Gary Hamel: Leadership Need Not Start at the Top

Leadership is the art of mobilizing others toward shared aspirations. It need not start at the top, although the best way to lead is by example rather than empty words. As somebody once said, "Don't talk the talk, unless you can walk the walk." In a business enterprise, leaders and managers are responsible for taking care of employees who, in turn, are responsible for taking care of customers and other stakeholders, including suppliers, the government and the community, in an ethical manner. This approach also considers the environment and results in prof�table growth combined with an increase in the welfare of all parties involved.

Great leaders are visionaries whose intuition helps them to recognize and capitalize on business opportunities in a timely manner. Their success is based on surrounding themselves with €œlike-minded€� professionals who complement them to help reinforce their strengths and eliminate their weaknesses. They foster an environment that encourages the sharing of ideas through brainstorming, while realizing that innovation need not be preceded by the existence of committees.

Great leaders build organizations that are vibrant and performance driven. They structure employee compensation packages in a way that promotes and reinforces the right behaviors and rewards people on the basis of individual as well as team performance. They believe that a base salary pays the bills, whereas variable compensation, including earnings before interest, taxes, dividends and amortization (EBITDA)-based bonuses, motivates employees to challenge themselves and increase their contribution to the firm on a consistent basis. These leaders fi�nd reasons to pay bonuses as opposed to those leaders who fi�nd reasons to deprive employees of bonuses they truly deserve!



I have a policy of distributing free abridged versions of my books on leadership, ethics, teamwork, motivation, women in the workforce, sexual harassment, trade unions, etc. to anyone who sends a request to crespin79@primus.ca.



Maxwell Pinto, Business Author