Picture this anecdote; In 2008 America was hit with recession. Among those affected was a large manufacturing company Barry-Wehmiller. The company lost 30% of its orders overnight; and consequently, it could no longer afford to maintain its labor pool. The company had to save 10 million Dollars and the natural course of action is layoffs. But Bob Chapman, the CEO of the company, refused. Instead of layoffs, he implemented a furlough program. Every member of the company, regardless of position, has to take a four-week unpaid vacation. It can be taken anytime and it doesn’t have to be consecutive. This decision made all the difference for the company. The employees felt secure with the leadership. They felt that they are more than a head count. The employees who can afford it more took more vacation time so that other employees can take less i.e. someone would take a five-week unpaid vacation so that another would only have to take three. They didn’t save 10 million Dollars, they saved 20. All because of how Bob Chapman presented his idea: “It’s better we should all suffer a little than any of us should have to suffer a lot.” Bob Chapman is a great leader.

What makes a leader? The answer is very simple: followers. People who are willing to work for you and what you believe in with their blood, sweat, and tears. A boss can have employees, but as long as he views them as dispensable, they view him the same way. They’re not working for him, they’re working for a paycheck. 

What makes a great leader? It’s the ability to ensure that your people can achieve more than you’ve achieve and much more than you thought as possible. Having a high rank does not necessarily mean that you are a great leader. It makes you an authority figure. People work for you because you have power over them, because you can give them bonuses that incentivizes them to do better so your company can do better, because you can give them disincentives based on their performance. It is when they know and believe in your vision, when they are accountable to you, and when they treat you and your company as family, is when you know that you’ve inspired your members.

1.    “We can only see the things we have words for.”

Great leaders inspire members when they can clearly put into words their reasons. A typical company’s thinking goes like this: We aim for growth to make more profit. But the reason for a company’s existence is not to make profit. Profit is the result of the reason. The reason is what made you start the company anyway. The value you can offer to others. When a leader can put his vision into words in such a way that the members can see it, understand it, and believe in it, too, is how you can inspire action from them to follow you and work you, not just for your paycheck.

2.    “Accountability is never to a number. Accountability is to a person.”

In a group setting, what any member wants more than anything is to feel useful and needed.  A great leader delegates to inculcate a sense of responsibility to the members. It can’t be avoided that sometimes a member will fail to deliver a good performance; however, it is when the member doesn’t feel bad about letting the numbers down but instead feels bad for disappointing the leader and the organization is when you know that the relationship within the organization is deeper than the typical company setup. Accountability is never to a number, it is to a person. You feel accountable to people who selflessly gave you trust, opportunity, and safety. When a leader provides these to a member, the member will strive to rise above the situation because the member knows that it is what is due to you.

3.    “Stop saying that ‘Our company is like a family.’ It is a family.”

Before every company or organization, the basic unit of society that precedes all of these is the family. Your company is a family and you as the leader plays the maternal and paternal role and your employees are your children. The only difference is that you can’t choose your children but you can choose who you hire. You don’t hire people based on their résumés, instead you hire them based on the compatibility of your beliefs and reasons. And like your own children, you never give up on your employees based on their performance. You don’t layoff your own children from your family when they failed at school, you help them be better. The same goes with your members. If they fail, you help them no matter how many times. You don’t give up on them, just like you don’t give up on your own family, because your company is your family. You as the head wants them to succeed and be better than you are now or will ever be. You help them, guide them, let them fail sometimes, celebrate their triumphs, but you never give up on them. Do this and they will never give up on you. 

Starting a business is risky move. Statistically, you are more likely to fail than to succeed. But with bravery, hard work, smart decisions, and luck (whether you believe it or not), you are in this field now and striving to be successful. In conclusion, it is not about making money, although it is very important, being a leader is all about the people, your people. Treat them as your people and in return they’d treat you as their leader. After all, everything is reciprocal.

Adapted from Simon Sinek’s speeches. 

Activity: Vocabulary

Match the words in column A with their definition in column B, then match it to its related word in column C.

Example: Anecdote = B. Story = e. Apocrypha (story of questionable authenticity)

Answers:

1. Anecdote = B. Story = e. apocrypha  ( biblical or related writings not forming part of the accepted canon of Scripture)

2. Furlough = A. A leave of absence = g. layoff

3. Consecutive = G. One after another = a. 1,2,3,4,5,…(sequence of numbers, usually follows an order)

4. Incentive = D. Something that encourages people to do better = c. reward (given to someone who did something good)

5. Reciprocal = E. Do something similar for each other = d. return in kind (giving back to the other party exactly the same kind of what they have given to you)

6. Profit = C. Total Revenue – Total Cost = f. benefit (a good result or effect)

7. Recession = F. Reduced economic activity = b. unemployment (involuntary idleness of workers)