Leadership: Knowing What to Do Next
They say a leader is someone who knows what to do next. If a leader doesn’t know what to do—a true leader will figure it out, no matter what. “Let me get back to you” is always an acceptable leadership response. Then go find out. Leadership isn’t just about knowing the answers; it’s more about being proactive, thoughtful, and intentional. There are countless smart people out there who can’t lead, and that’s because leadership isn’t only about knowledge. It’s about action, foresight, and knowing how to navigate the terrain ahead.
With over 50,000 books on leadership, it’s easy to get lost in a sea of strategies, systems, and theories. At its best, leadership literature gives us new tools to try. At its worst, it’s just another "flavor of the month" approach that doesn’t always lead to effective execution. So, where do we turn when traditional, top-down leadership is no longer enough, and our people are smarter and more capable than ever?
Leaders today need a model that’s simple, effective, and practical. One that helps us focus, whether we’re thriving or navigating tough times—and let’s be honest, right now feels like one of those tough times. Townsend and Gebhardt, in Leader To Leader, offer a military-inspired model based on three priorities. It’s straightforward, easy to remember, and it works in any situation, combat or corporate (as a former Naval officer, I can appreciate effective military models)
1. Accomplish the Mission
At the end of the day, nothing matters more than achieving the mission. Leadership isn’t about looking busy or flying around the country collecting frequent flyer miles. It’s about driving results. We're just burning time and energy if we aren’t guiding our teams to fulfill the mission and vision.
Real leadership clears the path for your team to get where they need to go. Stay out in front, remove obstacles, and trust your people to do their job without micromanaging. When you keep the mission in focus, you won’t have time to second-guess every decision.
2. Take Care of Your People
One of the simplest yet most overlooked leadership tasks is making sure your team knows exactly what’s expected of them. When you define roles clearly and communicate the importance of their contributions, performance skyrockets. If you’re not doing this, you’re failing your people—and yourself.
It’s also about showing gratitude. Max Dupree in “Leadership is an Art” says, “the last responsibility of any leader is to say ‘thank you.’” You can’t express gratitude too often. Also, for your people, gratitude is primarily expressed through compensation. Pay attention to salaries, benefits, and perks. If you’re not consistently adjusting them towards generosity and industry leading scales—especially during times of rising costs—don’t be surprised when your best people leave. You can afford to be generous when it costs at least 2x as much to hire and train as it does to retain. Reward your people.
3. Grow the Next Generation of Leaders
I’ve asked dozens of CEO’s the question, “What keeps you up at night?” The answer I get most constantly is, “How do I build more leaders in my organization?” They’re also looking for ways to balance their workload, to stop the relentless “merry go round” that leadership often feels like. Here’s the challenge: you’re responsible for the whole operation, but how do you grow beyond your own capabilities and attitudes about leadership?
When you focus on developing a “growing leaders” culture, which often means driving decision making to the lowest levels of the organization, you unlock the full potential of your organization. It empowers your people to confidently “run the business” while you focus on figuring out how to “grow the business”—and in the process, you multiple effectiveness.
The future of leadership isn’t found in the latest trend or management theory. It’s found in these three simple, timeless priorities: accomplish the mission, take care of your people, and grow the next generation of leaders. If you can keep those three at the forefront, you’ll always know what to do next.
Dig deep…keep going.