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W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 21 N OV E M B E R 3 0 , 2 0 1 5 H OW TO I just got a terrifi c email. A com- pany I've been mentoring won the Northeast Regional Cleantech Open. ey now go on to the Global Forum to pitch for $200,000. So I asked myself again: What makes for a successful business? What are the most important attributes of a success- ful entrepreneur, business owner and/or CEO? What goes through the founder/ owner/CEO's mind? What do custom- ers, clients, strategic partners, suppliers and investors see in these people? Much has been written about famous (perhaps some infamous) business leaders, yet the stories are hard to fathom for the smaller busi- ness owner, never mind early-stage growing concerns. Here is my short list of key suc- cess drivers. ey are simple. ey do not require degrees, years of experi- ence, or rich underpinnings. ey are people-based. There are four: 1. Passion 2. Coachability 3. Collaboration 4. Execution Hands down, passion is the driver. Passion comes from deep inside. It is from the heart and soul. Passion is the driver behind the vision. It's not to be confused with excitement, which is temporal. Passion is timeless. True pas- sion is rooted deep. It is not temporal. It is part and parcel of you. It is not a thing or dependent upon a thing or event positive or negative. Passion drives. Being coachable is the crucial behavioral attribute of a successful business leader. Coupled with passion, this is the attribute that most often defi nes leadership. Success comes from having a strong character, yet knowing when and how to set your ego aside, to actively seek out coach- ing, mentoring and advice from other "smarter" people. More than that, it is actively engaging with these people, many of whom may be your own hires, co-owners or clients. Being coachable is hard. It often requires stepping back and getting out of the way so others can do what they are really good at. Being coach- able makes up for a whole string of capability defi cits. Why? How? Because by asking for help from people smarter than you in their respective areas, skills defi cits no longer matter. You are build- ing a team. You remove the "smartest person in the room" syndrome. It is an amazing release of stress. I had the opportunity once to coach a very competent peer, a Fortune 500 executive. He was faced with the challenge of solving prob- lems for owners who were very resis- tant. My advice: I suggested that he put on his "mentoring" hat. It worked. e owners listened. He relaxed. Coachability is listening with purpose to what others off er and then acting on it. Actively seek. Listen purposefully. Ask questions. Implement for success. ere are many paradigms of leader- ship. I subscribe to the most power- ful — leadership comes from one's peers, staff and associates. It comes from building, encouraging, applaud- ing and critiquing teams as a team. Collaboration is working together from within your company and engaging your customers, supply chain partners and resources. Collaboration results in earning leadership more from acclama- tion than badges. If you model the above, then execu- tion will be easier and natural. Much of the time decisions and actions will be almost transparent. A successful businessperson always knows (or fi nds out) what needs to be accomplished and when. And they have an almost intuitive sense of how to get this done. ey constantly play what-if scenarios in their head and with their mentors, advisors and staff . Surprises are rare. In the event of a "fi re," practiced leaders will often fi nd the required decision in front of them. If not, they quickly ask key questions and make decisions. At the end of the day, businesses are people. Business is between people. is is the challenge and the reward. Striving to achieve the above attributes will tip the balance more to the fun, more of the time. Oh, and fun means more fi nancial success now and over time. G e O F F L a m D i n i s a B r u n s w i c k - b a s e d m e m b e r of member of the A ssociation for Consulting Expertise. He c a n b e r e a c h e d a t G e O F F @ L e F t F i e L D s O L U t i O n s . c O m We're here. We're local. We're independent... Employee Benefits Team PAQUIN & CARROLL INSURANCE www.insurancepc.com Toll free: 800-287-1486 ...and we won't drop the ball. We're there when it matters most with friendly, trusted insurance advice. We can help you find the most affordable health care plan with no additional cost to you or your company. Give our team a call today! Home | Business | Auto | Employee Benefits Biddeford • Kennebunk • Saco • Westbrook Coach passion, collaboration, execution and, yes, coachability B Y G E O F F L A M D I N

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