In this blog, I am going to lay out what I think being a good leader entails. I have seen many examples of how business leaders go about leading their work force, I have a different method in mind.
I recently read an article that talked about Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. In this article, I found many points that could also be used on a very personal level in business. In short, the nations with the highest mean income were those who allowed their population to thrive.
I have seen how many businesses operate from the inside. I have seen them struggle to find ways to make there workforce happier. I see them promote from within, give generous perks, award members for certain things, the list goes on. I think the answer is simpler than that, and if I ran a company, I would take a completely different approach. I think my company would do better, last longer, be more profitable, if I allowed my work force more freedom. Instead of paying millions to some think tank to figure out some way to make my production line more efficient, I would give my work force the reigns, let them figure it out, and share the profits with them.
People want to know that their input matters. That is the most important thing I have taken from my past jobs.
http://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewvall
Electrical Design Engineer, Minneapolis, Minnesota
