The Exuberant Accountant - Scott Heintzelman

It has been said that difficult times do not build character… it reveals it.  During these unique times of economic uncertainty, many organizational leaders may be struggling for answers.  Here are five leadership guidelines to follow during challenging times:

Integrity - is the essence of everything successful and that is never truer than during difficult times.  Your team needs to trust what you say. 

Knowledge – is power.  During challenging times it is important for an organization to focus on what it knows.  You need to know your customers, know your strategy, and you need to know what you do not know.  Part of being a great leader is acquiring the skills to find the right answers.
 
Decisiveness – is a characteristic of high performance.  Almost any decision is better than no decision at all.  Good things happen when you take action.  The worst quality you can show a team is indecision.
 
Vision – is the ability to see the future.  Nothing stops an organization faster than people who believe that the way you worked yesterday is the best way to work tomorrow.  A leader needs to continually communicate the vision.
 
Unselfishness – is the magnet in your heart that will attract others.  When you learn to live for others, they will live for you.  Stephen Covey, in his successful book Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, wrote that a true leader must be a servant to the ones he or she leads.

What risk or overhauling do you need to do in order to have profits during the “collection period?”