ers. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. Y

More than ever before, 2007 will demand of most companies the ability to achieve measurable results that are specific to profitability, growth, cost containment and operational effectiveness. Of course, none of this will be possible without leadership and organizational change.

This challenge will become a common theme in 2007 that will go uncompromised by the potential market gymnastics that we are likely to face. Without a doubt, success in 2007 will be directly dependent upon both individual and team performance. More importantly however, is the driving force that creates both individual and team effectiveness. That driving force is leadership at every level in the organization. It doesn’t matter what your position is or what your title is. Leadership does not restrict itself to the caste system of power positions we have come to know. Leadership can and must be demonstrated throughout the organization. In my years of experience in wholesale distribution I have met effective leaders at all levels in a company including employees that simply drove a forklift to inside sales people and of course at the CEO level. That withstanding, I have also seen a lack of leadership at every one of those levels I mentioned.

Are You Prepared?

You need to ask the following questions as you contemplate the future direction of your company:

• Are your employees doing the right things – for the right reasons?

• Are their actions in alignment with the strategy?

• Do you have a strategic plan?

• Are you doing the right things?

• Are you functioning like a well-oiled machine?

• Do you have a shared end game – or does it just belong to you?

• Do you have a focused employee development plan?

Leaders lead, they are winners. Challenges faced in 2007 will still be subservient to real solutions developed by real leaders. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. Yo

ly dependent upon both individual and team performance. More importantly however, is the driving force that creates both individual and team effectiveness. That driving force is leadership at every level in the organization. It doesn’t matter what your position is or what your title is. Leadership does not restrict itself to the caste system of power positions we have come to know. Leadership can and must be demonstrated throughout the organization. In my years of experience in wholesale distribution I have met effective leaders at all levels in a company including employees that simply drove a forklift to inside sales people and of course at the CEO level. That withstanding, I have also seen a lack of leadership at every one of those levels I mentioned.

Are You Prepared?

You need to ask the following questions as you contemplate the future direction of your company:

• Are your employees doing the right things – for the right reasons?

• Are their actions in alignment with the strategy?

• Do you have a strategic plan?

• Are you doing the right things?

• Are you functioning like a well-oiled machine?

• Do you have a shared end game – or does it just belong to you?

• Do you have a focused employee development plan?

Leaders lead, they are winners. Challenges faced in 2007 will still be subservient to real solutions developed by real leaders. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. Y

erience in wholesale distribution I have met effective leaders at all levels in a company including employees that simply drove a forklift to inside sales people and of course at the CEO level. That withstanding, I have also seen a lack of leadership at every one of those levels I mentioned.

Are You Prepared?

You need to ask the following questions as you contemplate the future direction of your company:

• Are your employees doing the right things – for the right reasons?

• Are their actions in alignment with the strategy?

• Do you have a strategic plan?

• Are you doing the right things?

• Are you functioning like a well-oiled machine?

• Do you have a shared end game – or does it just belong to you?

• Do you have a focused employee development plan?

Leaders lead, they are winners. Challenges faced in 2007 will still be subservient to real solutions developed by real leaders. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. Y

for the right reasons?

• Are their actions in alignment with the strategy?

• Do you have a strategic plan?

• Are you doing the right things?

• Are you functioning like a well-oiled machine?

• Do you have a shared end game – or does it just belong to you?

• Do you have a focused employee development plan?

Leaders lead, they are winners. Challenges faced in 2007 will still be subservient to real solutions developed by real leaders. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. Y

ers. But, it won’t be about theory; it will be about planning and execution. There is no doubt that the New Year will be about change. That’s a good thing. Change shouldn’t be something that happens to you. Effective leaders know this. Effective leaders create change, instigate change and manage change to their advantage to create success.

Not a Spin Zone

That sounds like a bunch of academic tripe and it would be if it stood by itself but I won’t let it. You see, leadership can only be effective if you build a culture engrained with continuous improvement. Change without process, structure and control in itself can turn into uncontrolled chaos. Effective leaders understand this and indoctrinate change as a living breathing organism and process that needs to be embraced by everyone in a positive sense because it is controlled and managed according to your own strategic initiatives. Continuous improvement is a hand on endeavor that requires an investment of time, resources, education and training. It simply isn’t a slogan like “Kaizen” or “Do It Right & Do It Right The First Time”. All that sounds good but it doesn’t mean anything if we don’t have the horses to win. It doesn’t mean anything if you haven’t built a roadmap to get from here to where you want to go.

Principles of Effective Change Creation

As a leader you must implement change to create continuous improvement. It’s a hand on process. You can’t lead from afar. A former colleague of mine used to always say; “It’s easy to be brave from a distance.” Arguably that may be one of the truest statements made when it comes to the instigation of change. Change is hard work. It requires process tools that are sensitive to your organizational culture. Consider these principles for managing change:

• Employees throughout your organization generally have the talent and the ability to be successful at meeting new challenges to growth and profitability.

• Employees understand change that is essential to achieve goals if those goals are clearly stated.

• Employees gain increased respect for leaders that become the architects of change. This is especially true if the leader encourages and solicits input from the employees.

• Leaders must systematically manage the change they create with fearless abandon demonstrating a purposeful