One of the most insightful leadership concepts I’ve encountered comes from the book Good to Great by Professor Jim Collins. (ISBN-13: 978-0066620992). In it, he explores how average companies make the leap to excellence and what distinguishes them from the rest. His research, conducted over five years with Jerry Porras and focused on Fortune 500 companies, identifies the key principles that drive sustained greatness.
Collins found that the leaders of great companies are the key, as they blend personal humility with intense professional will. These individuals are often quiet, modest, and driven more by a sense of purpose than by ego.
To me, this is the essence of strong leadership: someone who pulls their team forward to achieve lasting success.
Unfortunately, many still believe that leadership means dictating and pushing others to deliver. In my experience, such leaders are weak and incapable of sustaining success.
Leadership Style
To build a zero-loss culture, an organisation must be led by individuals who consistently model compliance with its values. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that everyone understands the behaviours required to meet the organisation’s objectives.
Here’s a comparison of two popular leadership styles today.
| Push | Pull |
| Prescriptive, Do as I say, not as I do | Lead by example to the Company values |
| Egotistic; own opinion is most important | Seek consensus where possible |
| Directive to force agreement | Negotiate to achieve an agreement |
| Harassment, Telling to correct | Educating, showing how to correct |
| Unforgiving | Motivational |
| Do not talk in a way that people understand their instructions | Talk in a language that people understand |
| Measurement to find Fault | Measurement to improve |
| See self as superior, not equal, disrespectful | Promotes equality and respect |
| Distracts zero loss focus | Builds zero-loss focus |
| Negative influence | Positive influence |
| Uncontrolled Ego | Controlled Ego |
| Lacks integrity to preserve self | Take ownership of mistakes. |
| Discourage Dissent | Encourage Dissent |
| Selective listening | Listening to understand |
There are two basic styles of leadership in vogue today, with characteristics of both.
The Pull style of leadership is the only style that will develop the culture of “Want To” and deliver zero loss.
Today, many leaders exhibit a pushy style, wanting to pontificate and dictate how people should behave, thereby killing dissent—the core of effective teamwork. A leader’s need to pontificate and direct is generally driven by an uncontrolled ego and a perceived need to push their team to deliver, thereby preserving the leader’s position.
They frequently struggle to communicate with their team in a language that is understood. They tend to view proposed adjustments to their position as a personal challenge to their leadership, and their reaction often creates distractions, leading to consequences resulting in loss.
The key value that delivers “Zero Loss” is the behavioural value, and the conduct of leaders and all team members must be continually assessed to demonstrate compliance, primarily through observation.
The key to delivering “Zero Loss” is for leaders to ensure that their teams’ focus on delivering the organisation’s objectives is never distracted.
If you would like to know more, contact us at: info@Aluminproinc.com
Jim Short
Jim has long experience in chemical plant operations, engineering, consultancy, capital project development, review and implementation.
In the areas of design, operations, construction, and technical support of developed and new alumina projects in Ireland, Africa, the USA, and other parts of the world.
He has applied asset management and capital project expertise from the alumina industry to other sectors with significant effect. He has developed “Zero Loss” systems for plant operations, capital projects, asset management, due diligence assessments, and safety.
