What Leaders Tolerate, Organisations Become!
An organisation will always rise and grow to the level of its leaders.
Let me share a few observations.
A large educational institution had its name board broken for more than a year. Yet, nobody seemed to notice or take action. Every day, employees, managers and even the top leader walked through the same entrance!
In the same institution, employees went through an entire year without a single development opportunity, despite repeatedly requesting opportunities to learn and grow.
Customers continued to complain about service processes. The same complaints kept coming back, with little improvement.
What is common in all three situations?
Is it a lack of resources? A lack of time? Or a lack of leadership vision and commitment to make things better?
I would argue that the real issue is LEADERSHIP.
Years ago, my mentor, John C. Maxwell, taught me one of the most powerful principles of leadership:
“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
While some may disagree with this statement, my experience continues to reinforce its importance.
Great organisations are not built by average leadership. They are built by leaders who see possibilities where others see problems, who take responsibility and who refuse to accept mediocrity as the standard.
Great leaders see more than others see.
They notice the broken name board. They recognise when their people are not growing. They listen when customers complain. More importantly, they ACT!
They don’t wait for problems to become crises. They don’t allow yesterday’s unresolved issues to become tomorrow’s accepted standards.
They understand that excellence is not something we talk about once a year. It is something we must pursue through our actions, decisions and standards every single day.
Leadership is not simply about holding a position. It is about taking responsibility for making things better.
And this applies everywhere. Whether it is an organisation, an institution, a community or even a nation.
When you see long-standing problems that nobody seems willing to address, look at the leadership.
Because what leaders notice, tolerate, prioritise and act upon eventually becomes the culture of the organisation.
My reflection is simple:
When leaders get better, organisations get better. When leaders raise their standards, everyone has the opportunity to rise.
After all, when the leader gets better, everyone wins!
A question for every leader to reflect on today:
What is one issue you have been walking past every day that you should have addressed long ago?