Tim Hebert
A&W Electric, Inc.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Management Services Committee Member
One of the main goals of EASA’s Management Services Committee is to be attuned to the management needs of all members. With that knowledge, we try to deliver valuable information that matters in your business.
The most recent Member Needs Assessment Survey revealed that one of top areas that members want EASA to focus its management education resources on is leadership.
With that in mind, we hope members will think about this topic a little more and provide some specific details on the type of information you would like to receive. To help with this process, I was asked to share some of my thoughts on leadership. Then we want your feedback in an upcoming Management Pulse survey to help us find the right resources for you.
Leadership is a topic that is of great interest to me as I run my business on a daily basis. And I cannot think of a more critical topic for each of us to be focused on as we navigate our businesses through challenging times.
Broad and complex topic
When we ponder leadership, we must think deeply about what it is we want to learn more about. For instance, I try to evaluate my own leadership style on a daily basis. Am I setting a proper example for my staff, customers, vendor partners, customers, etc.? Does my leadership style resonate with today’s employee? How can I adjust my own leadership style to maximize my ability to communicate with employees of varying age, goals and temperament?
As we look to establish our own leadership style, what core values do we embrace to use as a foundation for leadership? As a part of that process, it is important to measure our own development. How do we continue to develop and evolve to meet changing times and staff needs? What are we doing to continue our own path to growth?
Other challenges
From my viewpoint, there are several other challenges related to leadership. One of the largest we face is selecting the right people for leadership roles within our companies. From the selection of leaders, to their own personal development, how do we develop those who will become the future of our organizations.
For larger organizations, the challenge is more complex. The ability to select, develop and retain effective leaders is a base challenge we all have. As organizations get larger and more complex, the additional challenge of keeping multiple leaders “rowing in the same direction” becomes more difficult.
Setting the tone and overall culture of an organization and ensuring that all of the leaders involved act in unity with the overall culture, direction and goals of the organization become critical to running an organization that is unified in purpose. If those challenges are not effectively managed, it is possible to have one portion of the organization pursuing one set of goals and another pursuing goals that are unrelated or, worse yet, in conflict with the goals of leadership.
Such is the challenge of leadership. These are issues we all face daily. The thoughts I’ve shared here are ones that are on my mind. But what about you? Check out the questions above that will be in a Management Pulse survey later this month.
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