DD&S Express

Over more than two decades in transportation and operations, I have worked with many different leaders, managed teams, built processes, solved operational problems, worked directly with customers, and watched the industry change significantly. Yet one of the most valuable leadership lessons I have ever received came from a wonderful mentor who made management remarkably simple.

He taught me that a leader needs to do three things:

“You need to set objectives, give them directions on how to get there, and then monitor and manage from there.”

That philosophy has stayed with me throughout my career because it applies whether you are managing a small team, building an operation, solving a customer problem, or leading an organization through growth and change.

Set Goals and Objectives

People need to know what they are trying to accomplish.

That sounds obvious, but organizations can easily become consumed with activity. Meetings, emails, reports, phone calls, and constantly putting out fires can make everyone extremely busy without necessarily moving the organization forward.

I have never believed that looking busy is the same thing as being productive.

A leader should be able to clearly define the objective. What are we trying to accomplish? What does success look like? How are we going to measure it?

When people understand the goal, they can begin making decisions that support it. More importantly, they understand why their work matters.

Set the Direction

Once the objective is established, leadership has to give people directions on how to get there.

Before changing an operation or developing a solution, I believe you first need to understand it.

That means talking to the people actually doing the work, listening to customers, understanding the challenges, reviewing the information available, and sometimes getting directly involved yourself.

“A strong leader should not build an organization that cannot function without them.”

I have always believed that some of the best solutions come from getting close enough to the operation to understand what is actually happening rather than assuming you already know.

Once you understand the objective and the challenges, you can establish the processes, systems, resources, and responsibilities needed to get there.

Then give capable people the opportunity to execute.

Monitor and Manage From There

The final part of my mentor's advice may be the most important:

Monitor and manage from there.

To me, that does not mean micromanagement.

If I have clearly established the objective, provided direction, put the right systems in place, and given someone the responsibility to perform, I should not need to stand over that person every day.

My job becomes monitoring the results.

Are we accomplishing what we said we were going to accomplish? Is the process working? Is the customer satisfied? Are there obstacles preventing the team from succeeding?

When something isn't working, that's when management becomes important.

Occasionally the process is wrong. Sometimes people need additional training or resources. Sometimes circumstances have changed. And sometimes there simply needs to be accountability.

A leader needs to understand the difference.

I also don't believe in changing something simply for the sake of changing it. Before I change an existing process, I want to understand why it exists and whether it is producing the desired result.

If something works, build upon it. If it doesn't, understand why and fix it.

Develop People Who Can Lead Without You

There is another lesson I have come to appreciate as my career has progressed.

A strong leader should not build an organization that cannot function without them.

If every decision has to come through me, I haven't developed a strong team. I have created dependence.

People should understand not only what they are being asked to do but also why they are doing it. When employees understand the objective and the reasoning behind the direction, they become capable of making good decisions when circumstances change.

That is how people grow.

It is also how organizations grow.

Transportation will continue changing. Technology will change. Customer expectations will change. The systems and tools we use today will eventually be replaced by something better.

But I don't believe the fundamentals of leadership will change nearly as much.

As my mentor taught me, “You need to set objectives, give them directions on how to get there, and then monitor and manage from there.”

I don't remember every meeting I attended with my mentor or every operational challenge we solved together. But I remember those three principles. They have followed me throughout my career and continue to shape the way I lead today.

Perhaps that is one of the greatest measures of leadership: not simply what you accomplish while you are in charge, but what the people you lead carry forward after you're gone.

I know that can happen because a great mentor did it for me.