Flipping through a publication citing the celebrity deaths this year, I saw a reference to Lee Iacocca. He died at the start of July 2019.
Although I never studied Iacocca’s management style in great detail, my first boss would often repeat one of Iacocca’s mantras; Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Way
A 1992 Chrysler commercial with Iacocca ends with this way of thinking.
See the video below
Let’s take a quick shot at breaking these three actions down:
1) Lead- What can I do to instill and inspire confidence in people to accomplish an audacious goal? How am I acting and communicating like a leader? What can I do so that people’s performance can improve? What support do I bring to the table?
2) Follow- If I am not the formal leader, what skill set can I provide to help people implement the leader’s goal? Where might I speak up to alert the leader to concern or important milestones?
3) Get Out of the Way- If you don’t have a thorough understanding of what is happening and you are not able to positively contribute to reaching the goal, it is best to let people do their jobs without your interference. Refrain from creating potential obstacles if you find yourself in this arena. There are times when things just need to take their course.
Those interested in Iacocca’s leadership philosophy may want to read his book Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
Check out this video clip below of Iacocca’s 9Cs of leadership. It’s very direct and at times funny!