Are you an accidental leader?
There are millions of professional company owners, but if my flood of e-mails is any indication, only a precious few of these are professional leaders. Even if they are making money for the moment, most of them are still amateurs when it comes to leading a business. I refer to these as "accidental leaders" because they have a leadership position only by virtue of owning the business, not because they have the ability to lead.
I believe there are three major pillars necessary to support a strong, professional leadership platform. Without maintaining excellence in all three, you are still playing in the amateur leagues. These three pillars are as follows:
 Being a controlled visionary. Most entrepreneurial business owners have egos. Achieving some measure of success and basking in the accompanying publicity can cause these egos to enlarge considerably. When this ego growth reaches the malignant stage, executives who are accidental leaders become so wrapped up in their own egos that they are convinced all the company's success is due to their own abilities. They demand unquestioned loyalty and support from their employees, and they see nothing wrong with giving themselves huge "perks" for all to see (expensive luxury cars, boats and/or planes, private club memberships, extravagant palatial homes, lavish primary and secondary office suites) as trappings of their personal success.
In contrast, professional leaders still have large egos, but they control the personal side because they realize their success is due to the collective efforts of all their employees, and they share the results of their labors with their workers.
Accidental leaders achieving some measure of success become content with their present formula, making only minor "tweaks" in the operation of their businesses. Professional leaders are visionaries looking toward the future, trying to assess future changes in market demand, and position the business to be ready to offer solutions appropriate for future consumer needs.
 Having an unquenchable appetite for information. Accidental leaders believe the answer to continued success is to work harder and reduce costs. They could care less if their products meet the needs of the marketplace. Professional leaders realize that information is power. Therefore they have an insatiable desire for information that will verify they have charted the correct future course for the business. If they sense a shift is coming in consumer demand, they want to be ready for it. They obtain this wealth of information from a variety of sources, including trade journals and associations, industry experts, customers and customer focus groups, suppliers, employees, competitor publications, business publications, books, seminars and surveys.
Accidental leaders shun competitors or seek their information covertly, while professional leaders join trade associations and discuss issues with executives from competitive companies. Not only will they learn valuable information, but there is always a chance that today's competitor may become tomorrow's business partner.
Accidental leaders are convinced they understand the needs of their customers just by doing business with them. This may be true today, but probably not tomorrow. Furthermore, if you do not stay in touch with your customers, you may never know when they are dissatisfied, because the vast majority of displeased customers never complain, they simply never return. Professional leaders want to know how well they are meeting their customers' expectations, as well as how these expectations are changing. They follow up after a sale to ensure the customer is satisfied. When there is a problem, it is resolved quickly to the customer's satisfaction. They also conduct regular surveys of both customers and potential customers to ascertain if their assessment of anticipated market changes is correct.
 Maintaining the highest personal and professional integrity. Accidental leaders may have good intentions and ooze golden promises, saying whatever it takes to win the order or achieve their immediate goal. However, they frequently fail to deliver on their promises and are not bothered by this because of their belief that "the end justifies the means." In stark contrast, professional leaders realize their employees and their customers are their most important assets. Therefore they always treat both with respect and honesty.