A new leadership standard – The Reliability Factor

FollowTheLeader_Woodall_WalWhen it comes to the study of leadership, you could read a new book every day for the next 181 years and still not get through the list on Amazon alone.  As a school of thought we have leadership styles, leadership strategies, leadership studies, leadership indexes, you can  even get your Ph.D. in leadership from prestigious universities. Venerable organizations espouse leadership training for children, students, teens, adults, executives, and the would be leader. This is just personal leadership.  Then we have brand leadership, corporate leadership, product leadership, innovation leadership, technological leadership, political leadership … and the list goes on and on and on.

Why a standard?

In days of old, a standard was a conspicuous object (as a banner) formerly carried at the top of a pole and used to mark a rallying point especially in battle or to serve as an emblem for the people’s leader.  Today, the more common use of the word “standard” is something established by authority, custom, or general consent as a model or example to be followed.  Either way a standard is a hallmark of leadership. 

You are only a leader when others choose to follow you.

Looking at the picture, can you identify the leader?  Is it the tall girl that the others look up to?  Or, perhaps, it is the small golden haired boy who is pulling the others forward with both hands.  Not sure?  Could it be the leader is somewhere in the middle of the line, a point of connection leading the group forward?  We’ll never know.  That is the beauty of art.  It is all about perception.  The same can be said of leadership.

Leadership is not about what you say. 

It is the result of what you do.

Whether we are talking about personal leadership, team leadership, corporate leadership or any other form.  Leadership is not about what we say.  Leadership is about the results of what we do.  Leadership is granted when others choose to follow and the key to that choice is reliability.  You see, reliability means that the result is not just visible and measurable, it is repeatable.  Those that choose to follow you, buy from your company, or adopt your technology can count on a level of consistency, quality, and reoccurring results over time. 

So if reliability is the new standard for leadership…

How can we establish ourselves as reliable leaders?  The answer is reflective of two words: evidence and experience.  In the early stages of making the choice to follow, employees, teammates, customers, or partners look for evidence that you do what you say you do on a repeated basis.  If they find evidence that you are what you say you are and this is what they are looking for then they may choose to follow for a time.  But the  true test of leadership is not how many choose to follow, or buy or adopt.  The true measure of success is how many choose to stay.  That’s where experience comes into play.  Once I am a follower, a teammate or a customer, will you as a leader continually deliver on your promise of leadership.   Will you do what you say again and again and again?  Can those that you lead depend on you to deliver?  If the answer is yes, then you are on your way to building your business or your personal leadership brand on a standard of reliability and the right people will follow.

So keep on reading those leadership books, taking those classes, and refining your skills.  They all can help in the quest for better leadership.  But at the end of the day, it all comes down on reliability.  A leader that can be counted on is a leader that others will follow and keep following.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned….

  I’ll be sharing more tips to help you get ready for 2011 throughout the month of December.

Joan Koerber-Walker

About the Author:

Koerber-Walker-056 An entrepreneur, author, speaker and corporate advisor, Joan Koerber-Walker’s journey has spanned from corporate America to entrepreneurship and non-profits, as well as into community leadership and into the halls of Washington D.C.   To learn more about leadership and reliability, you can contact her by clicking here.

 

When it’s too broken to fix, start over

 

As innovators, one of the most frustrating phrases we hear is “if it’s not broke, don’t fix it.”  Yet, equally dangerous is the ongoing cycle of Band-Aids and patches we often put on existing processes and procedures to “fix” them.  At some point there is always a diminishing level of benefit until it is so complicated and complex that you need to say “enough!” It is time to scrap the whole mess and start over.  Any software developer can tell you that this is the case when it comes to  writing code. Business leaders will tell you the key to business process optimization is simplification.  But when it comes to government we have yet to learn the lesson. Continue reading

Planning, Preparing, and Presto

We’ve all heard the stories.  He/She/It was an overnight success.  Yet if you spend time one-on-one with these overnight successes, you  are bound to hear the same thing.  Before the success came months (and often years) of planning and preparation before Presto…Success!  There is no such thing as an overnight success, there is simply a point in time when others may suddenly wake up and see that you are there. Continue reading

Angels are key players on our economic recovery team

People you will meet and hear from at AZEC10

It’s a busy time as we prepare for AZEC10: The Great Reset on November 17th,  As I’ve been chatting  with sponsors, attendees and our fabulous line up of speakers, I have been giving lots of thought to the components needed to get our economic engine firing on all cylinders again. On Saturday, I had the opportunity to share some thoughts on what it will take to get our economy growing again with ABC15’s Angie Holdsworth.Continue reading

After the Bubble Burst It Was Time to Hit the Reset

People you will meet and hear from at AZEC10 – Investor and CEO Paul Winandy

PaulWinandyAfter the tech bubble burst in 2000-2001, large scale software implementations at Fortune 500 companies were non-existent. Doing what had worked before was not working.  As AZEC10 Investor Panel participant Paul Winandy shared “My consulting practice hit a wall and I had to retool and redefine myself.”  So Paul switched from services to software and joined an early stage software company here in Phoenix (Khimetrics) which was later acquired by SAP. After another SaaS startup (SkillSurvey) and managing ATIF. Today he is CEO of the fastest growing EMR solution for physical therapists (WebPT). 

WebPT is the first web-based physical therapy documentation system in the world. The system offers a brand new approach to practice management and patient documentation as the application is designed to improve clinic productivity, increase revenue, reduce expenses and enhance a more stress-free clinical environment. The digital documentation system combines an intuitive dashboard user interface with practical physical therapy logic to create a user-friendly documentation solution. WebPT’s goal is to revolutionize the industry utilizing sound technology and innovative methods to provide the strongest, most effective solution to assist with increasing clinic profits and improving the quality of practice.

Paul is an active angel investor focusing on investment opportunities in enterprise software, Internet commerce, technology enabled services and medical devices with 10 different investments in my career. The results: 3 failed, 2 returned 3x, 5 are in process.  He brings a unique perspective to early stage entrepreneurship coming from a family of entrepreneurs.

My grandfather ran a diner in downtown Chicago for 30 years. My father started his own chemical manufacturing firm which was angel funded, made the Inc. 500 list and was sold for a very nice exit. And I’ve been a part of six different startups in my career … 2 bootstrapped; 2 angel funded; and 2 VC funded. The results: 2 failed, 2 made the Inc. 500 list and exited for > $150M, and 2 are still growing and doing well.  (Paul Winandy)

ATIF Invests in Arizona (About ATIF)

http://www.ATIF-AZ.orgThe Arizona Technology Investor Forum (ATIF) is an active community of accredited investors who invest in high-potential technology companies based in Arizona.

ATIF members participate in four investor meetings a year to consider investment opportunities presented by finalists screened by our selection process. Since May 2007, ATIF members have invested over $2.3 million in Arizona-based technology ventures that have presented at ATIF meetings. 

With over 50 members ATIF’s growth is really the result of contributions from all our members. Each of our members is involved in the entrepreneurial community and actively promotes ATIF to other investors.

JKW:  How do you see your role in the AZ Entrepreneurial Eco-system?

PW:  In Addition to the companies I have worked with and led, I’ve also been an active angel investor so I have a lot of experience with startups and investing. I know both success and failure. I’ve made money and I’ve lost money. Through it all I remain steadfast in my belief that the path to truly great wealth is to build successful startups into scalable enterprises.

My role is to pass on my hard earned experience to the next generation of entrepreneurs and to motivate others to invest in them.

JKW:   What do you plan to achieve between AZEC10 and AZEC11?

PW:  I plan to focus heavily on WebPT to help it reach its potential. By AZEC11 we should be the premier EMR solution for the physical therapy industry.

JKW:  WHY did you choose to support OTEF and AZEC10? Why will you be there?

PW:  I actively support local organizations that offer real value to early stage tech entrepreneurs. AZEC has consistently hosted a strong conference with speakers that provide sound advice and counsel. I am honored to be a part of this event.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned…

…there will be more entrepreneurial profiles and AZEC10 behind the scenes glimpses between now and AZEC10. If you have not registered for AZEC10 yet, use discount code PhxBiz and save 10% off the ATTENDEE ticket price.

Joan Koerber-Walker

Note:  Joan Koerber Walker serves as Chairman of the Board of The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship foundation,which is the host organization and sole beneficiary of AZEC10.  To learn more about OTEF, visit www.otef.org.

Going Green in a BIG Way – Debra T Johnson of Eco-Edge

People you will meet and hear from at AZEC10

EcoEdge_Debra JohnsonWhen CorePurpose was just getting started in 2002, I made what was, at the time, a BIG investment (at least it was big to me since it was my personal money and we were not making any yet) as a Mentor Sponsor at AVCC (The Arizona Venture Capital Conference which has evolved into Invest Southwest .)

I was standing at the back of the room getting the lay of the land when I struck up a conversation with an entrepreneur with a vision to help preserve our environment and help companies save money at the same time. That CEO was Debra T. Johnson of Eco-Edge. She’ll be sharing her story and what she has learned along the way at AZEC10 this year.  Here is a sneak peek.

THE CHALLENGE
Balancing the needs of keeping fleet operations going, making them more cost effective, and trying to do the right thing for the environment can often stress even the strongest management teams. Evaluating the ever increasing array of technologies with claims of “green” is a project that most companies find daunting and many simply pass on incorporating environmental initiatives into their operations. (Source: www.ecoedgeco.com)

Eco-Edge addresses this challenge by:

Taking companies with diesel fleet and industrial operations to new levels of profitability, performance and sustainability:

Eco-efficient Solutions

Unprecedented Credibility

Award-Winning Technologies for

Improved Fuel Economy

Reduced Maintenance Costs

More Efficient & Effective Operations

Reduced Environmental Footprint

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JKW:  How do you see your role in AZ’s entrepreneurial eco-system?

DTJ: As a survivor of the Great Recession, a pioneer in the current business push toward sustainability, and a woman operating in male dominated industries, I like to think of myself as a harbinger of change and an example of “it can be done.”

JKW:  How long has Eco-Edge been in Arizona and how has it  grown?

DTJ: We started here in 2002, working out of my house, dealing mostly in Mexico as “Emissions Product International.” We gradually outgrew our name as we expanded our product line and focus. We learned that the technologies we represent are not yet mature enough for international markets, so our primary focus has been on growing domestically since about 2005 or so.

JKW:  Who helped you/Eco-Edge along the growth path?

DTJ: Wow – so many people that I can hardly begin to name them all! We have been really blessed by having a lot of people really believe in what we do. The most significant ones have been our people at Eco-Edge (and spouses who put up with us). Others whose contribution was critical to where we are now: AAAME and Rena Huber, Frank Thomas, Rick Johnson at Renaissance Forum, Greg Mischel, and so many others.

JKW:  What do you plan to achieve between AZEC10 and AZEC11?

DTJ: Return to consistency in our monthly revenues. The Great Recession really took its toll there because of our heavy reliance on construction related businesses through 2008 (almost 70%), but we have clawed our way back and have diversified extensively, which is showing results. We will also launch at least two of our own technologies developed in house;, whereas in the past, we have strictly sold others’ products.

JKW:  As a leader – did you ever get stuck?  What was your “reset” ?

DTJ: Yes. Many times. There are a couple solutions I try when I am stuck:

· The old “Fake it till you make it” philosophy – which to me means that you have to tell yourself affirmations that get you through the moments of doubt.

· Step back and use the Stephen Covey principle of “sharpening the saw.” Do something you enjoy and that completely clears your head of work.

· The Covey planning and prioritization tools are also something I often come back to when I am stuck. Those tools organize my activities into little steps that can be tackled in a logical order, give a sense of direction, and give a sense of accomplishment that feeds my enthusiasm whenever I cross something off the list.

JKW:  WHY did you choose to support OTEF and AZEC10?  Why will you be there?

DTJ: AZEC10 has grown over the year’s into an outstanding resource for entrepreneurs to learn about tools available to us, as well as that we are not alone. Others are facing the same challenges, something which is often not realized as we entrepreneurs try to slay our dragons. I am thrilled that some of the lessons we have learned from issues we have battled through might inspire or help other entrepreneurs in their own quest.

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned… there will be more entrepreneurial profiles and AZEC10 behind the scenes glimpses between now and AZEC10.

Joan Koerber-Walker

Note:  Joan Koerber Walker serves as Chairman of the Board of The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship foundation,which is the host organization and sole beneficiary of AZEC10.  To learn more about OTEF, visit www.otef.org.

Note:  If you have not registered for AZEC10 yet, use discount code PhxBiz and save 10% off the ATTENDEE ticket price.

What Can One Person Do? Find out from Dave McClure at AZEC10

A guest post by Francine Hardaway, PhD, OTEF executive director, co-founder of AZEC, OTEF and Stealthmode Partners

People you will hear from at AZEC10

Dave McClure  - photo by Kris Krug www.staticphotography.com/One man in Silicon Valley is trying to turn  the venture capital industry on its head — by going outside Silicon Valley. Dave McClure, founder of the new SuperAngel/VC fund 500 Startups, travels all over the world looking for ideas and deals. Not only that, but he will do a deal with anyone who pitches him a good idea.
We are fortunate to have Dave coming to Arizona for AZEC10 on Nov.17.
How does he know when he sees a good idea? Well, it’s his history and experience that give him the edge. He’s been in Silicon Valley for twenty years. He was director of Marketing for Paypal in 2004 when it was acquired by EBay.  He has taught a class on Facebook at Stanford. He managed the fund created by Accel Partners, Facebook, and Founders Fund  to incubate Facebook applications. For the past half dozen years, he’s been an active angel investor.

Encouraging Entrepreneurial Exchanges Globally

Dave sees the entire geek world, no matter what continent it is on. And I mean up close and in person.  A few years ago, he organized a series of trip so called Geeks on a Plane, through which American geeks visit other cities and countries and Dave gets to meet not only them, but the geeks at the destinations. He does this by volunteering to speak at tech conferences. I went with him to China, Korea, and Singapore this past spring, and in two weeks we went to four cities in three countries, attending six conferences for startups and web technology. He has also taken trips to Washington DC to lobby for better immigration policies and to Hawaii to “Re-Think Hawaii.” Next year, he plans some new continents. 🙂 

Dave McClure and Francine Hardaway - Geeks On A Plane - Shanghai - China ( photo by Kris Krug www.staticphotography.com)

In Silicon Valley, he organized Startup2Startup, a monthly dinner where entrepreneurs hear from one of their own. And he’s active in a program that’s trying to get the visa rules changed for non-natives who come to the US for an education and would like to stay here to start companies.

As a champion of the “Lean Startup,” a concept that involves getting the product out to the market as quickly as possible to get feedback, iterate, optimize, and get more feedback, McClure is trying to convince engineers to design products quickly, and move on from their failures. It’s a loop, Dave says. He’s all for killing features that “suck,” and keeping what works.

To that end, he’s now going around the world looking for his 500 Startups, to each of whom he gives a small amount of funding to get the loop going. This goes against traditional venture capital models, which typically make larger investments in fewer companies later in their development cycles. But it appears that, in the current age of apps, the ordinary VCs can’t find the right deals for their huge funds. McClure, flying to Asia, holding his dinners, speaking at entrepreneurship conferences in Arizona, and talking about Startup Metrics for Pirates, is sneaking in right between the legs of the most towering VC names.

____________________________________________________________________

About Francine Hardaway:

Francine Hardaway, PhD, OTEF executive director, co-founder of AZEC, OTEF and Stealthmode Partners has been an entrepreneurial and social venture catalyst for over 30 years.  She spends her time between Phoenix, the Silicon Valley and London and where ever she goes, you can be sure that she is on the look out for the next great innovation.  To connect with Francine, follow her on Twitter @Hardaway or via Google Voice at 816-WRITTEN (9748836)

Thanks for stopping by.  Stay tuned… there will be more entrepreneurial profiles and AZEC10 behind the scenes glimpses between now and AZEC10 on 11/17/2010.

Joan Koerber-Walker

Note:  Joan Koerber Walker serves as Chairman of the Board of The Opportunity Through Entrepreneurship foundation,which is the host organization and sole beneficiary of AZEC10.  To learn more about OTEF, visit www.otef.org.