Accountable Leaders

CHAPTER 9How to Be a Community Builder

As we discussed earlier in the book, if you and your colleagues can build a strong community of leaders in your organization, it will become the ultimate differentiator. Your culture will help you stand apart from your competitors. Your employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders will know you are building something extraordinary. But building a strong culture is not easy. It’s not something just for the CEO and executive team to pay attention to. All leaders must play their part, and you will need to step up in new ways. You will need to become a community builder. The four strategies in this chapter will show you how, and they will each connect back to the four terms of the leadership contract (see Figure 9.1).

Figure 9.1 The Four Strategies to Be a Community Builder

Commit to Being a Community Builder

Why is it so essential to be a community builder?

Many companies today have more integrated business strategies. They are driving greater collaboration across departments and functions. They also recognize the competitive advantage that can come from having a strong leadership culture in place. Now some leaders may think that these ideas are naïve or too soft. Some think the ideas are about all your leaders holding hands and singing “Kumbaya.” Far from it. You will need a deep sense of commitment, resilience, and resolve ...