BoLA's Ideal Customer

Where can we satisfy our acute need for leadership learning? [Not that we aren't good leaders--just that we want to be even better.]

Band of Leaders Australia (BoLA) is primarily about leadership—its articulation and development for members and the wider community.

Leadership may be achieved by the occupation of a position or a role. However, we believe that leadership success is determined by doing the right thing (not taking the comfortable option), influencing people, thinking and behaving strategically, constantly striving for superior performance, lifelong learning, continuous improvement and courage under pressure. 

This is leadership in action, the reward for which is the willingness of followers to go above and beyond the call of duty in support of the business’ purpose.

Dedicated ongoing followship is the only measure for leadership and it is ephemeral. There can be no credible qualification, award or certificate for leadership. 

The overwhelming requirement for all leaders is to focus—every stakeholder will have a view about what the leader should be doing and it is impossible to satisfy them all. We have devised what we believe to be the top five Priorities of the Leader:

1. Set the Standard
2. Set the Structure
3. Set the Strategy
4. Engage the Staff
5. Engage the Customer

This Priorities model, created by the author, includes a matrix of 10 key behaviours for each Priority and is available on request. 

BoLA is a practical response to the priorities of the leader, most often, the business owner. Our curriculum is based on:

• group discussions with practicing leaders;
• leadership tools provided by consulting specialists, the chair and fellow-members;
• facilitated processing of members’ opportunities and issues;
• peer relationship support and development.

BoLA exists to take members, as business owners, Beyond Achievement…to build Success.

We talk of the owner. James Ashton, author of The Nine Types of Leader, uses the title Founder. He describes them as confident, creative, hard-working and persistent. They find a new solution to an old problem or create something from the ground up. They revel in having the self-appointed right to do as they please. Somewhere over the horizon, they are expecting a big return on their investment of time, money and effort, but for the formative years, it’s the vision and the purpose that sustains them. 

While they are most likely from modest beginnings and are family-based, owners are not conventional thinkers, nor are they cautious and they are not a one-person show—they want to expand and take many others with them.

Of business leaders in general, the personal stake for the owner has implications well beyond holding a position or appointment. For them, a significant asset and perhaps the home and other personal assets are on the line. While the potential for asset appreciation may be the main reason for existence, the risk of degradation or total loss is always in play.

We draw from the deep pool of good people running good businesses. In addition Our ideal customer:

• sees him/herself as a Business Owner (although this does not rule out the Serial Entrepreneur or those who run a business owned by others);
• is probably 35-50 years old;
• is confident in their own knowledge and their capacity to learn, AND has an appreciation of there being a lot more to learn (probably in the field of “people”);
• sees him/herself as an outsider, without a close circle of business confidants e.g. not from Perth; raised in a family-only business; self-taught rather than university-educated—any one or a combination of these.

We know that every business owner wants to get the optimal return from the business for their investment of time, effort, ingenuity and capital.

Initially, the leading measure will be in terms of net return, which will determine the viability of the business and the lifestyle that the business owner can achieve. 

For the long game however, attention will focus on the net value of the business—determined by the multiplier. 

The owner will have in mind the ultimate sale of the business, or maybe an annuity income as the next generation of the family assumes the leadership.

In BoLA, being the business leader is an achievement; building that business up defines our success.

 Next week: Ryan Hair, Leadership and BoLA.

 About the Author

Jeff Bell is Principal of executive consultancy ResultsWise in Perth, Western Australia. To boost your leadership, ask Jeff about consulting, coaching, strategy facilitation, Band of Leaders Australia (BoLA) jeff@bandofleadersaustralia.com.au or Advanced Leadership Course jeff@resultswise.com.au. Mobile 0439 988 662.