If the building of great businesses requires great people, what then is required to be a ‘fit’ or great leader of these businesses?

What are the common features of these leaders of many great businesses globally? Is it vision, direction, influence, dignity, composure, passion, empathy, resilience, toughness, kindness or a blend of the above bought to the fore in the situation?

Is it as simple as ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’ or is it born or bred within people?

Recently I read a wonderful excerpt from David Gonski who has operated at the most senior level of Australian business for many years and his observations have helped provide this Doctor’s diagnosis in addition to the many leaders in business, that I have had the pleasure of working for or with (and for that matter my own reflections on the successes and failures of my own leadership over this period).

Here are some of the key fitness steps to being a 'Fit' leader.

Look ahead. Avoid the trap of short term thinking by having a clear vision to the future. Leadership is not defined by the monthly profit and loss account. Those who see the landscape and have the gift of sight into the future will always be at a decided advantage to those who can’t. Read through the stories of our greatest leaders within this sector, including shopping centres, retail and franchising and you will see the common thread.

Focus on the issue at hand. Strong attention to detail is important. I saw this first hand where the leader who understood the detail of the business could know with absolute clarity whether they were being snowed in or not or simply know what it took to fix the situation.

Communicate. The wonderful quote from the then CEO of Merck ‘I spend 99% of my time communicating the same message over and over.’ No leader was ever vanquished for communicating too much.

These ‘fit’ leaders are very high on an influencing style of leadership and can easily make the tough calls.

Keep in touch. This is a little different from focusing on the issues at hand. A ‘fit’ leader is welcome on the front line and takes his/her place there with ease, is informal in style in this environment and doesn’t rely on the fabrication of the 'royal tour'.

“Remove the sycophants – The cheer squad.” This is a direct David Gonski quote and is so true. Leaders with large egos who rely on their cheer squad to stroke that ego don’t tend to either be effective or last that long.

Independent Counsel. - Seems a shameless plug – In reality the independent counsel is valuable and is a common feature amongst the more enlightened leader who looks for the view of the business without all the trappings of the internal perspective.

Quitting is OK. Great Leaders know when it’s time to quit, be it in sport, politics or business. Unfit leaders believe there is no one better. Knowing when it’s time to quit and move on is as much a skill with these ‘fit’ leaders as knowing what challenges to take on.

Succession and security. ‘Fit’ leaders are secure within themselves, they have high self esteem and prepare the business for their succession, looking for the next generation of leader who is better at the job than they are.

Decisiveness. Simple enough, weigh up the options intelligently, invite the right counsel and make the decision - a hallmark of ‘fit’ leaders. Procrastination and lack of responsibility are not in their dictionary.

Dignity and Kindness. ‘Fit’ leaders are human displaying humility, empathy, dignity and kindness in the way they are. (A wonderful book on humanity is “An Intelligent Life” by Julian Short). They connect and converse with staff on all levels of their business and show kindness to all.

Generosity. ‘Fit’ leaders create a sense of unity and belonging that is vital to the human spirit. They stand for the success of their people and are generous in doing so. The CEO luncheon with the new graduates, leadership and the role of social causes all come to mind.

Great clear thinkers. These leaders get to the heart of the matter and have an innate skill in removing the clutter. They possess dimension of thought, lateral, lineal, diagnostic. These ‘fit’ leaders create a map of outcome and pathways always considering the options.

“Leave your ego at the door.” This was a wonderful catch cry of an old boss of mine and reflected the way he dealt with everyone. Popular and effective were the topics of hallway gossip about this leader.

Come to The Retail Doctor’s ‘The Connected Retailer’ Breakfast Seminar this March to find out how to improve your business fitness and be more connected with your customers. For more information and to register, visit www.retaildoctor.com.au or contact louise@retaildoctor.com.au or 02 9460 2882.

Happy ‘Fit’ Retailing

The Retail Doctor

To connect with The Retail Doctor please go www.retaildoctor.com.au, email and phone us. Alternatively visit our sites on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Slideshare. Contact brian@retaildoctor.com.au to discuss how to increase your multi channel sales and profitability to be truly ‘Fit for Business’.