Leadership training and knowledge is always something that is best provided by people with experience in being successful leaders.
Jack Welch, Tom Peters, Peter Drucker and Jeff Bezos are all internationally recognized for their leadership methods and the success that they have achieved over the years. Anyone who wants to find their way in the corporate world and become the best possible leader needs to heed the advice of the successful experts who have come before them, and these four experts are at the very top of their class.
Lead, Don’t Manage - Jack Welch
When Jack Welch took over General Electric in 1981, the company was in a tailspin. By the time he left two decades later, he had brought General Electric back to its position as a global corporate leader. Throughout his time as a corporate executive, Welch says that he avoided using the word “manage” because, as Welch said, the word “manage” has a “negative connotation.”
Welch prefers to encourage people to lead and inspire others to become better than they are. He insists that leaders are people who lay out the vision for the future and then motivate others to follow that vision.
If You’re Not Confused, You’re Not Paying Attention - Tom Peters
For a man who is recognized as one of the more successful leadership training experts in the world, Tom Peters remains a humble and accessible person. Peters is a big believer in encouraging leaders to learn from their subordinates and then use what they learn to become better managers. It is a constant cycle that Peters has written about and preached for years and it is a cycle that he insists can work in any situation.
Ask What Needs To Be Done - Peter Drucker
Peter Drucker has been involved in leadership training longer than most corporate executives have been alive. He has written books and given seminars on the idea that a good leader does not look to pursue their personal agenda, but rather a good leader looks to solve the problems that lie before them. Drucker encourages good leaders not to ask “What do I want to accomplish?”, but he instead insists that they should always be asking “What is the next accomplishment that needs to be done?”
Drucker believes in a leadership style that is driven by accomplishments when gauged against the needs of the organization, instead of accomplishments that are determined by personal gain. Drucker insists that a leader who keeps the needs of the organization at the forefront of their planning process will ultimately achieve their own professional goals as well.
Be Willing To Be Misunderstood For Long Periods Of Time - Jeff Bezos
If you are not familiar with Jeff Bezos, then you are probably familiar with his company Amazon.com. Bezos is the CEO of the largest Internet retailer in the world and he is also someone who is not afraid to come up with some pretty outlandish ideas. When Bezos first introduced the idea of offering same day delivery by drone to Amazon customers, the rest of the online retail world laughed. Now the rest of the online retail world is trying to keep up with Bezos and his phenomenal success with Amazon.
When Bezos does leadership training, his chief message is to always stick to your ideas and never worry about what other people think. A competent leader has a vision and sticks with it and is willing to be misunderstood for a very long time. Considering the success Bezos has had, it is hard to argue with his teaching methods.
The best leadership training experts are the people who have experienced success first-hand and know how to put that success into words. Anyone interested in learning the principles of a good leader should take the time to read the words of people like Jack Welch, Jeff Bezos, Peter Drucker and Tom Peters.