edwinweaver: November 2007 Archives
Great Leader or Infamous Leader
What is the difference between a great leader and an infamous leader? Does your company have a leader? Which type of leader is guiding your company?
Often we confuse great with infamous. We say that a leader is great when in fact he is infamous. What is the real difference between a great leader and an infamous leader?
Both have similarities; vision, charisma, organizational skills, strategy, great communication skills. Normally all the skills are the same, where the difference enters is in the attitudes or character.
The great leader is doing something for the good of all, where as the infamous leader is concerned only for himself or himself and the company. People like Fred Maytag and Henry Ford were great leaders.
Yes, they wanted to make a profit. They wanted their families to have a better life, but not at the expense of others. They shared their prosperity with those who helped them become prosperous (the employees) and others around them (the community, etc).
What ever they produced, they believed it was for the good of all. The way they produced it was believed to be the best way possible. If they found that there was a better way, they incorporated it into the job.
Take Fred Maytag as an example. Before he started Maytag Washers, he owned a farm machine company; threshers. The threshers of this day were dangerous. Many workers were hurt using this machine. Fred Maytag helped to invent a devise which would make the thresher safer for the workers. This is concern for others. He did not wait until the government or some consumer activist group pushed him to make changes, he saw a problem and fixed it.
Of course, the infamous leader makes good profits, some times excessive profits. The products do not have to be a benefit to people, only make a profit. They only look after the profits and themselves. If there is a problem, they will wait until there is no choice before they spend a dime to fix it. They may help the community, but only after they have made their billions and only to improve their image, not because they have a concern for the people. We all know a famous software king that matches this description.
Unfortunately, in today's society the infamous leader is praised and the great leader is sneered at. People think the great leader is odd or soft and the infamous leader is a great businessman, but of course, some thought Hitler was a great leader.
We need great leaders, not profit hungry businessmen. We need role models for the next generation. If you don't believe me, look at this generation. Their only concern is getting ahead, getting the best position and making as much as they can, no matter what, no matter how.
What is company developing; great leaders, infamous leaders or profit hungry people in authority? If you want true leaders contact Unique Leaders, we develop world class leaders.
Fred Maytag
This is part of Unique Leaders' "Insight on Great Business Leaders"
Examining great business leaders to gain from their experiences.
VISION and CONCERN FOR OTHERS
"In all business, there is a factor which cannot be compensated for in dollars and cents or computed by any measure. It has no relation or connection with the mercenary and is represented only by the spirit of love which the true craftsman holds for his job and the things he is trying to accomplish."
Fred L. Maytag
Fred Maytag, the founder of Maytag Washers, was a great business leader in his days. What made Fred Maytag a great leader? In his case attitude was more prevalent than skills. He was not an educated man; he just had what it takes...
What made Fred Maytag different from others? He had vision and a concern for others. In the July 2006 article 10 Points to be a Successful Leader, we went into detail about these traits and how they help a person become a great leader.
F.L., as he was called, saw what was coming. He saw the changes in
The leader has vision. He can see the possibilities and knows that they are attainable. F.L. was in the farm machine business when he saw the future. He knew that the washing machine was something that was going to stay. He inspired others to believe in his vision and Maytag Washers was started.
He also had a vision of quality, which also relates to concern for others, which he inspired in his workers. He inspired his workers to produce the best or do not produce anything.
Part of the power of Fred Maytag and his ability to inspire others was his genuine concern for others. When you know that someone truly is concerned for your well being, you are more willing to put out the effort for this person.
Fred Maytag had that genuine concern for others. He wanted to succeed, but not at the cost of others, unlike some corporate leaders today. As he succeeded he helped those who were apart of that success.
Fred Maytag built homes for his workers and sold the homes to them on easy terms. He wanted them to have homes of their own. He built a theater, water plant and other things for the community. He had a true concern for those around him.
Fred walked among his workers, he was not above them, he was apart of them. He was always ready to listen to them. One of his favorite slogans was "is everybody happy?" and he meant it.
True concern for others and vision are two of the foundational traits for a great leader. Without vision you are nothing more than a hired hand. Without concern for others you are nothing more than a Hitler.
I look forward to hearing comments on vision and concern for others.
For more than 30 years I have been studying the lives of great leader (military, business and political). I have tried to model their success and to a good degree, I have enjoyed success. Nothing that I write about is theory, has been applied to my life with success.
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