There are all sorts of different definitions and descriptions out there about leaders, leadership, management and influence.
If you think about it, it doesn’t matter what level of a leader or manager you are, or whether you are leading a local charitable organization or a fortune 50 global company.
If you are a leader, I think you basically have two primary responsibilities; develop and enable your team, and remove obstacles.
Just think about the best leader, manager or boss you’ve ever had. I bet if you think back on their qualities you will find that the best leader you ever had developed you and enabled you by providing learning that made you more marketable, but most importantly she or he removed obstacles to your performance.
As I travel the world working with some of the biggest brands I am always amazed at the incredible results that the obstacle removers in those companies create compared to those who lead by command and control.
My personal best boss was Dr. Marjorie Blanchard who co-founded The Ken Blanchard Companies. Marjorie was the type of leader who liked to surround herself with an eclectic group of thinkers. She was one to always expose me to tremendous development and learning opportunities while also permitting me to re-write the rules. She supported me by removing obstacles including silly policies and procedures that had outlived their useful date.
She even enabled me to create a separate division and company that did performance improvement work embedded in our clients, implementing the Blanchard philosophy.
Those experiences and that leader changed my life for the better, forever.
I bet your best boss impacted you in a similar fashion.
So, what type of leader does your team say you are?
Are you leading in a way that gives you the opportunity to be perceived as I perceived Marjorie?
Or, is your leadership characteristic more similar to a bosshole?
If you want to be the type of leader that creates intense levels of engagement and exceptional customer experiences then get out of your office and go remove obstacles by managing by walking around.
By managing by walking around, I mean experiencing your experience. Viewing things both from your customer’s perspective and most importantly, your team’s perspective.
You shouldn’t have to wait for an episode of Undercover Boss to be produced for your company to understand what the experiences are like for your front line associates. In fact, it is my belief and experience that your front line associates can tell you more about what needs to be changed, added or deleted from the organizational experience than anybody.
I challenge you to become a Chief Obstacle Remover. A COR.
If you become a COR I promise to you that you will achieve more significant and more sustainable results than at any other point in your leadership career.
How can I make such a guarantee?
When you remove obstacles to both individual and team performance it is analogous to taking the parking break off while you are driving.
Removing obstacles creates a surge of positive energy. When you continue to remove obstacles that momentum only accelerates.
For those who want to become a world class COR I’ve got the three secrets for you.
The first secret is to address and remove any obstacles in your internal service cooperation.
The second secret is to eliminate obstacles in your sales or delivery channel.
The third secret is to remove any obstacles that impair exceptional experiences with your customers.
Click here for an infographic that will help you remove obstacles in your team or organization.
