Four Key Leadership Roles: Maximizer

As Maximizers, leaders are responsible for getting the most and best out of the human, physical and economic resources under their stewardship.  This is another critical aspect of leadership.  Nothing can kill a business like underutilized assets.  Leaders are responsible to monitor and manage this closely.  They need to place close attention to the maximization of all resources.

Leaders are responsible for three fundamental types of assets:

• Human: People
• Physical: Plant, equipment, and capabilities
• Financial: Balance sheet and income statement items

To be the most effective and efficient in this role, leaders need to set up goals and strategies to get the most and best out of their resources.

Getting the most and best out of human resources

In a book I read a while ago, The Breakthrough Company, Keith McFarland identifies strategies and skills that enable everyday companies to become extraordinary performers. According to his research, key managers in “breakthrough” companies have the ability to move away from spending time doing tasks and focus on spending time in three critical areas: Strategy, people and execution.

In the People area, the idea is to spend more time on activities that ensure you are getting the most out of your people. This does not mean “slave driving” or “watching over shoulders.” It means spending time finding out what makes people tick, challenging them, catching them doing good things and bad, and providing productive feedback to make sure they are engaged and aligned with your company’s mission.

Getting the most and best out of physical resources

Companies make significant investments in plants, equipment and capabilities critical to business operations.  Leaders must not only ensure these investments are made wisely during the pre-acquisition phase, but they must also ensure they are implemented, maintained, and fully utilized afterwards.

Underutilized space, capacity, features and functions must be identified and managed constantly.

Getting the most and best out of financial resources

Finally, leaders must keep an eye on the financial resources under their stewardship.  They need to make sure that they are making the best use of the cash they have on hand. They also need to ensure that collections remain in check, they have the best ratios (debt/equity, etc.) given their industry, budgets are under control, and loans are structured properly given the market conditions.

Maximizing is the final role in this series.  Leaders must be constantly vigilant of these four roles and the tasks thereof in order to be most effective in their position.  Depending on their level and the size of their organization, these roles change accordingly. Nevertheless, they are all critical to your success.  Structuring your agendas accordingly will enable you to fulfill them and accomplish your responsibilities as a leader much better.

The BEST is Yet to Come!

Epi Torres, CEO