Guy Browning
Author, broadcaster and consultant Guy Browning has been described as the David Attenborough of the business jungle. He started his career as an advertising copywriter, went on to be creative director of a marketing consultancy and now runs his own innovations consultancy advising organisations on new products, new ways of working and new ways of communication. Despite this he has managed to retain his sense of humour and is now best known for his hilarious columns in The Guardian and Management Today and his Radio 4 programme Guy Browning's Small talk. He is author of several books including, Never Hit a Jellyfish With a Spade, Never Push When it says Pull and of course Office Politics.
Leadership is enormously important in business. Everyone wants it and they're prepared to follow anyone who says they know how to do it.
In order to lead people you have to know where you're going. This destination is called 'a vision' in business or, in the real world, a mirage. When you're driving somewhere it's a lot easier to get to somewhere you've been before. It's the same in business, so you should make sure your vision is to go somewhere you've already been. This will make your job and everyone else's a lot easier. Try having a vision something like, "We passionately want to be fourth in our sector in the East Midlands."
In order to achieve your vision you need to build a team that shares your vision. Of course people don't share something unless they haven't got one themselves. So you need to pick a pack of individuals who wouldn't know a vision if one stood up in their bath. You need people who know where they're going in business and that's out of the door at five o'clock sharp. Fortunately there is no shortage of this kind of person in business and your team will be packed with them. You can lead them anywhere until 5pm.
Baden-Powell, the founder of the Scout movement, said that he would never ask someone to do something that he wouldn't do himself. It was his courage and conviction that led a generation of men to wear shorts and woggles. You too can set an example for your team to follow. For example, you can show how much you trust and respect them by giving them a great deal of hard work to do. They can then follow your example by getting on with the great deal of hard work because there is no one left to pass it on to.
There's a saying in business that you can't blow an uncertain trumpet. That's why they don't let children play The Last Post on Remembrance Sunday. Similarly, your team won't hear your visionary message unless it's communicated clearly and effectively. The easiest and most cost-effective way of doing this is by shouting at them. You can do this on a one-to-one basis, perhaps even with a 360° presentation where you walk around them in a tight circle shouting. Or you can organise a conference so that you can shout at your whole team at once. Remember to give it a theme, such as "Winning Together".
Keeping your team motivated is a full-time job (which is why you have to give most of your job to them to do). People are motivated in different ways. Clearly, many are motivated by money but equally there are many for whom a word of thanks will suffice to keep them working away happily for years. Make sure you pick a team of the latter sort and then employ an HR-style person to go round thanking them all the time. This will save thousands of pounds a year.
Being a leader is sometimes a lonely business. You have a lot of responsibility on your shoulders: that's why you have to wear a bespoke suit and why your team members with no responsibility have to wear safety boots. Occasionally, you will have to make decisions that affect people's futures and livelihoods and families. That's when you have to show real wisdom and humility and pass the decision on to your own boss.
