Practical Insights From Successful Leaders

The really great leaders -- the titans of business and government -- can seem so far from everyday workers like you and me that it's tempting to write them off as a special class of individual. Who could hope to mimic their accomplishments or legacy? However, that's a dangerous line of thought because it turns great leaders into myths and renders us incapable of seeing the things they did that can be used in our own lives. Great leaders often ascend to their role thanks to a combination of personality traits we can apply to our own personal and professional lives to help us succeed.

One of the most high-profile business leaders of today is Steve Jobs, the co-founder and CEO of Apple. The computer company's operating system takes a back seat to Microsoft's Windows in terms of user numbers, but they've become masters at manufacturing products like the iPod and iPhone that embody the brand ideas of hip, forward-thinking, tech-savvy consumerism. However, there was a time when Jobs wasn't with the company. Despite the excitement engendered by the "1984" television ad, there was a drop-off in Macintosh sales at the end of 1984. Jobs' working relationship with then-CEO John Sculley also disintegrated, and in May 1985, after a power struggle with the board of directors and a round of major layoffs, Jobs was fired from his role as head of the Macintosh division. Jobs moved on and created the NeXT computer and bought the company that would eventually become Pixar. Apple wound up buying NeXT in 1996, bringing Jobs back into the Apple fold. With the ouster of CEO Gil Amelio that year, Jobs was installed as interim CEO and then fully took on the role. Since then, the company's popularity, clout, and stock price has soared. The lesson for all of us: Leading a company or succeeding in the pursuit of your passion often comes with setbacks that would seem to eliminate that success. Jobs had no way of knowing in 1985 that it would take a decade of other events to put him back at the top of Apple, but there's no doubt that that's where he belongs. It's important to remember that change, good and bad, is unavoidable, but with the right goal, you're never down for the count.

Everyone uses Amazon.com. The company launched in 1995 as a bookstore but soon diversified its offerings with CDs, DVDs, and more, and has since added everything from clothes and furniture to video games and mp3s. In 2007, they introduced an e-book reader called the Kindle. In its 15-year history, the company has become a one-stop shop for consumers and the biggest online retailer in the world. But none of it is likely to have happened without the proactive leadership actions of CEO Jeff Bezos. In 1994, Bezos noticed that Internet usage was radically increasing each year, which meant there was an untapped market for new business opportunities in the digital realm. Realizing that there was no mail-order catalog or similar program for buying books, Bezos went to the American Booksellers' Convention and began steeping himself in the book trade. His superiors at D.E. Shaw & Co. didn't see the point in starting an online bookstore, so Bezos went into business by himself, running the fledgling Amazon from a two-room house on homemade tables and supported by a $300,000 investment from his parents. There was no way to predict how Internet culture would embrace Amazon when it went live in 1995, and certainly no way to know that that original $300,000 investment would make his parents into billionaires as Bezos himself attained that level. The company’s stock has split three times since its initial public offering in March 1997, and Bezos is at the head of one of the most-recognized companies around. The lesson for all of us: Big risks and smart planning can bring huge rewards. Too often we let ourselves be talked out of taking chances by people who don't think we should bother, but a lot of times, great things come from taking a gamble. Don't be afraid to do something just because no one else is doing it for it may be the strategic opportunity space for yet undiscovered success!

Making Tough Decisions: Jack Welch

When Fortune Magazine named Jack Welch "manager of the century" in 1999, they weren't exaggerating. Welch joined General Electric in 1960, shortly after earning his Ph.D. at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and though he soon wanted to leave for a higher-paying role, he was persuaded to stay by executive Reuben Gutoff. It's a good thing, too, because Welch's rapid ascent at the company began soon after, as he rose to head of the plastics factory, then plastics division, and became a vice president in 1972. By 1979, he was vice chairman, and in 1981 he became the youngest CEO in the company's history. His business acumen was already highly regarded in the industry by then, but it was his occasionally controversial time at the helm that made him legendary. Welch made a series of tough decisions designed to streamline the company and raise its profitability, from reducing the levels of management to cutting those managers performing in the bottom 10 percent, to implementing rigorous leadership development practices, and firing those high producing salespeople who did so in ways that were not aligned with GE’s adopted business values. His approach was demanding, there's no doubt, but he was willing to trim the fat and push his company to be the best. And, those who were "on the bus" demonstrated strong commitment to the company’s work expectations. As a result, GE's value went from $12 billion to $280 billion and became the ‘darling’ of investors. The lesson for all of us: Sometimes difficult decisions need to be made to make the most of a situation. The point isn't to recklessly cut back or to think that you can only get ahead by firing people. However, it's important to remember that success often includes a measure of sacrifice, and that getting ahead means taking a good look at what's working and what needs to go.

It can be tempting to think of leadership as some exotic set of traits that only a few people possess. But Larry Bossidy’s pragmatic story of leadership success is proof that ideas only get you so far, and true success often comes through disciplined execution of stretch goals. Bossidy spent more than 30 years at General Electric, working with and learning from Jack Welch. He is a proponent of the virtues of execution. Basically, it takes many little decisions, along with smart planning and hard work, to bring tasks to fruition, and it's this behind-the-scenes stuff that's made Bossidy a success. He served as chairman and CEO of AlliedSignal from 1991-1999, then chairman of Honeywell when it was acquired by AlliedSignal. He even went on to co-author a book titled Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, in which he expounds on the business practices that brought the companies he led to the top. The lesson for all of us: It's vital to link ideas with practical, rational, and sound ways of carrying them out in order to generate sustained success. Thinking it up is just the beginning; consistently getting it done in ways that produce expected results is what really counts!

This guest post is contributed by Emily Thomas, who writes on the topics of online college degrees. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: emily.thomas31@gmail.com.