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Heroes, Leaders and Ordinary People

By Pete McGarahan

I have been struck by a couple of big changes over the past month. I’ve noticed an intense introspection by both individuals and corporations. Everyone is slowing down a bit to think about what’s important. The other significant change, and one I hope continues, is our collective admiration for everyday people. I think that there has never been a more appropriate time for us to rally to our leaders and become leaders ourselves.

Introspection

September 11^th really put people in a thoughtful position. I’ve seen people slowing down, taking the time to ‘be here now’. That’s a leadership philosophy I learned in leadership school. To be a good leader you must be able to focus in on your people and make sure that you are giving them what they need. You must demonstrate to them that the business cares about them and that they can be successful.

Everyday heroes

The bravery of firefighters and police officers in New York City, and the devastation they suffered in no small part because of it, has elevated these otherwise ordinary people to hero status. It has elevated them high above sports heroes, which is something we needed to do a long time ago.

Other stories are only now beginning to emerge. Passengers taking action to prevent loss of life beyond their own. People at ground zero helping others escape the buildings and flying debris. Volunteers going into the danger zone to help in any way they could. Our civic leaders – people like George Bush and Rudy Giuliani – have rallied the whole nation and the free world to do the right thing.

I think people are looking at all this and realizing that these people have all exhibited great leadership qualities. Support people – executives, directors and managers – who want to become leaders have an opportunity now to learn by example all around us. After all, whatever we do, it’s all about leadership. If the current events have shown anything it is the impact a leader can have on inspiring and motivating people to come together.

Becoming a leader

The first thing to do to become a leader is to look within and discover the qualities you have that are leadership qualities. Look to leverage your strengths around the current situation. You have to know what you are capable of within, and your strengths as a person and professional to be able to go out there. The second thing is to find something to rally around. Some initiative, some project, some company initiative. Put all your leadership focus on rallying your employees around this business need. Show the company through your leadership, through your identification of this gap or need, that you are able to rally your troops and get their “buy-in” of the mission.

Leaders must develop and hone a variety of communication, management and people skills. Communication skills enable leaders to persuade and sell what they want to do. Management skills get the team together and mobilize for the initiative at hand. And people skills help a leader get the most out of and give the most back to each individual.

Here are basic skills you need to develop and refine to be a great leader:

q Business savvy to ensure the right focus

q Financial analysis to justify actions and initiatives

q Customer service attitude to satisfy the stakeholders

q Marketing and communications skills to gain cooperation and agreement

q Project management aptitude to keep initiatives on track

q Leadership techniques to get people to follow

q Presentation skills to communicate intent, status and success

q Leveraging technology to leverage intellectual resources

q Process orientation to optimize action

q Human resources knowledge to understand team and organizational dynamics

q Negotiating skills achieve goals to mutual advantage

q Problem-solving skills to clear hurdles

There are many ways to acquire and fine-tune these skills. Attend specialized courses, or enroll in continuing education. Review online courseware. Read books. There are some great books on leadership itself, and many others on specific skills. Read the newspaper or online news. Right now there are hundreds of case studies from which to learn. Expose yourself to what people are doing to be effective leaders, and to the qualities of specific leaders that people want to be around and follow.

Recovery planning

I also think that for Help Desk managers and directors, now is the time to watch and learn from bad decisions or oversights so that they can be avoided in the future. Look at how companies planned (or didn’t plan) for disaster recovery and crisis management, and then compare your observations with your own planning. Run through your plan using new scenarios that incorporate new threats. If you don’t have a plan, develop one.

Also consider that the Help Desk is in a very opportunistic position in times of trouble. Any time something happens around the country or around the world, the Help Desk could serve as a single point of contact in coordinating disaster relief. We did that at Taco Bell when there was a hurricane in Florida. Many Taco Bells were flooded and wiped out. We coordinated disaster relief through the Help Desk. People knew what number to call in and they would tell us where they were and who was affected. Then we coordinated with people in the area to get them food, clothing, and shelter.

Our top priority remains

Regardless of what happens, we have to realize we are in the people business first, and technology takes a distant second. We are there to support the use of technology, not the technology itself. As a leader you can inspire your staff to provide the best support, especially in times of turmoil.

Comments to: PMcGarahan@stiknowledge.com

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About the author:

Peter “Pete” McGarahan, chairman of Help Desk 2000, previously served as executive director of the Help Desk Institute (HDI) and as director of Help Desk Marketing for Vantive Corporation. Under his leadership, the Taco Bell support team achieved the HDI Team Excellence Award. McGarahan was selected as one of the "Top 25 Professionals in the Service Industry" by Service News magazine in 1996.