As one that studies business, I have witnessed many successes and many failures. I often question how some managers are consistently more successful than others. What do they do differently? What is it about certain leaders that allow them to be successful no matter what circumstance or situation they find themselves in? Think about an athletic coach who can take over a struggling team and immediately impact success with the same players, the same managers, and the same coaches. The only change was at the top. What is that individual’s secret? Obviously motivation is a factor, but what motivation? What brings about success?
With this question and objective in mind for managers and leaders in business, I set out to find key answers. One road of the journey led me to Mr. Scott and the answer of CAUSE AND EFFECT.
Mr. Scott was a successful manager for a large corporation, a sales based organization providing a service product. This company had locations in most major cities worldwide. Researching Mr. Scott, I discovered that he had, at different times, managed several of these locations. At each location, Mr. Scott had success. Each location was different in circumstances, yet Mr. Scott still was successful. At a brand new location, Mr. Scott started from scratch. Success. The next location was a struggling one, yet with the impact of Mr. Scott, that location soon became successful. Another location, success. Utilizing the same management staff and personnel, Mr. Scott gained success quickly. His leadership not only sustained growth but also developed key qualified personnel who advanced up the ranks benefiting the corporation at headquarters and other locations. Even while experiencing these personnel losses, locations continued in their successful ways and always seemed to have the right replacement. Was this luck? Was it the demographics? Was it the economy? What did Mr. Scott do that others could emulate? Prior to contacting Mr. Scott, I did some research of his past employees that had worked at some of these locations. In fact, it was a past employee that had first led me to Mr. Scott. I was intrigued with how highly this person spoke of his former boss with no underlying obligation to do so. After all, Mr. Scott was not his employer anymore. I then contacted other former employees. Each spoke freely and openly with admiration consistently expressed for Mr. Scott, his motivation and his management style. In my discussions I did find some who had disagreed with a decision or a policy, but it did not diminish their respect or opinion of Mr. Scott. One of the best testimonies is how others speak of a person after their experience with them. Much like death, it is how others speak about you when you are gone. I was impressed with the respect these past employees had for Mr. Scott…
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