Great Leaders Have Great Character – Rocky Romanella

I’m excited to be part of The New Theory Magazine. As a contributor, my goal will be to challenge you to think of your business and your relationships with your key constituents in new ways.

As lifelong learners and business leaders, we are compelled to see important things in a new light and our quest should be to go to where the puck is going not to where it has been. This has been a prevailing theme in my career. From part-time trailer unloader at UPS to President of The UPS Store and UPS Supply Chain Solutions and CEO at UniTek Global Services. This approach has helped me shape simple yet thought-provoking lessons into tangible results that I look forward to sharing with you in this article and in my book: Tighten The Lug Nuts.  I constantly challenge myself and others to not stop at the first right answer, to look past that first “right answer” as you manage your operations. It also is what led me to write my book TIGHTEN THE LUG NUTS: The Principles of Balanced Leadership.  

Great Leaders Have Great Character

Your character is your legacy; it is what you leave behind. It can be seen in the people and places you have touched. As you grow and develop, take on new challenges or simply move into a new phase of your life, you will be faced with complications and adversity that may set you back. Honesty, perseverance, and trustworthiness will become major factors in overcoming these obstacles and creating your personal brand and your legacy. My hope is that my thoughts and this book will help you both in your personal and professional lives to understand your legacy and help you to create the best team possible. Because great coaches have inspired me along my journey, for every purchase of Tighten the Lug Nuts this year, 3SIXTY will donate $1 to the V Foundation for Cancer Research founded by ESPN and legendary basketball coach Jim Valvano.  If you purchase a copy, I thank you in advance for your generosity.

As you read the signs in your dynamic market and try to envision where the puck is going, I encourage you to holistically look at your business through the lens of what I call, Balanced Leadership™. These are principles to manage by that, I believe, help optimize business performance while satisfying the needs of your customers, your people and your stakeholders. After 40 years, I continue to use this philosophy. For me, it has become invaluable, because I see so many leaders who focus only on one area of their business – usually the bottom line. By using such a myopic approach, these leaders are neglecting two very important business components that drive true success: their people and their processes.  

Balanced Leadership

It doesn’t matter who you are or what your job and level, as a leader you are responsible for balancing the needs of your three constituent groups:  your people, your customers and your stakeholders.

But where do you start? Which is the most important? How do you keep them equally in balance?

While I’ll discuss each in detail in my book and Keynote addresses, the pinnacle of the Balanced Leadership pyramid is your customer.  For without them, your business wouldn’t exist.

Think Like Who?

Think like a customer. It a simple statement – pretty straight forward. But how do you breathe life into this concept for your customers to experience it and your people to understand it? The answer is fairly simple:  It’s essential to create a brand identity from a customer perspective and then get your team to execute the organization’s brand strategy. There are many examples of this we can discuss together, but this is a fundamental question that must be answered to ensure everyone is in sync.

Constantly Question Your Status Quo

For you to think like a customer, you have to think and be a solutions provider. A Trusted Advisor. Ask yourself, how do I help my customer by providing them the best possible solution? It starts with asking your customer, “What keeps you awake at night?”, that begins the solution process. You’ll need to think about new opportunities to participate in their industry to create new solutions … new ways of doing business that don’t currently exist.

Someone is going to be the best, so why not you and your team? Make sure you are tightening lug nuts in your control as you lead by example.

Rocky Romanella speaks, consults, trains and advises on leadership development, customer service and business optimization. The author of TIGHTEN THE LUG NUTS: The Principles of Balanced Leadership can be reached by email at [email protected].  The book can be purchased as well on the website www.3sixtymanagementservices.com.

3SIXTY Management Services, LLC are business leaders who help companies enhance their growth momentum through our Balanced Leadership™ Model using an assertive approach to execution and accountability. Contact the team at www.3SIXTYManagementServices.com.