The Audacious Leader is ultimately defined by what they achieve—substance—not by style—practicing standard traditional ‘textbook leadership’ behaviors.
It’s what they get DONE that separates the Audacious One from the crowd.
Audacious Leaders are DiFFerENT. They are bold. They are contrarian. They are courageous.
They find ‘the norm’ repugnant.
They are constantly looking for ways to disrupt. To diverge. To step away.
Audacious Leaders:
#1. Differentiate their business by being THE ONLY ONES who do what they do.
They shun modern CLAPTRAP, ASPIRATIONS and NARCISSISM ways that most organizations use to try and separate themselves from their competitors.
#2. Focus on execution more than trying to get the direction of their business plan perfect.
They understand that it is impossible to have an exact direction in a world that is highly unpredictable and uncertain, and that getting their plan ‘just about right’ and learning through execution is the only planning approach that will work.
#3. Lead by ‘Serving Around’. They spend countless hours embedded in the operations of their business asking employees “How can I help?” as their way of discovering impediments to strategy execution.
#4. Practice Strategic Micromanagement skills. They put their personal touch—fingerprints—on the operational elements that dramatically affect the execution of their strategy.
#5. ‘Cleanse the Inside’ of their organization to reduce internal friction and increase the viscosity of the internal value delivery machine.
They purge rules and policies that offend customers along with the inefficient CRAP and grunge that prevents the flawless delivery of what is promised.
#6. Establish a direct Line of Sight between what their strategy SAYS and what people in the organization DO.
Organizational dysfunction occurs when roles are blurry; where the strategy says one thing and employees do another.
Direct Line of Sight means that every person clearly understands what their role is in strategy execution; the Audacious Leader translates strategic imperatives so everyone understands what new roles they must perform and the old ones they have to give up.
#7. Create a ‘Let’s Head West’ strategy, loosening up on the precision of their destination and tightening up on execution steps.
They spend 80% of their time on strategy implementation planning, assigning what critical deliverable must be produced, by when and by whom.
Execution is viewed as the tool of strategic learning which eventually decides their ultimate destination.
You won’t find these Leadership Moves in any other ‘textbook’ on leadership. These Moves were created out of necessity. They were necessary for me to lead my startup company to A BILLION IN SALES.
So, if you’re looking for ways to not only improve your leadership skills, but take them to another level, adapt these seven.
Trust them. They will not let you down.
They will reward you just as they rewarded me.
Related: 10 Easy Ways I Blew by Roadblocks to a $BILLION Prize