Leadership is rarely something that is noticable. It is the results of people doing what they need to do to take care of themselves, their employees and their families. Leadership is not something that is given to someone because they run the company. Leadership is earned. In the companies that I researched, each of the business owners were also leaders. In the paragraphs below you will see how leadership played out in some of these companies. One of the definitions I use for leadership is how successful a company is in creating business predictability. This effectively means: can the owner leave and the business still run as a finely tuned machine?

What we did not expect or fully understand was that almost every company had overcome overwhelming odds and moved past some very large obstacles at some point in their existence. I was amazed by their candor concerning the challenges they faced, the opportunities they identified and the transformation that was required to move forward. For many of these companies and their owners, it was both a personal and organizational transformation.

After interviewing these companies and reading the interview notes, I started seeing some common threads. It became apparent what these companies did to become successful.

This understanding revealed several things about leadership. I learned about how important it was to be focused, to believe in yourself and your products. I learned that many of these successful companies did things for their communities and for their customers, because it was the right thing to do. And perhaps most of all, I learned the value of having external advisors and listening to them.

One illustration of “doing the right thing” was demonstrated by ICBS , a local firm providing Internet services. ICBS created a web site, www.holisticonline.com, to help individuals better understand alternative medicines. He did this because his physician wife’s patients were asking about therapies they found over the web that were potentially dangerous. She felt they needed a place where they could get reliable information free from subjective input. This web site is totally supported by him, his wife and group of very dedicated individuals who see the value in the service they are providing. This service is free all who choose to use it.

Another company, Software Answers , www.software-answers.com, made a commitment to their clients. The economy was bad and they were running out of cash. Knowing that meeting expectations would cost more than initially expected, they could have backed out of the deal and left their customers hanging. What they did was to continue forward and honor their commitment because it was the right thing to do. Somehow, they found the cash, met their clients’ expectations and held on to their core values. Everything worked out for them, taking the high road paid off.

The founders of the Mustard Seed Market & CafÉ, www.mustardseedmarket.com , an organic health food store and restaurant, have a strong belief in service to God. In serving their fellow man, they believed, it allowed them to better serve God.

This belief, and doing what they love, (providing organic food and qualify vitamins) helped them grow into a robust and successful business.

Each of these companies had a story to tell that went beyond the numbers. My hope in writing this book is to inspire, educate and motivate people who have a business or are looking to start a business. This is not a book about finance, numbers, marketing or entrepreneurship. It is a book of hope, belief, and faith of real companies, real people and real stories.

Hope, because I think our future looks very bright. The number of small companies who are prospering was very exciting and inspirational to me.

Belief, because it takes belief in yourself, your product and service to continue moving forward when things are not going well. The owners of these companies had unshakable belief in what they were doing. They believed they had a valuable product or service to provide.

Faith, because there is so much that can go right, usually from the most unexpected places, to help realize one’s dreams. It takes work, but it is so much easier when you know you are not alone: that others have been through the same thing and not only survived, but thrived. Many of these organizations are lessons in faith: in themselves, their products and their employees.

Your Next Step

Successful people take action. Successful people leave tracks. Learn what other successful peple have done and how you to can follow in those footprints. We regularly hold workshops on success. In the workshop called Attitudes and Behaviors of Successful People (or Success Leaves Tracks) you will learn:

• Two things common to every successful business leader
• How to motivate yourself by creating the life you really want
• A roadmap to six activities common to all successful business
• A methodology to ensure you are doing everything necessary to for your success
• Review of the critical action steps all successful businesses address

If you are interested in holding this workshop in your company please call Ronald Finklestein, at 330-990-0788 or send an email to info@yourbusinesscoach.net