Permission to reproduce: This article may be published in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is given to the author, and apparently with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com

by Brent Filson

Re-running the blow on the wall of an economic law: the law of diminishing returns.
This law states that the continued investment that results from a reduced number of returns over time. Reengineering is an investment that has costs to improve bottom-line. However, more companies reengineering, fewer returns they get from their investments and thus must change its approach in a different direction for revenue growth.

The new approach: the first line.

Top line growth, revenue growth is not a function of reengineering, the costs of taking people from drinking, but instead of putting people in “People” not mean the addition of people but people in the vital mix of factors that determine the top-line growth – with no power over the people, but power with people.

And the key for people to spearhead the growth is the leadership, especially small units of leadership, the leadership of most of the basic units of organization and equipment units or teams that deal directly with sales, marketing , manufacturing, distribution and research of products or services. In other words, these units / teams that are closest to the customer, that touch of reality.

No small unit leaders – supervisors and top level managers – the charge for the results, organizations stumble.

Here are four ways to begin to get a great small unit leadership in your organization.

First, recognize: Before an organization can have effective small unit leadership, organization, all levels of the organization must recognize the importance of such leadership.

I have seen many companies whose top executives were so devoted to dance out cost for the price of the shares until its small unit leaders even in his radar scope. And when the leaders are not taken into account, they become inept.

To make the executives of simple recognition of the vital importance of small unit leaders for first-line growth and to communicate their organizations, small unit leaders can only take root on the rocky ground.

Secondly, to demonstrate: It is not enough to know that the senior executive leadership of small units is important, is not enough they say that small units of leadership is important to do something about it. They must demonstrate that recognition.
Napoleon always had a place at their staff meetings. If the plans of his generals suggested that the place did not understand, Napoleon launched out plans.

And the Marine Corps, which has a strong tradition of small unit leadership, as demonstrated in the area when troops to the line of food: The Marines of lesser rank to eat first, the last comma higher graduation. When the troops, showing a general out before him in the lunch line, which speaks powerfully of how the general, of how the Corps, the value of their ropes.

What if a company such as supervisors received rewards parking and senior executives have to make major changes in the lot?

At first the show and celebrate leaders in many important respects, not only by the action lip-service to its valued small-unit leaders, the leaders will be motivated to deliver.

Third, challenge, motivation, but it is not enough. Delivery is. The delivery is the key challenge for all small units. Small unit leaders must understand clearly the precise results to be obtained. I asked an executive of R & D so that the results of his group hopes to achieve, and he looked at me blankly. After a moment, he said, “I’m embarrassed to say. I do not know, do not you have said that the accuracy of the results of our group should get.” If the group’s objectives are vague, the goals of small units will be too vague. And when teams have vague goals, poor to take action.

In order for small unit leaders to be good, they must understand clearly what they are supposed to be good at, what results are needed. And then the challenge must be to be good to achieve those accurate results.

It is in the challenge, challenge expected over the teams of each of its members believe they can deliver that small units leaders must thrive. For small units of leadership is to get units / teams to deliver uncommon results. To cope with big challenges, small-unit leaders can not order people to do work, but they must have people who want to do those jobs. They want is the axis of growth of first line.

Fourth, develop. An executive of a manufacturing company recently told me something that sent cold chills to my spine. “We do not teach our leaders about leadership. They have to or do not. We give them a team, and if they can not bear to have someone who can.”

This is a final plan for failure. People tend to be promoted to lead a small unit for the first time, not because they are good leaders (which is not shown), but because they are good at their jobs. Only when the leader can begin to be seen who are good leaders. And as people learn their jobs, so they can learn to drive in these jobs.

Few of us are natural leaders. Most of us need help, help. In addition, we have to work hard to be leaders. And the work is more productive when given the resources, training, promotion, and mentoring. A company that wants to consistent growth in the first line should have a culture that promotes continuous improvement in leadership. This means that employees should be measured, evaluated and controlled on the type of leadership behavior that is consistent results.

Reengineering is not dead. In the coming years will continue to play an important role in keeping costs down. But it will not play the prominent role he has played recently. As the performance of their investments decline, the income of its importance for growth will diminish.

For many companies that have been riding the wave of reengineering, management of the line growth is key to new revenue growth. And when business leaders recognize the link between the small unit leadership and front-line growth and adapt the strategies and resources to make this link precise and powerful, then the focus will shift from flow charts and histograms reengineering of what actually gets results: actions that flow from the human heart.