Setting the Pace

I was listening on the phone to a CEO I called yesterday. He was telling me that his business could not afford to simply react to the environment in which it was operating. It must be setting the pace; otherwise it would be failing its customers.

Our customers want to hear about solutions to the problems that they face and see an improvement in their prosperity. We must create these opportunities and enhance their well being. I could not agree more.

Leadership in business is about setting the pace. It is about seeing a gap and fixing it. It is about being passionate about it. Being adamant and totally focused on the other person and their needs and helping them come up with answers for themselves is an imperative.

Too often, we want to impose our answers on problems that we ourselves have not fully grasped.

Others are much better served by our learning to listen intently, asking the incisive and probing question and then allowing space for the other person to think and arrive at the solution that best meets their particular needs. By taking this approach, we will set the pace that builds great businesses.