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Most definitions of leadership include two key elements:

	See what needs to be done, and
	Inspire people to get it done.

How would you rate yourself in each element?

In the book, The Corporate Coach by James Miller, Ron Zemke writes in the forward:

Twenty-five years ago, when Jim and Joan Miller… began what has become Miller Business Systems and Business Interiors ($150 million in 1992 sales), they had two important things going for them. First, they had almost no money; second, they knew next to nothing about running a retail office-products business [emphasis added]. Had they had either, there would very likely be no Miller Business Systems today (p. xiii).

Lacking the dollars and sense to do things the right way—the way everyone else did things in the industry—their recourse was to work like heck and throw themselves on the mercy of their employees and customers. Not knowing the office products business meant that the Millers had to listen closely and carefully to their customers. When a customer said I want, the Millers had to go get—they had to focus on responsiveness, not slick salesmanship, to land an order. When a customer complained, or when the Millers got something wrong, they apologized, atoned for the error, and figured out how to keep from making that mistake again…To this day, the rule at Miller Business Systems and Business Interiors is, If the customer says it’s a problem, it’s a problem.

And when an employee said I have an idea for improving things around here, the Millers listened and learned, because as often as not that employee’s idea was one idea more than either of them had had about the issue at hand. And it worked. More important, Jim Miller never forgot what he and Joan learned about listening to customers and employees in those scary, hand-to-mouth salad days: Never become too knowledgeable, experienced, or successful to have the humility and wisdom to listen, learn, and respond to customers and employees alike (pp. xiii-xiv).

Jim sees his colleagues at Miller Business Systems and Business Interiors as a team—and himself as a player/coach. And like every wise coach, Jim knows that the best game plan is only as good as the people executing it. Talented people, well trained and enthusiastically supported, rewarded, and recognized for their hard work and accomplishments make the Miller Business Systems and Business Interiors teams click [emphasis added] (pp. xiv-xv).

Conclusion. Leaders must:

	See what needs to be done, and
	Inspire people to get it done.

…and they do this by:

	Listening, learning, and responding to customers and employees,
	Apologizing and atoning for mistakes,
	Supporting, training, rewarding and recognizing teams.