gutsy leadership. creating a workplace that explodes with productivity, passion and profitability

Gutsy leadership

Creating a workplace that explodes with Productivity, Passion and Profitability.

The challenges facing companies in a global economy will demand more than conventional thinking and business as usual.

The world is not changed by those who are unwilling to take risks.

It takes GUTS to move an organization in bold new directions.

It takes GUTS to get out on the lunatic fringe where new breakthroughs are found. 

It takes GUTS to come down from the Ivory Tower and talk to people in a human voice that’s intimate, inviting and authentic. 

It takes GUTS to blow up the old rules and free smart people from dumb processes that limit their potential.

It takes GUTS to lead with love and trust rather than manage by abstract authority and fear.

It takes GUTS to make work fun and not take yourself too seriously. 

It takes GUTS to be accountable.

Embrace change courageously

Maximize your strength by focusing your power, resources and assets on what is IN your CONTROL.

It used to be the BIG that ate the SMALL. Now it’s the FAST that eat the SLOW. The world has changed—radically.

Those who capitalize on the opportunities that come with change will move with speed, agility, and adaptiveness.

The winners will be those who learn how to learn faster.

But this requires a level of confidence to get people to brand themselves as champions of change rather than shrinking from it. But that is foreign to many.

Totally engaged employees

Learn how GUTSY leaders create the fuel that ignites the hearts and minds of their people and inspires them to work at FULL THROTTLE.

Gutsy leaders have a bias for action. That’s why we call them movers and shakers.

They’re not interested in the politics and formality of playing to TITLES and they’re not big on planning to plan.

When things are simple they can move fast. This raises their level of satisfaction because speed is exhilarating!

Yesterday’s accomplishment fuels the fires of motivation for today. 

When things are unnecessarily complex people get bogged down. Boredom and hopelessness set in. Enthusiasm goes out the door. Great people leave and the mediocre busy themselves with activities that don’t add value.

Gutsy leaders will enable their people to increase speed, lower costs, and improve service by getting them to play at FULL THROTTLE. They will free their people to do what’s right for the company and its customers. They will motivate their people by expanding their capabilities to get things done

Creating a world class workplace

Build a culture that attracts, recruits and retains loyal employees.

The single biggest predictor of overall success is a company’s ability to attract, retain, and motivate world-class people. The most important lever in enhancing this capability is corporate culture.

Every organization has a culture. The question is: Is that culture intentional and purposeful or is it accidental and haphazard—established by default? When it comes to creating the culture, character and personality of the organization, great companies let nothing go to chance. Our gutsy leaders do care to protect, promote and reinforce it everyday.

Blow the doors off business as usual

Great companies have a “people first” philosophy.  They know that when employees feel honored and served there is a reciprocal effect that causes them to provide extraordinary service to their customers. The message is that you can’t do service well externally unless you first do service well internally.

Gusty leaders breed a spirit of service within their cultures because they see themselves as servants of the people they lead. Many of us have a tendency to oversimplify the work of our colleagues. People in one functional area should develop the empathy to better understand the pressures and complexities of their co-workers in other functional areas.

Jettison the kind of silo-building, turf protection, and tribalism that renders an organization sluggish and unresponsive. Trade it in for a spirit of collaboration, teamwork and unity. The result will be a seamless approach to serving your customers

Equip people to think and act like owners

Discover what happens when gutsy leaders create a sense of business literacy and get people at all levels to think and act like owners.

“Isn’t it a shame that when we get up in the morning our minds work furiously—until we come to work.”  In the new economy this can’t be true. Everyone must come to work fully engaged and ready to make a difference.

Ownership is a state of mind. It’s a fundamental way of looking at the world and approaching the work we do. Ownership is about giving ourselves and others the freedom to act. It’s about removing the fears that cause lack of initiative. This will inspire people to assume ownership for serving the customer and managing costs out of the business

Define your business as a heroic cause

It’s amazing what people will do when work is defined as something heroic. Make it purposeful and then get out of their way!

What motivates people to do their best? What causes them to dedicate the totality of who they are—heart, mind, and soul—to the success of the business? This point goes beyond the extrinsic motivators (salary, benefits, bonuses, perks) to the things that move people internally. It shows the power of what can happen when people find the passion and heroism in their work.

De-commoditize business

Tired of compensating on price? GREAT Companies radically differentiate themselves from their competitors by building value around a commoditized product.

Is your business viewed as a commodity? If the answer is “yes” and you are solely competing on volume and price, you may be cutting your own throat.

Gusty leaders transcend commodity status by finding unique ways to differentiate themselves based on service and value. Learn how some incredibly successful firms blow the doors off business as usual and set themselves apart by creating a unique and memorable customer experience

Fun pays

Lighten up, loosen up and make work more fun.

Many people say, “If you’re having too much fun you must not be productive.” This is unfounded! Flawed thinking!

The evidence suggests otherwise! People are in fact more energetic and more productive when they’re having fun at work. Better communication and teamwork, more creativity, higher levels of retention, and lower levels of stress and burnout

The power of one

Discover the power of what can happen when one person decides to make a difference.

This is for INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTORS who are playing to win vs. playing not to lose.

It’s for LEADERS who want to inspire the true experts in their organization—those closest to the point of action.

"The Power of One is about giving people a voice, showing them that their opinions count, encouraging them to take risks, and making them feel appreciated.

It’s about individual contributors taking the mantle of responsibility and assuming ownership for the success of the business.

To astonish a customer, serve a colleague, resolve a conflict, improve a process, or find a new way to manage costs out of the business is to become a force for positive change. Find out what inspires ordinary people to step into the breach and achieve extraordinary results.

Thank you