZyme staff to make sure they have supplies for trade shows and meetings and she rarely says “no” when asked to complete a task. She is at the office early and often stays late. She knows the ins and outs of the company, and she will spend time on the phone with new hires to make sure they get the training they need to complete an expense report correctly. That is leadership. She is there to help. She gets tasks accomplished. She doesn’t always get extra praise or recognition, but she is a leader.
Leadership is not solely a title or a position on an organizational flow chart. Leadership is an action; it is often a sign of passion for helping others and doing the right thing. If you have the right people in the right positions, even the most non-public of your employees can demonstrate their leadership skills and help your business grow.