Good managers or great leaders?
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in Chief -- Furniture Today, September 10, 2007
Based on the wave of management changes lately, our industry appears more intent on playing musical chairs than it does on finding ways to sell home furnishings to consumers. Before you send me a nasty e-mail, note the operative word here is "appears."
As a highly fragmented and incestuous business, we've developed a tradition of jumping from one company to another. But what if there's a root cause behind all this recent movement?
I think the home furnishings industry is grappling with many of the same challenges as other industries of similar size: sleepy retail sales, deflation, skittish and fickle consumers, a soft housing market, and so on.
But I wonder if the root of the problem could be a possible shortage of exceptional corporate leaders. Where are the marching orders coming from? Are the marching orders right? Do the troops have enough trust in the leader to follow the plan?
I've talked to a number of leaders, from within and outside our business. When I've asked about good leadership, I've often been told that: good leaders do things right; are distressed if things aren't running smoothly; seek efficiency; plan and budget; focus on providing answers and solving problems.
I believe those attributes, while good, are more indicative of good managers than of great leaders.
What if, instead of working to do things right, we were committed to doing the right things? Or instead of ensuring that things run smoothly, we focused on making sure things changed for the better? What would happen if, along with promoting efficiency, we pushed just as hard to promote effectiveness? Or what if we spent as much effort promoting new initiatives as we do hitting our budgets?
Lastly, what if, along with our answer-giving and problem-solving, we motivated, challenged and inspired our teams?
I'm the first to admit that I rarely have the answers. But I believe the first step towards solutions involves asking the right questions.
As always, I'm eager to hear from you. Drop me an e-mail at rallegrezza@reedbusiness.com.
